Strike Latest: Carson, Leno and An Offer?
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Last Friday the AMPTP released a statement saying:
The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year.
The WGA then lifted their media blackout and said:
Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a “done deal.” In fact, for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers.
Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.
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Talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Given the current tone it doesn’t sound like a deal is close. More stuff after the jump…
While scripted network shows are currently drying up faster than a celebutant at Promises, it is the late night shows that are feeling the biggest sting from the strike.
Carson Daly crossed the picket line last week and went back to work on his show that most of America doesn’t even know exists. Conan, has said he will pay his non-writing staff out-of-pocket for at least the next week. This may or may not be the case for Leno whose staff was fired this past Friday (Nikki Finke is reporting that he will also open up his wallet to keep the staff supported, though she is also the one who said the AMTPT proposal was a “done deal”). E! News has a pretty good breakdown of all of this if you’re interested. Whatever the case, it sucks to be in the late-night business these days.
Unless, of course, you happen to be writing for The Late Show and are contributing to LateShowWritersOnStrike.com in which case you’re providing me (and probably others) with some of the best laughs in weeks. I love it because the comedy (and the presentation) is so stripped down. In a world currently without late night programming, this is about the best thing I could possibly ask for.
Tags: Carson Daly, The Industry, The Late Show, WGA Strike
