Sherri Sylvester: Strike talks long, time short

Sherri Sylvester

CNN's Sherri Sylvester has been monitoring talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers in Los Angeles, California. The organizations, which differ on compensation and other issues for television and film writers, have been in extended negotiations as the minutes click down to midnight. The current contract expires at 12:01 a.m. PDT Wednesday.

Q: You're standing outside the building where negotiations are taking place. Can you see anything?

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Sherri Sylvester: Both sides are talking behind closed doors. They feel like it would be wrong for either side to put their spin on things while talks are in progress, so no one has said much to us. They did tell us to expect this to be a very long day. Negotiations today began at 10 a.m. (PDT), and they ended yesterday (Monday) at 11:30 p.m. Neither side will characterize negotiations except to say they hope there won't be a strike. They set up a media room for us in case there's any announcement, but so far there hasn't been. If they give a verdict, they'll probably give us a 10-minute warning.

Q: What about passersby? How do they react?

Sylvester: People stop and ask us, "Have they settled yet? Have they settled? What's the status of the negotiations?"

Q: People apparently are interested in what happens.

Sylvester: Yes, they are. This affects viewers in a few ways. First, talk shows like the "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" would be in trouble; these shows are fresh every day, and they don't have any episodes banked (in case of a strike). Soaps have about two weeks banked, and their writers have already figured out story boards for a couple of months ahead. A longer strike could affect them.

Primetime has pretty much wrapped for the season. (Show production resumes) in July, so it would take a longer strike to affect the fall season. Films? They would be the last thing a viewer would notice (in the event of a strike). They have been banked in advance of this.

Q: You're talking about a work stoppage in the city's main industry. This could affect more than just actors and writers. Are people worried about that?

Sylvester: Absolutely. This is a trickle-down thing. A strike would affect all sorts of people - caterers, costume rentals. Even the people who rent trailers (on film and TV locations) would be affected. There's one study, released by the city, that estimates the possible loss to the city at $6.9 billion.

Q: Have both sides taken this seriously, or was a possible strike ignored until recently, when the deadline got close?

Sylvester: This has been serious all along. They (writers) went on strike in 1988, and no one (in the entertainment industry) was ready for that one. (Producers) had nothing banked. This time, they're ready. They've got reality-based shows in the can, because they aren't affected by a strike. The studios have spent the bulk of their budgets in pre-strike programming. They are doing three-quarters of a year's work in the first quarter, and have spent three-quarters of the year's money in the first quarter ... getting ahead in case there is a strike.

Q: Can you describe sentiments in Los Angeles? Is there a feeling of optimism or pessimism in the air?

Sylvester: Optimism. No one wants a strike. I think, if negotiations go well, they will extend the deadline past tonight if they don't reach an agreement by midnight. No one wants to walk away from the table. But some serious issues remain on the table.

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