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Shows to resume production as union agrees to end strike
By Lynn Elber
Associated Press
Published on Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
Hollywood writers' brief moment to savor the end of their 100-day strike gave way Wednesday to the cold reality of a blank page and networks and studios eager for new TV episodes.
''What we're all finding is there's a certain amount of, 'OK, what are we going to do now?' '' said Shane Brennan, writer and executive producer for the CBS drama NCIS.
''You go back to your desk, open your computer, look at the last thing you planned, the last thing you wrote,'' Brennan said, ''and figure out how to go from there.''
Cheryl Heuton, executive producer for CBS' Numb3rs, has been making a flurry of calls to muster crew members, writers and others connected with the drama.
''We're just gathering everybody. The offices are pretty dark and lonely and will be for a couple more days,'' Heuton said.
Members of the Writers Guild of America members voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to lift the union's strike order, allowing the industry to jump-start stalled production of numerous TV sitcoms and dramas.
''It will be all hands on deck for the writing staff,'' said Chris Mundy, co-executive producer of the CBS drama Criminal Minds. Actual production won't begin, however, until scripts have been completed, which could take days or even weeks.
The writers' decided overwhelmingly in favor of ending the strike: 3,492 said yes, with only 283 voting to stay off the job. The number of guild members involved in the strike was 10,500, with countless other industry workers forced into unemployment because of the walkout.
The contract ratification vote will be conducted by mail and at meetings and will conclude Feb. 25. Approval is expected, given Tuesday's lopsided decision and the enthusiasm for the proposed contract expressed at guild meetings held last weekend in New York and Los Angeles.
Under the tentative agreement, writers would get a maximum flat fee of about $1,200 for programs streamed on the Internet in the deal's first two years and then get 2 percent of a distributor's gross in the third year — a key union demand.
Other provisions include increased residual payments for movies and TV programs downloaded from the Internet.
The strike that began Nov. 5 dealt a financial blow to a wide range of businesses dependent on work from studios.
It took a $3.2 billion toll in direct and indirect costs on the economy of Los Angeles County, the home of most of the nation's TV and film production, according to a new estimate from Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.
Hollywood's labor pains may not be over: The contract between studios and the Screen Actors Guild is set to expire in June.
Hollywood writers' brief moment to savor the end of their 100-day strike gave way Wednesday to the cold reality of a blank page and networks and studios eager for new TV episodes.
Get the full article here.
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