Hollywood writers, studios meet with mediator

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Screenwriters and studio executives resumed contract talks on Tuesday as a U.S. federal mediator joined the session in hopes of averting what could be the most crippling strike to hit Hollywood in nearly 20 years.

The mediator is taking part at the request of both sides, marking the first time the government has helped in bargaining between producers and the Writers Guild of America since 1988, the last major strike against the film and TV industry.

The latest session comes 11 days after the WGA, which represents 12,000 screenwriters, won overwhelming approval of its members to call a strike if no settlement is reached once their existing contract expires at midnight on Wednesday.

The writers could continue working under terms of the old labor pact if both sides agree to keep negotiating. One union leader, WGA West President Patric Verrone, was quoted by entertainment trade paper The Hollywood Reporter as saying, "It's safe to say a strike won't be called at the stroke of midnight on Halloween."

Still, studios and TV networks have treated the end of the month as a de facto deadline as they work to stockpile scripts and fast-track various productions in anticipation of a walkout.

Writers, actors and technical crews were all reported to be working overtime in recent weeks, while ancillary businesses ranging from talent agencies to catering services plan for ways to cut costs in the event of a prolonged strike.

To the outside world the first and most obvious impacts of a walkout would be felt on television, starting with daytime dramas and late-night talk shows, including "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on cable TV's Comedy Central.

Those programs, which are produced on a day-to-day basis and depend on a steady supply of fresh material from their writers, would likely go into immediate reruns.