Writers, studios resume talks; more on tap today

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By Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
Facing mounting pressure to limit the economic havoc on the entertainment industry, negotiators for writers and major studios met Monday in an accelerated effort to end a strike now in its fourth week.

After weeks of acrimony and vitriol, the two sides got down to their first serious talks since Nov. 4 -- the day before writers walked off the job.

The hard-line positions taken by both parties have given way in recent days to the realization that they need to move quickly if they are to salvage the current and upcoming TV seasons. The strike has caused more disruption than studios had anticipated, shutting down dozens of shows and throwing thousands of people out of work.

A powerful group of top writer-producers, who dominate television’s prime-time schedule, also are highly motivated to stem the bleeding, both to save their shows from cancellation and to keep their staffs employed.

Monday’s eight-hour session began at 10 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. before the sides broke off and agreed to resume their talks again today. It was the first of three meetings to which the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had previously committed. The sessions could be crucial in determining whether the parties can get a new three-year contract by year’s end, people close to the negotiations said.
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