Today's Talks Productive; "Reasonableness Ruled The Day"

I am thrilled to give you a report on how today's much-anticipated resumed contract talks went between the writers and the producers. And they went well, according to my sources. "It was very productive, very level-headed, and it seemed as though the producers came ready to bargain," an insider told me tonight. "Reasonableness ruled the day.

"In fact, the AMPTP reps for the studios and networks showed up to the first day's negotiating session since the WGA strike began November 5th with what was described to me as "a very comprehensive proposal which laid out to all the entire roadmap to the deal. Over the course of the session, the producers addressed every single issue, and the writers listened and kept getting up to caucus.

"According to my sources, both sides spent the day recapping where they'd left off negotiations back on that Sunday November 4th, which was the last time the WGA and AMPTP faced each other. "So they basically went through all the proposals on the table: what they'd already agreed upon, and where they needed to go from here," an insider explained to me. "Tomorrow, they really start advancing the ball forward.

"There will continue to be a news blackout on the contract talks, meaning no end-of-day statements by either the AMPTP or WGA, "because no one wants to be the one to derail any progress," and to that end my lips are sealed about the site of the meetings. Right now, both sides plan more negotiating sessions not just for Tuesday but also for at least Wednesday. "It's anyone's guess where this process goes," a source explained to me, "Today, they spent time on old business. Tomorrow, they handle new business -- and that's where the rubber can really meet the road."

LOST Star Michael Emerson to Join Picket Line in NY

Michael Emerson (LOST) is one of many stars that will be rallying for the writers on the picket lines of the strike in New York.

WHAT:As the WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA STRIKE ENTERS ITS FOURTH WEEK, Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) members will again be on the picket lines instead of at work, writing sitcoms, primetime dramas, daytime soap operas, late night television shows, entertainment/ talk shows, reality shows, movies, and more.

In a major show of support by the city’s labor community, the WGAE is holding a massive SOLIDARITY RALLY on TUESDAY, NOV. 27TH. The rally’s message is "We’re all in this together, and we demand a fair deal!

"WHERE AND WHEN:
Tuesday, November 27th – WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
12:00 NOON – 1:30 PM

WHO:
Nearly 1,000 people expected to be on hand. Joining the striking WGAE members at the rally will be: Senator John Edwards, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Tim Robbins, Michael Emerson, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Quinn, Aasif Mandvi, Tony Goldwyn, Evan Handler, Gilbert Gottfried, Randi Weingarten (UFT), Ed Ott (Central Labor Council), Gary Lebarbera and Denis M. Hughes (NYS AFL-CIO), Sam Freed (SAG NY President), Richard Masur (former national president of SAG), WGAE leaders, and more. Interview opportunities will be available.

Also on hand will be members of the WGAW, SEIU, SAG, UNITE-HERE, UFT, national and NYS AFL-CIOs, and the New York City Central Labor Council.

Network/Studio strike memo

"As you may know by now, leaders of the AMPTP and WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26. Both sides have also agreed that no other details or press statements about the talks will be issued. We think that restraint is important going forward and will make sensible, productive talks far more likely.

The resumption of talks is very welcome news indeed to everyone in our business. We are all, producers and writers alike, looking forward to an end to this strike and realize that there's no way it can be resolved unless both sides are talking. Sitting down for serious discussions is an important first step in the resolution of our differences.

These differences are substantial, but we continue to believe that with hard work, patience and compromise on both sides, they can be overcome. One crucial fact that has been somewhat overlooked in all the noise surrounding the strike is that we, the members of the AMPTP, as producers of television programs and motion picture entertainment, have always believed that writers should be compensated when their work is distributed through new media and that they deserve to share in whatever success new technologies create. In fact, the industry has already paid millions of dollars in residuals for permanent and pay-per-view downloads. So while the terms of those payments may be on the table, the basic principle that writers should be compensated is not the issue.

During the last bargaining session several weeks ago, the AMPTP companies believe that we had made some significant proposals on several matters of importance to Guild members, among them the key issues of Internet streaming and new media jurisdiction. But there are still many issues that need to be resolved that will take hard work and compromise by both sides.

Suffice it to say that while we are committed to hammering out a fair deal with our WGA members, Warner Bros. cannot make an agreement that places our company at a disadvantage or makes it impossible for us to meet our commitments to our many constituencies—other employees, shareholders, the producers with whom we work, and the public that, these days, is constantly redefining the way they experience our content.

The producing organizations and the writers who are so integral to our business are both facing the same challenge. We live in a new-media world, and all of us must wrestle with the 21st century realities of our business. Going forward, we must work together to craft a new contract that is fair and keeps our business strong.

Until then, we remain prepared in every way to keep Warner Bros. operating at its customary high level of performance.

We think a new, fair deal is possible. As an industry, we have done such deals before. We will do them again.

We will continue to stay in touch with you as the situation develops. Until then, we wish you and yours a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday."

Mark February on your strike calendar

The fate of the next television season rides on timingEven with the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers returning to the table next Monday, media people are not expecting negotiators to bring an end to the writers strike anytime soon, most likely not until after the first of the year.As it turns out, just when after Jan. 1 is all important.The writers strike has already hurt this season. Come January, it would begin to threaten next season. Whether it does or not is all about timing.An agreement between writers and the studios by mid-January would cause only minor disruptions. But if the strike were to go into February, it could cause the networks all sorts of woes.Everything hinges on the writing of the pilots of shows for the new season. Though networks are developing shows through the year, the pilot writing season typically begins in late fall and picks up in January.A January end to the strike would mean the pilot process would pick back up, and any lost time could be made up. Returning shows would be back in production in time for the fall season.But kick this all forward just one month and everything changes. “If it goes beyond January, it gets into development season, which is where things will be affected,” says Ed Gentner, senior vice president and group director of video investment and activation at MediaVest.That then throws off the timing not only of the writing and production of shows but the entire upfront process in which the networks present their schedules to media buyers and eventually negotiate ad buys for the coming season.There's a lot of money at stake. Last spring, advertisers spent $9.3 billion booking time for this fall.“The networks typically present their development ideas to advertisers in March," Gentner says. "If nothing’s being developed, there’s nothing to present, which could delay the upfront process.”That could push the upfront back, perhaps well into the summer.If the strike were to go longer than March, the networks would face a whole new set of problems,It would be too late to get new shows into production in time for the fall, which would force the networks to load up their fall schedules with returning shows, including shows that did so poorly that they were up for cancellation.That would mean two things. First, the networks would have fall lineups that would deliver poorer ratings. But second, media buyers, also anticipating lower ratings, would gain leverage in the upfront market. They'd be able to demand and get better pricing, That would mean a real hit for the networks.

Source: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Mark_February_on_your_strike_calendar.asp

‘Lost’ set picketed by writers : They want to be paid when the popular TV show is downloaded

‘Lost’ set picketed by writers
They want to be paid when the popular TV show is downloaded
By Katherine Nicholsknichols@starbulletin.com

Members of the Writers Guild of America picketed yesterday in front of the Hawaii Film Studio, which houses the interior set for "Lost," in a display of solidarity with striking writers on the mainland.

Some of the approximately 20 active WGA members residing on Oahu held signs reading "ABC.com = LO$T WGA residuals." Formal negotiations between writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are scheduled to resume Monday.

"'Lost' is one of the most downloaded shows on television," said screenwriter Judd Klinger, who recently moved to Hawaii from Los Angeles. "It's a prototype for using new media, and it completely gets around paying writers, and that's exactly what the strike is about.

"Though "Lost" producers and actors filming at the Diamond Head location avoided the small, well-behaved group, visibility has not been a problem on the mainland, where presidential candidate John Edwards spoke to picketers and media in Burbank, Calif., about preventing "big corporate conglomerates from taking over.

"One of the key issues revolves around residuals. Writers are supposed to be paid every time their show airs. But circumventing traditional media outlets -- downloading to an iPod, for instance -- has obliterated a major source of income.

"Now with this alternate media, writers are paid nothing," said Neal Israel, a veteran member of the WGA since 1979, with a long list of hit movies and television favorites such as "Lizzy McGuire," "Even Stevens" and "The Wonder Years" to his credit.

Though studios have minimized the potential of online profits, "we're just asking for a percentage, if there's a profit -- with some fair determination of when a movie is actually in profit," explained Klinger, who noted that studios claimed during 1988 negotiations that people would never purchase a machine to watch videos at home.

Serial shows like "Lost," which people prefer to view in chronological order, are especially popular on DVD and the Internet. Currently, writers earn about 4 cents per DVD sold, against an alleged profit of $25 for the studio. They would like that to rise to 8 cents.

But "Lost" appears to be breaking ground with its new miniepisodes currently available on ABC.com. Led by executive producer Carlton Cuse (also a writer and key negotiator for the WGA), the writers of "Lost: Missing Pieces" earned a specific amount of money for each two- to three-minute short, and will make about 2 percent on residual sales, according to the New York Times. For writers willing to compromise, it certainly looks like progress.

"We are essentially a middle-class union," said Israel. "The average writer makes $60,000 a year. It's very difficult for us to make a living. We just want a fair contract."

Source: tv guide

Striking Writers Picket 'Lost' Studio Union Members Look For Share To Programs On Internet

Striking Writers Picket 'Lost' StudioUnion Members

Look For Share To Programs On Internet

POSTED: 1:37 pm HST November 19, 2007

HONOLULU -- Striking television and motion picture writers have begun picketing the Diamond Head studio where Hawaii's most popular TV series is in production.

Striking members of the Writer's Guild of America walk back and forth in front of the state's film studio at Diamond Head. Inside, production continued on the ABC show "Lost," using scripts written before the walkout began.

The big issue for the writers is getting a share for programs, including network shows, that are shown on the Internet.

"'Lost' and other shows are seen on the Internet. They're downloaded. They're put onto iPods and the writers get exactly nothing for it," said Neal Israel, of the Writer's Guild of America.

Israel and the union said the majority of TV writers make about $60,000 a year if there is a show that will hire them.

"Most of us are out of work a lot, and so, we're really -- this is a strike for a middle-class lifestyle, not a wealthy one," Israel said.

There are 20 to 25 writer's guild members here in Hawaii, but none of them actually write for "Lost," according to Israel. He said the "Lost" writers, who are also on strike, are in Los Angeles.

Local Writers Guild members are picketing the studio. They are also shooting their own videos on the picket lines to get their story out.

"So we have used the Internet as a tool to inform the public about what the strike is all about because people go to the Internet now," he said.

ABC said "Lost" will return for a new season in February.

How long will that season last if the strike keeps going? According to sources, "Lost" may have scripts for just three more shows for the upcoming season.

Source: www.variety.com

WGA Strike Claims 2 More Films

The trade reported tonight that Warner Bros called off a February production start on Shantaram, the Mira Nair-directed adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel that was to star Johnny Depp. Eric Roth had been doing the rewrite. The Weinstein Co, meanwhile, postponed Nine, the Rob Marshall-directed musical that was slated to start production in March with Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren and Marion Cotillard starring. In both cases, the scripts weren't ready. After Michael Tolkin wrote the screenplay for Nine, TWC engaged Anthony Minghella to do a polish, "but he was able to put in only three days of work before the writers guild went out," Variety reported. Catherine Zeta-Jones dropped out of the movie.

Source: http://www.variety.com/

CONTRACT 2007 NEGOTIATIONS STATEMENT

LOS ANGELES – The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have issued the following statement today:

Leaders from the WGA and the AMPTP have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26. No other details or press statements will be issued.

For more information about the Writers Guild of America, West, please visit www.wga.org. For more information about the Writers Guild of America, East, please visit: www.wgaeast.org.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) represent writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. The unions conduct numerous programs, seminars, and events throughout the world on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers.

Source: http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2007/11/amptp-promises-to-come-back-to-table.html