Hollywood writers go on strikeStory Highlights
NEW: Writers and studios break off talks as writers walk out on strike
Studios stockpile movie scripts as prime-time TV completes shows in hand
The studios say the demands are unreasonable
Late-night comedy shows would take immediate hit in writers' strike
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LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The strike by Hollywood writers is on. Writers and studios broke off talks late Sunday after 11 hours of negotiations.
A man loads picket signs into a van Sunday at the Writers Guild of America headquarters in Los Angeles, California.
1 of 2 The talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were called by a federal mediator. The producers said a deal couldn't be reached.
The writers want more money from the sale of DVDs and a share of revenue generated by the sale of TV shows and films over the Internet. The studios say the demands are unreasonable and will hamper attempts to experiment with new media.
Picketing starts in the morning in New York and Los Angeles.
The walkout will affect late-night talk shows first, then daytime talk shows and soap operas. Studios have stockpiled movie scripts and prime-time TV has completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
Hollywood writers and studio representatives held last-ditch negotiations Sunday in an effort to prevent a strike, the writers union said.
A federal mediator called the meeting between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers at an undisclosed location.
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The first picket lines are scheduled to form at New York's Rockefeller Center, followed by picket lines at various locations in Los Angeles, the guild said.
The studios say the demands are unreasonable and would hamper attempts to experiment with new media. Watch a report on the dispute »
The last time Hollywood writers went on strike was in 1988. The walkout lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry about $500 million.
WGA board members voted unanimously Friday to begin the strike unless studios offered a more lucrative deal. The two sides have been meeting since July.
"The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal," Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild, said at a news conference. Watch Verrone talk about a "bad contract" »
J. Nicholas Counter, chief negotiator for producers, called the writers' strike "precipitous and irresponsible" in a prepared statement.
Producers believe progress can be made on other issues but "it makes absolutely no sense to increase the burden of this additional compensation" involving DVDs and the Internet, he said.
The first casualty of the strike would be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.
"The Tonight Show" on NBC will go into reruns starting Monday if last-ditch negotiations fail and a strike begins, according to a network official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment publicly.
Comedy Central has said "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" would likely go into repeats as well.
Daytime TV, including live talk shows such as "The View" and soap operas, which typically tape about a week's worth of shows in advance, would be next to feel the impact.
The strike would not immediately affect production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
Talks between writers and producers will likely impact upcoming negotiations between the studios and unions representing actors and directors.
All those unions believe revenue from content offered on the Internet, cell phones and other platforms will grow tremendously in the years ahead, even though it's now minuscule compared with DVD sales.
Consumers are expected to spend $16.4 billion on DVDs this year, according to Adams Media Research.
By contrast, studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows over the Web.
Studios argue that it is too early to know how much money they can make from offering entertainment on the Internet and on cell phones, iPods and other devices.
Producers are also uncertain whether consumers prefer a pay-per-view model over an advertising-supported system. They say they want the economic flexibility to experiment as consumer habits change in reaction to technology.
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
The soap opera writers are on strike. People might have to..gulp, shudder, tremble....read! Or go outside. Or talk to each other. Chaos, mayhem...it's Ragnarok. Soon the sun will be eaten by an enormous wolf.