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Fox best prepared to weather strike storm
By Nellie Andreeva
Nov 1, 2007

Now that the hide-and-seek strike game has gotten to the "ready or not, here I come" stage, the broadcast networks are facing the imminent work stoppage by writers in different shapes and different degrees of preparedness.

With only 15 hours of primetime to program, Fox has a built-in advantage in case of a prolonged strike. Add to that the January return of "American Idol," which can go on as many as three nights a week, and Fox looks as strike-proof as one can be.

Fox already runs a schedule with six hours of unscripted programming, and five of them -- "Kitchen Nightmares," the Thursday combo of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and Saturday's "Cops" and "AMW: America Strikes Back" -- are expected to continue beyond January, when most fall scripted series will run out of fresh episodes.

Additionally, Fox's staggered fall rollout left it with six fresh scripted series for midseason. Then there is the network's reality chief, Mike Darnell, who consistently has delivered reliable performers on the fly.

The Hollywood Reporter
complete article

I can't blame them for wanting a piece of the internet action. Anyways, much of TV sucks real bad as it is. My contract is up in January for cable, this may sway me to get rid of it.

UPDATE
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WGA negotiators Thursday night unanimously decided to bring a strike recommendation to their elected leadership Friday. The announcement drew cheers from the roughly 3,000 members of the WGA West assembled at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The strike likely will begin Monday, but a final decision on the timing will be determined Friday, when the WGA West and WGA East boards and councils meet at 10 a.m. PDT in L.A. and New York.

Email

Hmm, too bad my favourite late nite shows will be affected immediately. What will I ever do?

augie wrote:

Hmm, too bad my favourite late nite shows will be affected immediately. What will I ever do?

Hmmm...well, this is a family forum, so...

phileysmiley wrote:

augie wrote: Hmm, too bad my favourite late nite shows will be affected immediately. What will I ever do? Hmmm...well, this is a family forum, so...

Hahahaha! Apparently the networks will give us more 'reality' shows as if there aren't enough now. I guess I'll be renting more movies if they do strike.

Judging by some shows I've seen this season... I thought the strike had already started.

Seriously, there is some real corn ball writing out there now.

UPDATE
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This afternoon in Los Angeles, the Writers Guild of America announced a strike against the studios and networks that comprise the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The industry trades -- Variety and Hollywood Reporter -- indicated that the strike will begin on Monday.

The announcement came on the heels of last night's standing-room-only meeting of 3,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), in which the Guild negotiating committee recommended the walk out.

At last night's WGA meeting, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Guild's negotiating committee indicated that the AMPTP had halted talks, asking that an extension of today's 'DVD formula' be extended to New Media, according to a WGA statement.

indieWIRE
complete article

UPDATE
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WGA votes to strike Mon.; more talks set for Sun.
By Carl DiOrio and Leslie Simmons
Nov 3, 2007

The federal mediator in the WGA's contract talks has summoned negotiators to a last-ditch meeting, set for 10 a.m. Sunday, in an effort to avoid a writers strike.

The place for the meeting -- called by Juan Carlos Gonzalez of the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service -- is being kept under wraps. The potentially positive development Friday evening follows news earlier Friday that the WGA West board and WGA East Council had accepted a negotiating committee recommendation and set a writers strike for 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Barring a weekend agreement to forestall the walkout, pickets are expected at studios and networks on both coasts. "We have 48 hours and what we really want to do is not strike and come to a resolution," John Bowman, chair of the WGA's negotiating committee, said at a news conference Friday to announce the strike decision.

The Hollywood Reporter
complete article

I'm very indifferent to this whole strike and the reasons why. I do not watch TV much and when I do its usually news or history channel.