Hollywood Writers' Strike Looming

If only there was a little bit more time. Or perhaps if the difference between the two sides was not as great as $100 million. Then, maybe, there would be some hope in this rapidly deteriorating situation. The current contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires at 12:01 AM on the morning of Wednesday, May 2. And because of a media blackout imposed by representatives of both sides, the press has been left to speculate about any progress being made in the negotiations or the lack thereof. One of the major questions to be resolved is how much studios owe writers when films or TV shows are broadcast overseas or rerun domestically. The writers also want increased residuals from videocassettes and DVDs.

If the nearly 11,000 writers represented by the WGA go forward with the strike, the first victims will be daily soap operas and late night variety shows. Shortly thereafter, sit-coms and dramas will begin to fall back on re-runs. While a writers strike will prove disastrous for television on several levels, it could pale in comparison to the damage inflicted by an Actors' strike, which will be a possibility near the end of June. That is when the current contracts of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists will expire. It's shaping up to be a long, hot summer in Hollywood, and many of the people that make the town go may be looking for work.