Hollywood writers to lift 14-week strike

Hollywood writers to lift 14-week strike

By Joshua Chaffin in New York

Published: February 13 2008 04:01 | Last updated: February 13 2008 04:43

Did they or didn’t they? That was a key question on the lips of many Hollywood executives as writers came streaming back to work on Wednesday after voting on Tuesday night to formally end their three-month strike.

They were wondering, specifically, whether members of the Writers Guild of America had secretly worked on scripts in violation of union orders during their extended layoff. The answer could determine just how quickly the studios are able to restart the vast machinery of the television production business and recover from the industry’s worst labour strife in two decades.

“Officially, I think the answer is ‘no’,” one media executive said. But then he added that he would not be surprised to see a sudden surge in productivity when writers return to their jobs this week. He did not expect any problem with writers’ block, he quipped.

Several writers declined to comment, although privately they speculated that their colleagues had not just been watching reruns and game shows.

All told, the strike shut down production of 73 programmes, according to Variety, the industry trade journal, and cost the southern California economy more than $1bn (€685m, £508m) in lost wages and other damages. The pain spread beyond writers to drycleaners, camera operators and caterers. It also reached into unexpected corners of the media world, such as the music industry, which saw the demand for songs to accompany television dramas go dry.

The media companies at the centre of the fray, including CBS, NBC Universal, News Corp and Disney, have insisted the strike has not hurt them financially.

Most networks have seen their ratings fall. They were down a cumulative 22 per cent last week compared to the same period in 2007, according to Nielsen. Yet the declines in advertising revenues have been offset by much lower production costs, as networks padded their schedules with re-runs or inexpensive reality programmes and game shows. They have also benefited from a bumper crop of political advertisements.

Nonetheless, the networks are feeling pressure to return programmes to the air as soon as possible.

An immediate beneficiary of the settlement will be the Academy Awards, the film industry’s showcase event scheduled for February 24.

The easiest programmes to return will be comedies. Dramas are not expected to return until April. Those that require extensive special effects could be delayed even longer. Fox, for example, has decided not to bring back 24 until next year