UPDATE 1-Hollywood writers resume talks amid strike fears

(Talks adjourn for day; adds statement from producers)

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES, Sept 19 (Reuters) - With strike jitters running high in Hollywood, screenwriters and studio executives reopened contract negotiations on Wednesday, after a nine-week break, but there was little sign of progress as talks adjourned for the day.

The six-hour round of bargaining on a three-year labor pact covering 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America ended with the studios accusing the union of intransigence.

"With two months to respond to our proposals, we were once again rebuffed with little or no explanation," said Nick Counter, the chief negotiator for the industry as head of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

He also criticized the guild for what he called "a total disregard for the true state of the industry and its fundamental economics."

A guild spokesman declined to comment. Both sides said talks would resume on Thursday at the guild's headquarters.

The outcome of negotiations, which began in mid-July with a two-day exchange of proposals before breaking off for nine weeks, is expected to hinge on issues related to how the Internet has altered the economics of show business.

Renewed talks came a day after the West Coast wing of the guild announced its members had overwhelmingly re-elected a slate of officers led by its president, Patric Verrone, who first won control in 2005 promising a more aggressive stance in labor negotiations.