Hollywood Writers on Strike

Writers demanding bigger share of DVD profits; studios slam 'irresponsible' strike
Posted Nov 5, 2007 6:08 AM CST
Hollywood Writers on Strike
Picket signs lie in a van at the Writers Guild of America headquarters Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, in Los Angeles. Hollywood writers were back at the bargaining table Sunday in a last-minute push to avoid a strike against TV networks and movie studios over writers' share of profits from DVDs and the Internet....   (Associated Press)

The first Hollywood writers strike since 1988 began early this morning when union representatives walked out on talks with studio negotiators after 11 hours at the bargaining table. Both sides expect the strike to be long, expensive and debilitating. "Once it starts, it's going to get ugly," a writer told the Los Angeles Times.

Late-night programs dependent on current events, such as "The Tonight Show" and "The Daily Show," will immediately switch to reruns or be replaced. Soaps and daytime talk shows, which have about a week of material stockpiled, will be hit next. The 22-week walkout by writers in 1988 cost the entertainment industry an estimated $500 million. Writers are demanding a bigger share of DVD and new-media profits. (More Hollywood stories.)

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