What are you watching this summer?

[Brent]

Alright, here's the inside info from an emergency meeting at ABC today, highlights:

Lost to run 7 episodes sometime in the Spring, timeslot not specified yet. Yes 16 were ordered but you can thank the strike!

Most other midseason shows have at least 7 episodes in the can.

Tons of holiday programming in November/December

Extra scripts of almost all new shows, but it's unclear if those shows can film episodes.

Lots of reality stockpiled for the time when repeats would normally air in the winter, because they believe the spring will be mostly repeats.

Cast reunions of classic ABC shows.

A possible "classics week" with old hit shows airing.

New reality shows in addition to DWTS again in February and the possibility of another "Super Millionaire" week.

More later. Bottom line: They expect a very long strike.

[JonathanBelles]

How would Lost be affected. I'm guessing they are already/still in production, but isnt it all written already?

[Brent]

How would Lost be affected. I'm guessing they are already/still in production, but isnt it all written already?

I'm unclear on this, I know that it has about 7 episodes done. I think production will pretty much stop next week so 16 looks very unlikely, but ABC is committed to airing whatever it has.

Same for 24... it's really far behind on production though already. I don't know what FOX is gonna do here...

[JonathanBelles]

How would Lost be affected. I'm guessing they are already/still in production, but isnt it all written already?

I'm unclear on this, I know that it has about 7 episodes done. I think production will pretty much stop next week so 16 looks very unlikely, but ABC is committed to airing whatever it has.

Same for 24... it's really far behind on production though already. I don't know what FOX is gonna do here...

they cant do 24 hours in 7 episodes. lol

[Brent]

How would Lost be affected. I'm guessing they are already/still in production, but isnt it all written already?

I'm unclear on this, I know that it has about 7 episodes done. I think production will pretty much stop next week so 16 looks very unlikely, but ABC is committed to airing whatever it has.

Same for 24... it's really far behind on production though already. I don't know what FOX is gonna do here...

they cant do 24 hours in 7 episodes. lol

LOL, exactly. I haven't heard one way or the other, but since Heroes is ending in December I'm thinking they will air it as planned(Heroes vs. 24 last year was not good for 24), even if it's only 7 episodes, much like Lost.

New article:

Late-night comedy shows such as NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Saturday Night Live" as well as Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" will go dark starting Monday as a result of the writers strike.

Each of those writing-intensive programs, along with NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," are immediately going into repeats. It wasn't clear Friday afternoon what the plans are for other late-night shows including CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" or "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson." It's understood that contingency plans are in place for ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," but the specifics are unknown.

Meanwhile, "The View," ABC's late-morning chatfest, will continue with its regular schedule.

" 'The View' will continue, without interruption," a spokesman said.

"SNL" with guest host Brian Williams is scheduled to go on as normal Saturday night but will go into repeats starting next weekend.

"Late-night is what gets hit the hardest," said Nancy Huck, a senior buyer at Starcom Media Vest's Spark Communications. "It becomes rerun city." She and other buyers didn't think that it would drastically hurt the late-night programs in the short run as some of them might have gone into repeats as the holidays neared. But it could be a problem down the line.

Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" each have about a dozen writers. There also are 40-60 other below-the-line employees, most of who more than likely will be idled.

Each of the two shows had been scheduled to go into production for the next two weeks before going on a one-week break before Thanksgiving and then resume production until the holiday break starting Dec. 24.

Comedy Central is discussing options between 11 p.m. and midnight -- and their several repeats per day -- in the event of a prolonged strike.

"We will evaluate what we do in those time slots," Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said in a conference call with analysts Friday. "... We will have reruns for a little while, and then we will see what we do with the format."

Elsewhere, the daytime production "Live With Regis and Kelly" is done live in New York but has no writers, so it's not affected.

It wasn't clear Friday what the plans are for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," another daytime talker.

Also in daytime, the broadcast networks' soaps are set with enough scripts to keep fresh episodes on the air for the next few months. NBC's "Days of Our Lives" and the CBS dramas "The Young and the Restless," "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "As the World Turns" have enough scripts to take them through at least January, while CBS' "Guiding Light" could be OK for another month beyond that.

ABC's daytime dramas -- "One Life to Live," "General Hospital" and "All My Children" -- also are set through the beginning of the year.

"ABC's daytime dramas are written well into the new year, and we will continue to produce original programming with no repeats and without interruption," an ABC Daytime spokesperson said.

[lurkey]

FYI:

I remember reading on one of the Lost boards that Carlton Cuse (one of the executive producers and head writer of Lost) is on the executive strike committee at the WGA.

Brent,
Can you clear something up for me? Who are the WGA striking against? the producers, or the networks/studios? I know in television is not uncommon for a writer to be the creator/producer/director on their own shows (examples are Lost, 24, Heroes, X-files, BTVS, Angel, etc).

[lurkey]

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.

From Gregg Nation (writer,producer from Lost: quoted from the Fuseluge:

Get A Klugh, the scenario you wrote won't happen. Lost is not a show that is in danger of being cancelled. There is a contract for the next 48 episodes, so they'll be completed no matter what. If there is a show on the bubble, like say Viva Laughlin if it hadn't already been cancelled, then the strike could have made that decision an easy one to simply cancel it. It's going to be a case-by-case basis.

What are the ratings for The Bionic Woman? Have they been going down or has it been doing well? I admit it lost me after the fourth episode and I haven't been paying attention to how it's performing.

Lost has eight scripts completed, so the shooting will continue through #408. It's what happens next that will affect the show. There are many ways it could go, but the two extremes are the new contract is worked out over the weekend and the strike is averted. That means production continues as usual everywhere and the TV/film schedule won't be affected at all. Or the strike could last for months, and in our case episode #408 becomes the sort of season four finale. But there'll be forty more episodes after that no matter what, so it'll all work out.

And if you were excited about what Jorge said regarding the ending of #407, wait until you see the ending of #408. Oh. My. God...

Regarding 24:

The boards are saying they have scripts for Epi 12 and maybe Epi 13 completed. So, technically under the strike rules, they can continue filming until at least Episode 13

[Brent]

FYI:

I remember reading on one of the Lost boards that Carlton Cuse (one of the executive producers and head writer of Lost) is on the executive strike committee at the WGA.

Brent,
Can you clear something up for me? Who are the WGA striking against? the producers, or the networks/studios? I know in television is not uncommon for a writer to be the creator/producer/director on their own shows (examples are Lost, 24, Heroes, X-files, BTVS, Angel, etc).

I would say all of the above. The statement said "studios and networks" while the ones they are negotiating with who won't budge are the producers.

Some WGA strike history:

In 2001 it went past the deadline also and they had said they'd strike and it was averted at the very last second, I don't really expect the same here, but you never know.

1988=Devastating 5 month strike, been mentioned before.

1985=2 week strike(hopefully if there's a strike, it's like this)

I am confused on whether shows with scripts can film after the strike begins. I believe it varies by show, but I know many showrunners are striking also, and without a showrunner, the show can't film the scripts I don't believe.

Here's the entire list of showrunners, almost every show is listed:

http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2529

[lurkey]

Robert Carlock
Tina Fey
(30 Rock)

Ronald D. Moore
(Battlestar Galactica)

David E. Kelley
(Boston Legal)

Marti Noxon
(Private Practice)

James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Al Jean
(The Simpsons)

I know these showrunners aren't going to write/edit because they are members of WGA. Most showrunners are the writers.

Again, examples of writers who are producers/directors on their own shows. It's like they are striking against themselves almost.

How does this effect foreign (aka Canadian and British) productions? I know American shows that are filmed in Canada are affected by the strike (Galactica, SGA-Atlantis, Eureka). Who isn't represented by the AMPTP?

[Brent]

UPDATE: In a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike, the Writers Guild of America will return to the negotiating table Sunday morning to meet with studios and networks.

News of the meeting emerged late Friday afternoon, a few hours after the WGA announced that its 12,000 members will go on strike Monday against studios and networks in the first major work stoppage in two decades.

The 10 a.m. Sunday meeting was called at the behest of federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez.

[lurkey]

Networks plot midseason makeovers
Strike, slow start necessitate fall overhaul
By JOSEF ADALIAN, JOSEF ADALIAN, MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
After a fall launch that's left everyone a bit bruised, network execs hoped to see a bit of healing come January -- but a writers' strike now threatens to leave them even more bloodied.

The strike - set to begin just after midnight on Monday - couldn't come at a worse time for the broadcast webs. This fall, success stories have been few and far between, and increased DVR usage is challenging the way networks, advertisers and pop culture arbiters evaluate the performance of new shows and returning tentpoles.

Digital downloads, Internet streaming, ever-more competish from cable originals, and Web and vidgame options are among the countless reasons thrown out as contributing to primetime's season of discontent. And while no one seems to have a magic formula for reversing the trend of declining primetime ratings, just about every one in the biz agrees that a strike -- and the loss of original, scripted skeins for the time being -- will only make things worse.

"It's been an abysmal season," says one entertainment president. "What ultimately worries me about a strike is, are we hastening the narrowing of network TV? If we have to put up a sign that says 'gone fishing,' luring viewers back is going to be even more difficult."

January is when old reliables like "American Idol,'' "24" and "Lost'' (which is expected to bow by the first week of February) could inject a little more life into the 2007-08 campaign, and the period when the networks will launch a slew of reality shows, any one of which could turn out to be the next game-changer. It's also the point at which most scripted skeins will run out of fresh episodes if the writers continue to strike into the new year.

Although there were no instant smashes out of the gate, this hasn't been a complete disaster of a fall: ABC has reason to crow, with several new shows looking like winners, including "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice" and the critically lauded "Pushing Daisies." And with fewer baseball playoff games breaking up its primetime sked in October, Fox was able to improve its fall fortunes even without a new breakout hit, ranking as the only Big Four web to post year-to-year gains among young adults.

But elsewhere, several of the new shows people were talking about heading into fall -- think "Bionic Woman,'' "Reaper,'' "Cavemen'' and "Viva Laughlin'' -- have been disappointing enough to make execs ready for a midseason "do over."

And whether they want it or not, that's exactly what a strike may deliver. Here's a network-by-network look at the state of the primetime biz heading into midseason and what the webs have coming up for the rest of the year, no matter what plot twists may come from the Writers Guild of America's white-knuckle contract negotiations with Hollywood's majors.

[JonathanBelles]

Has anything came out of that meeting yet?

[Brent]

Has anything came out of that meeting yet?

Nothing yet, I'm not that optimistic.

Been doing a lot of reading of past strikes. The devastating one in 1988 was over similar issues to this one. Here's a little article I found about the near strike in 2001 talking about the damage it did, network TV never recovered:

For 22 weeks, from March 7 through Aug. 7, the writers did not write and television ground to a halt.
Thirteen years later, the networks are still paying for those five months of darkened TV sets.
Already facing audience erosion, network executives watched as Americans turned off their TV sets in disgust. And when they turned them back on again months later, there were a lot fewer viewers.
Nearly 10 percent of Americans declined to tune back in.
Observers rightly worry that a strike today could cause far more damage. And that damage would occur in far less time.

The fall season was pushed back until November.

Now if it caused 10% to turn off their TV 20 years when network TV ruled(I'm talking 20-30 shares for all 3 networks in most every timeslot, FOX only programmed a couple of nights then, and WB/UPN didn't exist) cable was a new thing, and you couldn't watch your favorite shows on network websites, or download them on ITunes, what would happen in a similar strike today? I bet you'd see 20% or more, and 20% today would be many times more than 10% in 1988. Even a 10% drop in a short strike would be considerably worse.

1985=Two week strike. Only very minor impact, which really was just a slightly early end to the fall season. The 1981 strike lasted 3 months and was mostly over the summer, affecting the end of the season and the start of the next one. All three in the 80's began in March, when most shows are wrapping up production. We are in the middle of peak production now. It's unprecendented.

and beyond that, the 1988 strike cost the L.A. economy $500 million dollars. A similar strike today would be triple that.

[Brent]

Hollywood Turns To 'ER' Producer/Writer To Stave Off Long Bitter Strike

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/u ... coming-up/

It looks nearly impossible for Wells, the Writers Guild Of America ex-president who's also one of the most successful TV producers/writers (ER, West Wing), to stave off the strike starting Monday. But I'm relieved to hear that he's made some progress during these backchannel discussions because of a new willingness on the part of bigwigs on both sides to get a true dialogue going outside the AMPTP's Nick Counter vs WGA's Patric Verrone/Dave Young axis of paralysis.

[JonathanBelles]

So im guessing that there will be a strike tomorrow? Are they still in meeting?

[Brent]

So im guessing that there will be a strike tomorrow? Are they still in meeting?

Yes, here's some new info, apparently this is a huge development. As long as they are trying it leaves open the possibility of a short strike and/or a miracle deal.

Anyone familiar with the go-round of writers vs producers negotiations from 1999 to 2001 knows that Wells was considered something of a sellout by WGA standardss when he failed to make inroads on the important issue of DVD residuals with the moguls. So it was with immense surprise that I heard his entrance into this weekend's pre-strike fray came not only with the blessing of moguls Barry Meyer of Warner Bros, Peter Chernin of News Corp/Fox, and Bob Iger of Disney/ABC among other CEOs, but also with the blessing of the WGA leadership. I hear that Chair of the WGA Negotiating Committee John Bowman was specifically talking about Wells when he recently made reference to backchannel talks going on. "Bowman decided to use John Wells try to get a dialogue going. The guild has put its trust in Wells," a top WGA insider explained to me.

This, needless to say, is a huge development. At the same time, Wells, one of the biggest names in Warner Bros' TV stable, was already quietly talking to Barry Meyer since the two have a long and close and profitable relationship.

So here's the chronology, best as I can put it together: On Friday, Desperate Housewives' Marc Cherry, who's also part of the WGA negotiating committee, talked with his studio boss, Bob Iger, to see if the moguls would meet with the WGA leadership this weekend. That proved a non-starter, and things really looked bleak.

Wwith the strike about to start Monday. Cherry called Bowman, and Bowman decided to use John Wells "to try to smooth things". Then Wells called Barry Meyer offering to act as, as someone put it to me, "consigliare" (because there are always Godfather references in everything Hollywood does). And Barry Meyer called Bob Iger and Peter Chernin. And then Les Moonves and Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal and Harry Sloan were brought up to speed. And then the moguls got on the telephones not just to one another but also to the top WGA screenwriters and TV showrunners/hyphenates with whom they've all had the longest relationships to schmooze them about the need for backchannel talks.

Last-minute bid to avert Hollywood writers' strike

2 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Last-minute talks were underway Sunday to avert a strike by Hollywood screen writers demanding a share of the cash film and television studios bring in from DVDs and online distribution of shows.

If the 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walk out Monday as threatened, it is likely to cause popular shows to be yanked off air and throw the US film and television industry into crisis.

"It is our hope the talks are fruitful and go well into the night," WGA spokeswoman Sherry Goldman told AFP, while confirming the start of talks at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

[Brent]

SUNDAY AT 3 PM: "Things are looking up a little bit at today's meeting," a good source just told me about the federal mediator-ordered confab Sunday.

Stay tuned!

[Brent]

From what I hear it's very very close to a deal. The producers raised their offer, while the writers lowered what they'd take. It's extremely close.

I think there's a good shot here. They are going to be there at least for the next few hours continuing to negotiate.

Back on topic: I'm recording The Amazing Race premiere because of the overrun and I'm a little distracted, but from what I've seen it's off to a good start.

Next: Desperate Housewives Halloween!

[Brent]

With Hollywood on the verge of all-out war, last-minute talks gave a slight hope that today's writers strike could be averted -- or at least delayed for a few days.

A flurry of back-channel efforts to stave off a strike by the Writers Guild of America culminated in a Sunday meeting in Los Angeles that began at 11 a.m. PST -- only 13 hours before the official start of the WGA strike.

Federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez, who joined the talks a week ago, summoned both sides to the Sunday meeting in the wake of the WGA officially declaring the start of the strike.

Sunday's last-ditch effort focused on those viewed as voices of moderation, such as "ER" showrunner and former WGA president John Wells. Conversations among key players from both sides focused on exploring possible concessions in hopes of luring the WGA back to the bargaining table and away from picket lines.

Among key players pushing to jump-start the bargaining process -- CBS topper Les Moonves, Disney's Robert Iger, Fox's Peter Chernin and Warner Bros. Barry Meyer.

In a potentially positive development, the closed-door talks were still in progress more than five hours later.

The move came with WGA members told that they're expecting to spend at least 20 hours a week on picket lines. The WGA East was planning to begin pickets at Rockefeller Plaza outside NBC this morning; the WGA West had announced a dozen high-profile locations for picketing including CBS Radford, CBS Television City, Culver Studios, Disney, Fox, Hollywood Center, NBC, Prospect, Paramount, Raleigh, Sony, Sunset Gower, Universal and Warner Bros.

With a strike potentially causing a major disruption to daily business, key players on both sides were seeking not to craft an entire deal but to simply delay the strike for a few days in order to give negotiations another chance. And the major focus appeared to be to get talks moving without the relentless saber-rattling that's dominated for the past year.

The initiative comes with both sides having descended into a bitter battle of words for the past several months with little actual back-and-forth bargaining. Nick Counter, longtime president of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, and WGA West president Patric Verrone have repeatedly taken potshots at each other -- prompting worries that the relationship between the two men is so damaged that it's become much more difficult to start moving toward a resolution.

Most of the prior negotiating sessions have ended with both sides issuing vituperative comments. Often, the question of when the next meeting would take place was left unresolved.

Prospects for success out of Sunday's session were mixed at best, given the rocky history of this set of negotiations. Additionally, the WGA was already in strike mode over the weekend -- featuring a Saturday meeting of 300 strike captains at WGA West headquarters.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797 ... =2821&cs=1

[HarlequinBoy]

I'm two weeks behind in Tv. *shakes fist* I'll have to catch up this week.. hopefully.