Letterman Makes Deal With Writers

Writers Guild Scribes Will Be On The Job When Show Returns Next Week

(CBS/AP)  "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" will be back with their writers airing joke-filled new hours starting Wednesday, the shows' production company, Worldwide Pants, announced Friday.

An interim agreement between the Letterman-owned company and the Writers Guild of America will allow the full writing staffs for both shows to return to work, even as the Hollywood writers strike continues to shutter much TV and movie production. Both of those CBS late-night shows have been airing reruns since the strike began eight weeks ago.

"I am grateful to the WGA for granting us this agreement," Letterman said. "This is not a solution to the strike, which unfortunately continues to disrupt the lives of thousands. But I hope it will be seen as a step in the right direction."

The deal, which restores the two shows to business as usual, gives them an enormous advantage over their competition.

NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as well as ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had already announced they would resume Wednesday without benefit of their writing teams. Similarly, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert" planned to return writer-less on Monday, Jan. 7.

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Photos: Writers Hit The Picket Lines

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Resisting such an arrangement, Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, had actively sought an interim deal. Talks between studios and networks and the guild broke down Dec. 7, but the guild has been pursuing agreements with several small independent producers that would allow at least some members to return to work.

"We are appreciative that the leaders of the guild dealt with us reasonably and in good faith," Burnett said.

Much speculation has been focused on how the other late-night shows will fill their time deprived of monologues, skits and other written material. All the hosts - with the exception of NBC's Carson Daly, who returned to the air Dec. 3 - are members of the guild, making those without an interim deal subject to union rules that would severely limit what they can do.

A related issue centers on whether their shows will face a problem booking A-list guests, who may not be willing to cross a picket line.

Central to the contract dispute has been compensation for work distributed via the Internet and other digital media. The guild also has called for unionization of writers working on reality shows and animation.

When writers went on strike in 1988, only two late-night shows were affected: Johnny Carson's "Tonight" show and Letterman's "Late Night," both on NBC. Carson made a deal with the guild shortly after returning to the air, but Letterman went weeks without his writers' services before the strike was settled.

[namesnames]

brianbwb: you''ve heard of risk vs. reward?

I think the integrity and solidarity of the union is compromised by this side deal.

[brianbwb-2009]

"The writers are not the one''''s putting their money on the line when a production first starts, nor are they the ones who lose their shirts when it fails."
Posted by deemsnyd

But then again they are not gamblers, the gamblers willingly invest money, hoping to make more, and it is after all, a bet. The writers are not gamblers, but simply workers who should be compensated for their work, precisely because the gamblers have them perform their craft, with no profit or loss sharing as part of the deal.

Also check out the actual issues, the writers want a share of profits from DVDs, which are now the main medium for content delivery, but the producers don''t want to include DVDs and digital downloads as income on which royalties should be paid, contending falsely that DVDs and downloads are only a small percentage of income.

Just like the record companies who only counted vinyl sales long after CD were the main medium.

[griking]

Personall I was hoping that they wouldn''t come to an agreement and the writers would all be replaced. It''s not because I have anything against the writers asking for more money, it''s because today''s television sucks and I was hoping that fresh new blood might have given it a much needed boost.

[rosesnpearls]

Letterman also payed his other staff who were out of work because of the writer''s strike.

Unions used to serve a very important purpose for the common working man. Now days they more often cause problems due to greed. Look how many people who are not writers are out of work and hurting right now because of the writers.

[omega39-2009]

Another case of the greed of the union and its leaders killing their source of income. If you don''''t like the working conditions, go work somewhere else. Or put up your own money and create your own job.
Posted by namesnames

Absolutely, we should bring in Illegal aliens to do the job at 20% of the cost, maybe expand the H1-B program to cover writers from India. Screw these American workers and their sense of entitlement.

[namesnames]

...and... isn''t Letterman a union buster? Why do his writers get to cross the line? What is in his deal that the other writers aren''t getting? What union leader is getting the kickback?

[namesnames]

Great post deemsnyd.

Another case of the greed of the union and its leaders killing their source of income. If you don''t like the working conditions, go work somewhere else. Or put up your own money and create your own job.

[deemsnyd]

When a show concept is put together by producers, they then go about finding directors, writers,etc..Aren''t they the ones taking all of the financial risk if a production fails?

If a show is great and makes millions, the writers want a bigger slice of the pie, but if the show tanks--they don''t want any of the financial loss do they? The writers are not the one''s putting their money on the line when a production first starts, nor are they the ones who lose their shirts when it fails.

[mcvet]

Feel sympathy for them? Not a chance!
Posted by justfacts2 at 08:07 PM : Dec 28, 2007
+ report abuse

It''s because of "Hate American Worker''s" like this that has cause our standard of living to sink to the BOTTOM and continue to sink toward third world status. In my dad''s day, back when being American MEANT something, you never attacked a Working Man trying to better himself and his family. These people aren''t the answer to anything...

[brianbwb-2009]

to justfacts2

When a popular tv show goes on air, millions of dollars is generated because of it. It was once estimated that Michael Jordan, while in his Bulls prime, generated on, average, 200 million dollars worldwide each time he played.

If the people whose sweat goes into the creation of the shows is not entitled to a good share of the revenues, then who is, the stockholders, who haven''t lifted a finger to generate it? The ad agencies, who force awareness of their unnecessary stuff down your throats, while telling you that if you don''t have their krapp, you are somehow substandard?

Or is the truth that you don''t generate even a tenth of what they do, and are envious of their remuneration?