The Writers' Strike: Still in Reruns

"The important news is that David Letterman is prepared to negotiate individually with the WGA," says J. B. White, a screenwriter and 13-year member of the writers' union. White says Leno and O'Brien couldn't do what Letterman wants to do because they don't own the companies they work for.

But if producers like Letterman pursue separate negotiations, it could strengthen the WGA position against the large entertainment conglomerates by showing them that writers can get back to work without them. Tony Segall, general counsel for the WGA's West Coast branch, says the group's national board has yet to decide whether it will forge a deal with Letterman. But Segall confirmed that the writers' union is pursuing a divide-and-conquer strategy of "reaching out" to major companies. "The goal isn't to sign contracts with individual small companies like Letterman's but to go for the major multimedia players," he told NEWSWEEK, although he refused to name which companies have been approached. "If the six conglomerates won't talk to us, we will seek out those who will." Key members of the AMPTP are Warner Bros., Walt Disney, Paramount, Sony and NBC Universal.

With no end in sight, Hollywood is now worried about the effect of the strike on the upcoming awards shows, which need writers too. The WGA has so far refused a request by Dick Clark Productions to negotiate a contract for writers to prepare the Golden Globes award show, which is scheduled for Jan. 13. And the writers' union refused a request by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to allow old movie and award-show clips to be used in its Oscar show this year, decisions which jeopardize both popular award shows.

While the AMPTP did not gloat about the imminent return of Leno and O'Brien, its spokesman was riled about the threat to the upcoming award shows. "The union, which initiated this strike, continues day in and day out to make good on its commitment to, in the words of a leading WGA organizer, 'wreak havoc,' even though those being hurt include WGA's own working writers," said AMPTP spokesman Jesse Hiestand in a statement. Hiestand stresses that the guild itself ordered the strike, hurting "below-the-line workers and their families, the broader Los Angeles region--and now the creative artists who deserve to be honored for their work over the last year."

It's true that the strike has already caused collateral damage. Just as the strike began, Kit Stolz was laid off as screenplay reader from Paramount after working there for 23 years. "There's just not a lot of work. There are no scripts coming in," he says. Stolz sympathizes with the writers but believes the longer the strike lasts, the more devastation will be caused. "What worries me is the war effect. They go in with good intentions, but as in any protracted conflict, there will be more losers than winners," he says. "We're starting to see larger effects already. Who can remember the last time there [was] no Academy Awards program? But now that is looking dicey. There is going to be a lot of fallout if this continues beyond the beginning of the new year."

Stolz says he is excited by Letterman's initiative. "His show could be the must-see TV show if he can get his own contract."