Logo

WGA Strike Roundup: Tues., Feb. 12

Feb 12, 2008  •  Post A Comment

‘24,’ ‘Heroes’ Won’t Return This Season
Fox’s “24,” NBC’s “Heroes” and CBS’ “Cane” are among the series that won’t return this season because storylines were disrupted by the Writers Guild of America strike, Daily Variety reports. Shows such as CBS’ “Shark” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and “Las Vegas” also may not return this season, the newspaper says.
Showrunners Return to Work While Writers Wait
Showrunners for dozens of television series returned to work Monday for the first time since the start of the 3-month-old Writers Guild of America strike, two days before writers were expected to start work, Reuters reports. Under guild rules, showrunners may not work on scripts until the strike is officially over. And with the prep time needed for new scripts, crew members may not be called back to work for weeks, the wire service says.
Chernin, Leno Among ‘Winners,’ Globes and Zucker ‘Losers’
News Corp. President Peter Chernin and late-night host Jay Leno were among the “winners” during the Writers Guild of America strike, the Los Angeles Times says. Chernin, along with Walt Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger, helped advance negotiations, while Leno kept his monologue quality high while paying the show’s staff out of his own pocket, the newspaper says. NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker and the Golden Globes Awards lost credibility during the three-month strike, the Times says.
Resolution Comes Too Late for Late-Night Oscar Push
The WGA strike will end too late for movie studios to publicize Academy Award nominees by booking them on late-night talk shows, the Hollywood Reporter says, citing an awards consultant it didn’t identify. With few exceptions such as supporting actress nominee Amy Ryan, actors won’t have the chance to travel to late-night appearances before Academy Awards balloting closes Feb. 19, the newspaper reports.
Ex-Counsel Says WGA Blew It on Deal
The Writers Guild of America made a mistake when it traded DVD revenues for Internet-related residuals, Bloomberg News reports, citing Jonathan Handel, former WGA associate counsel. The $16 billion in annual revenue from DVD dwarfs revenue from Internet broadcasts, the wire service says, citing Handel, who did not participate in strike talks.
Ad Execs Hope for Year-Round TV Season
Many advertising executives hope the Writers Guild of America strike will encourage network television to adopt a year-round season similar to that of cable TV, the New York Times reports. Ad selling would benefit from such a plan, which would bring about staggered promotional campaigns, while studios would save money by not having to cluster pilot-series production, the newspaper says, citing ad executives.
—Danny King

2 Comments

  1. I’m Glad I won’t have to be bothered with Heroes anymore this season. I hope it never returns. The show was (is) terrible. I’ll miss 24, but I’m sure it will be back next season.

  2. High quality info here! Keep up the great work. I love the feelings being expressed.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)