Writers Strike

Writers Last Struck in 1988, Staying Off the Job for 22 Weeks

Thousands of writers closed their laptops Monday to march on picket lines in Hollywood and New York, vowing not to pen another joke or script until the film and TV industry offer payment for shows available over the Internet and on DVD.

Washington Post staff writers William Booth and Lisa de Moraes were online Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the latest news on the strike and what the shutdown will mean for soap operas, primetime and late night TV programs.

Washington Post staff writers William Booth and Lisa de Moraes were online Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the latest news on the strike and what the shutdown will mean for soap operas, primetime and late night TV programs.

A transcript follows.

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William Booth: Welcome all. Lisa and I are here in Los Angeles, and actually from the window we can almost see the Fox Studios lot where the Writers Strike begins its second day. As you recall, some 12,000 members of the scribblers union have put their pencils down. Their major demand? They want a nice slice of any and all future revenues generated by the Internet. The studio have said its too early to cut the new media pie. So let's chat.

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Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Mostly I'm a fan of "24," and we all know how continuous those 24 episodes need to be (or seem). If the new "24" season starts before the writers' strike is over, do you think that Fox will hold off the beginning of "24" until the strike is over and they can get 24 weeks' worth of scripts for continuous weekly airing?

Lisa de Moraes: It's hard to say what will be on Fox execs' minds in January in re the strike, but I doubt it, unless they have some very strong signal that the strike is nearly at an end. Last time the writers struck, in '88, it lasted 22 weeks. This strike could last for the rest of the official TV season.

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Rosslyn, Va.: So, without writers, there'll be nothing on television but sports, news, and reality shows?

Lisa de Moraes: And reruns, particularly of shows that repeat well, which does not include most serialized dramas. There was also some talk of putting cable shows on the broadcast networks. For instance, NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," which this season got shipped off to USA network -- owned by NBC Universal -- might wind up back on NBC if the strike drags on. And there were some reports NBC was looking into buying the UK version of "The Office" to air on the network, though I'm not sure NBC should invite the comparison.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I've noticed on some of the shows I watch that many of the writers are also listed as some level of co-producer. How does this affect them in the strike and their other duties? I read this morning that Tina Fey is participating in the strike, though she is also a producer on her show.

Lisa de Moraes: Fey said in some interview with some reporter hanging out at 30 Rock yesterday that she was on strike in her capacity as a writer but would go back to work in her capacity as an actor on the series. What I'm being told is that producer/writers may go back to "produce" but will not "write" and writer/actors may eventually go back to "act" but not "write." Which will make for one very confusing "set."

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Washington, D.C.: Television writers truly are the geniuses of our time.

Lisa de Moraes: Really? Have you watched "Cavemen"?

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Burlington, Vt.: Why don't they just show Japanese game shows? Those are crazy!

Lisa de Moraes: Preaching to the choir. I lived in Tokyo for a time. It was mind-bending TV viewing.

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Chattanooga, Tenn.: You write this morning that the strike will limit the number of "Cavemen" episodes produced, but isn't it also possible that, because of the strike, all those episodes will make it to air, whereas the show might otherwise be canceled earlier?

Or are the ratings for "Cavemen" just better than I'm assuming?

Lisa de Moraes: No, the ratings for "Cavemen" are not better than you're assuming. And yes, one of the odd upsides of the networks' strike preparations is that they have been more reluctant to yank new series that are on-the-fence-ish, ratings-wise, and replace them with "midseason" product. That's probably because they're trying to save as much midseason fare as possible so as to have original programming available even if the strike goes on for a long period. Which makes sense -- if you've ordered 13 episodes of a "Cavemen," and, say 12 are finished, you're more inclined to produce all 12 of them if you think the strike is going to last months -- like the last writers' strike in the '80s. Only Fox's docu-series "Nashville" and CBS's musical drama "Viva Laughlin" (and CW's "Online Nation" though it's debatable whether that was actually a TV show or a really long product placement/informercial)had been cancelled by the end of the sixth week of this season, which is an unusually small list. It also seemed like more new series were getting additional script orders leading up to the strike deadline, which also is a no-brainer. All that said, ABC has not yet given "Cavemen" a full-season order, which speaks to its on-the-fence-ness, ratingswise. This show was supposed to attract guys to the chick-skewing network, butlast week it finished third in its timeslot among 18-34 year old guys. (This week ABC pre-empted it to air its annual broadcast of the Charlie Brown Halloween special.)

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Philadelphia, Pa.: How are shows like "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access Hollywood" affected?

Lisa de Moraes: I don't believe the writers on those shows are covered by the writers' guild...

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Charlotte, N.C.: What happens when writers are also performers? I'm thinking specifically of shows like "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report," where Stewart and Colbert also write material. Theoretically, if they were to produce an entire script, would the shows be able to stay on? They, like the regular night time talk shows, have large segments that are interviews, so I'm guessing those segments would not be influenced by the strike. What about game shows where the hosts dialogue is scripted even if that's not the primary purpose of the show?

Lisa de Moraes: The talk is that many of the late night shows are only going to stay out a couple of weeks and then some of them will go back on the air with original episodes, though the formats will have to be altered to deal with the strike. Letterman's Top-10 list, for instance, would probably bite the dust, because it's "written" by "writers." But he can interview Britney Spears till he's in a full sweat.

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Lorton, Va.: Like, why do we care if the writers strike? Hollywood is perpetuating a myth, portraying a false reality, not representing the common man, showcasing all the evils and worst that mankind has to offer and the writers cater to this decay in society. If not for these writers that are currently regurgitating this oozing pile of goo that they call scripts, the world might think the U.S. is a good and decent place and the U.S. might have some good role models again. I'm not a prude by any stretch but Hollywood disgusts me.

William Booth: You, Lorton, are a stealth writer, aren't you? Oozing pile of goo? Can I steal that? But okay. Yours is a fairly intense position. Nothing produced by Hollywood plays in Lorton? Not even Jeopardy? Their writers are on strike. Those Pixar and DreamWorks animated movies about cute rats and bees? They appear relatively harmless. Those Nature documentaries? Those are written by writers. But lets deal with your question. If the writers remain on strike, TV will showcase more reality shows, more news and more sports. Will that be more goo or less goo? That is a question for the audience.

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Anonymous: I have known about this coming from inside (family) information. I have a family member that works high up on one of the networks so I've known since early summer.

How long have you known about this and how long will it take to resolve? Obviously all the shows need the writers more than the actors so why not just pay them.

Lisa de Moraes: Wow -- are you the black sheep of this family of a high ranking network exec? Your "obviously all the shows need the writers more than the actors so why not just pay them" sounds like heresy coming from the child/sibling/cousin/in-law of a network exec. We too have known for months that the Writers Guild would likely strike -- the networks have for months been forming, with varying degrees of success, their strike contingency plans -- as have the movie studios.

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Annapolis, Md.: I guess there are really only two questions: how dug in are the studios, and how long is the strike likely to last?

William Booth: One never really knows, when it comes to union and management negotiations, because both sides produce a lot of hot air. But Nick Counter, who represents the film and TV producers, keeps saying that this could be a very long strike. Five months? Sure, maybe.

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Washington, D.C>: Which side am I supposed to feel worse for: multinational multimillion dollar media companies or likely Harvard-educated adults with a dream job?

Lisa de Moraes: Someone in one of the camps acknowledged to me the other day that this reads like a battle of the wealthy versus the rich.

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Not all bad: The scripted elements on Letterman are the weakest part. The best parts are when Dave's got a bee in his bonnet about some darn thing and riff on it for 10 or fifteen minutes. Also it's funny when he makes fun of a guest, but he doesn't do that so much anymore.

William Booth: Aha. But do you know that what often appears to be "unscripted" in fact is not. Writers prep jokes and comebacks and questions for late-night hosts.

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Not so shocking to, ME: Why am I not suprised that Oprah uses non-union writers?

That puts her in the same camp as Vince McMahon, whose programs are also not being affected by the strike.

William Booth: That Oprah thing was news to me also.

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Alexandria, Va.: I was watching WWE Raw last night (no comment needed). The show was in Los Angeles last night. One of the wrestlers quipped about how they won't quit (since the writers aren't union), and the crowd LOVED IT. Do the writers realize that the common public is not on their side?

Lisa de Moraes: With all due respect, I'm not sure the WWE Raw audience is "the common public"...Perhaps they were just voicing their happiness that WWE wrestling, while scripted, was not shut down by the writers strike...

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Reston, Va.: To what extent will news shows be affected?

Personally, I agree with the strike -- they have a right to a fair share of Internet income, and they are willing to risk a strike to get it.

Lisa de Moraes: News shows are not affected because those writers are not covered by this guild....ditto sports programming

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St. Mary's City, Md.: Are non-money issues a factor in this strike? I've read about screenwriters who fume at directors and producers who rewrite scripts to fit personal or corporate or political agendas. There's a common trick in modern films where the producer's and director's credits appear after the first scene. With that kind of treatment, I understand the emotional motivation behind the strike. Would you agree?

William Booth: Good question. Several writers I have spoken with fume about studio "arrogance" and "disrespect." So yes, I think there is underlying issues that the writers have. You know, they are absolutely vital for the creative product, but they are also labor. They are hired and fired. They endlessly pitch, and are endlessly rejected. So is there an element of payback here? I think so.

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Washington, D.C.: What about those members of the guild who barely make a living and would kill for a slice of the entertainment pie regardless of DVD sales and new media? Does the WGA pay any sort of wages or insurance to the striking members?

Lisa de Moraes: Several writers guild members have noted in press reports that they do not get paid during the long, sometimes years long, spells in which they do not have work and they count on residuals -- which is what theyr'e fighting over now -- to stay afloat financially. It's definitely a feast or famine profession for a lot of people...

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Reno, Nev.: I'd love to see some scab writer write an uplifting TV movie about scrappy strike-breaking writers who beat the odds. Like "The Replacements" with Keanu Reeves, but about writers and not football players.

William Booth: An indie film in time for next year's Sundance perhaps? You have a digital camera and some spare time?

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Arlington, Va. - "Journeyman"?: This show was rumored to be on the chopping block before the strike. I actually think it's gotten better lately and wonder what its story is -- will it be saved or axed during the layoff? Also, any word on how many episodes might already be in the can?

Lisa de Moraes: Sadly, this is a show that has struggled to find an audience and sending it into reruns could drive off what fans it has. NBC had ordered 13 episodes and I think all 13 scripts are in which, in theory, means they can produce 13 episodes. NBC has not given the show a greenlight for a full-season order(usually 22-24 episodes).

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City of Angels (and greed): This may not be a direct parallel to the strikes in football and baseball, in which you had multimillionaires facing off against millionaires, but doesn't this strike also involve lots of very wealthy people, on both sides? There are struggling writers, for sure, but many of the union members are fabulously wealthy people, much more so than you or I, right?

A second, separate question, if I may: Why can't some of the latenight shows (Letterman, etc.) continue without the comedy bits, but with more interviews and music? These hosts are in their positions because of their personalities and likability -- surely, Letterman is funny enough to get laughs in the course of doing interviews and make the shows interesting. Better than reruns, no?

William Booth:1. A small percentage of the 12,000 or so members of the WGA are fabulously loaded. The studios contend that the average working writer in Hollywood makes $200,000 a year. The WGA figures suggest that figure is more like $100,000. Many top writers of major release movies and hot TV shows rake in a million or more a year. But according to guild numbers, about half of their membership is unemployed at any one time. So its not quite professional ball players vs management.

2. Sure, they probably will. They'll do less monolog, more interview. And instead of one musical number, maybe two. Etc. Letterman is on his toes. Leno is a professional standup. They'd do decent shows. But Jon Stewart and Candidate Colbert are screwed.

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DWTS: Is "Dancing With the Stars" affected by the writers strike?

William Booth: Nope. Except its ratings might go up.

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Alexandria, Va.: Will this strike cause any economic hardship for the respective networks? Will fewer people watch now and ratings go down and money be lost? Will the strike trickle down things for the Big Three Plus 1?

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, fewer people will watch scripted shows when they're in reruns and ratings will go down and money may be lost. Some networks are in a better position than others to weather a long strike. For instance that "plus 1" network you mentioned -- CW -- had already planned to pack its primetime schedule with reality programming starting early next calendar year. Reality programming is not affected by the strike. And Fox has "American Idol" starting in January which, as you know, the network can (and has in the past) expand to swallow three nights a week. Plus, Fox does not program the 10-11 p.m. timeslot, so it has to fill seven fewer hours a week than NBC, ABC, and CBS, which gives Fox another huge advantage if the strike continues into the second half of the TV season.

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Re: Writers strike: Frankly, I think this strike will hurt the studios more than the writers. The number of TV viewers has diminished quite a bit and now they will have a good reason to just turn off the tube and do other things. I think we will see many more YouTube victories.

William Booth: That is a possibility much discussed out here in Lala Land. Jim Brooks yesterday, executive director of The Simpsons, told me something along the lines of you don't want to give audiences another reason not to watch TV. Of course, without TV, there would be less to see on YouTube. Like Obama on SNL, which I saw yesterday had something like a half million looks.

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Overland Park, Kan.: Someone at work said that he didn't care about the strike because he doesn't watch TV. I wanted to punch him in the face. I still might.

Lisa de Moraes: Oh gosh, one of THOSE people...I know how you feel, though I do not condone violence, so I'd suggest a waggle of the little finger instead -- the new international symbol for male showing off. And, when he says he doesn't watch TV,did he never watch a Colbert clip on Youtube? And is he not watching Colbert or "Daily Show" on Comedy Central's new Web site which has every episode of "Daily Show" and "Colbert"? Does he download "Heroes," or "Nip/Tuck"? Or does he actually not watch any content being produced originally for a television network, in any way, shape or form? And finally, if you really must hit him, please, not the face.

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An Island In The Middle of a Time Warp: What about "Lost"? Please don't say that this show is affected!

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, of course it will be affected unless this strike is very short. sorry

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Washington, D.C.: I think the studios are making a big mistake. I would put more of the compensation into Internet and DVD sales. These are based on popularity. "Cavemen," for example, is never going to be released as a six-season boxed set. How many people care if they missed an episode and download it from the Internet? By sharing the wealth, you are only rewarding the writers who actually write something the studios can sell.

William Booth: You're an economist, aren't you? That is a clever compensation proposal. Pay writers LESS for a screenplay or script for first run use (at boob, at multiplex) and MORE for downstream downloads.

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Hey: Could they bring back "I Want to Marry the Multimillionaire?" That show was underappreciated.

Lisa de Moraes: I was a huge fan and was sorry Fox cancelled it.

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Southwest D.C.: About the Producer/Writer thing. Bill Maher still has an episode left to end this season of "Real Time" on HBO. Can he write his own monologue or "New Rules" segment (the best part of the hour)? Is there a possibility that he might just cancel the last episode to avoid getting into trouble with the Writer's Union?

William Booth: Bill Maher has a crack team of well-paid writers who are now all out on strike. My guess would be he sticks with his writers.

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"...some reports NBC was looking into buying the U.K. version of "The Office" to air on the network": Any chance one of the networks would be willing to air "Viva Blackpool"?

Lisa de Moraes: I'm guessing not CBS. That would be fun to let more viewers here see how great the original was. (CBS bought rights to the format and from it sprang the utterly disappointing and short-lived "Viva Laughlin"). But network execs insist U.S. viewers won't watch a show in which the lead characters have "accents" or any kind which explains why the many, many UK actors who have lead roles on many of this season's new series are all using American accents....

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Nightline?: With Leno and Letterman in reruns, do you think the ratings for ABC's "Nightline" will improve?

Lisa de Moraes: I'm sure ABC hopes so.....

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Fairfax, Va.: Are all the network shows -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox -- union? Are there any programs on TV that are not union and can therefore continue to be broadcast?

William Booth: All the shows that are "scripted" on the major networks are covered under guild jurisdiction. But reality and competition shows are "unscripted" (they claim) and so not guild covered.

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Washington, D.C.: BUT ... If Leno and Letterman resort to more standup, wouldn't that mean that they're writing their own material? Are they members of WGA? Wouldn't that undermine their support for the writers?

Lisa de Moraes: I'm told latenight show stars want to show support for their writers, on the other hand they want to support the rest of the crew who are sitting around twiddling their thumbs while the strike goes on... which is why, I hear, they may go back on the air with originals after a couple weeks.And yes, it seems like splitting hairs that they will kill their "scripted" bits to support the strike, but then stand up there and wing it, or add a third Britney Spears interview to the night...

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Library time: So glad I bought the Cary Grant DVE collection and season one of Jeeves and Wooseter (Fry/Laurie). Anyone have any suggestions for my Netflix list?

William Booth: That would be the subject of an excellent chat.

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Fox Sunday: Since animated shows like "The Simpson" take a while to go from script to my TV, does that mean they will be the last scripted shows to hit the repeat button?

And what did Mr. and Mrs. Smith have to do with Holloween Matt Groening?

Lisa de Moraes: Great point. Fox also has an advantage over the other broadcasters in the event of a long strike because their Sunday animated lineup is written so far in advance of airdate.

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New writer: Wealthy versus rich? Really? Okay I'm going to leave that aside, because, everything I've heard tells me that writers don't become that wealthy unless they are near the top of the writing pyramid. However, given the growth in intellectual propery law issues, it makes sense to me that writers would want to negotiate some compensation for new uses of their work. Unless, I'm not understanding the issue, which is perfectly possible, this isn't really any different that when actors lobbied for residuals based on replays of their sitcoms. Or am I completely off base here?

Lisa de Moraes: You are exactly on base, my new writer friend.

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Lebanon, N.J.: How long would the writers strike have to last before the second half of the season would be scrapped?

William Booth: They appear to have scripts in hand that would take most primetime shows through early next year. Then they are in trouble. No scripts. No shows.

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Re: Letterman: Whatever Dave does, he will be a hero.

Lisa de Moraes: Hi, Paul!

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Rockville, Md.: Do the studios care at all what public opinion on this is? I pay a LOT of attention to who the writers on my favorite shows are. I'm in an online discussion group and often the first question when spoilers come out is, "Who wrote it?" If our members contacted the studio with our opinion, would it have any meaning at all?

William Booth: I think audience feedback is paid attention to. If you do contact the studios and you do hear back, I'd be interested to hear what they said.

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New York, N.Y.: Why is it predicted that the strike will be a long one? Are the parties that far apart? Does the guild want to hold out because it's new technology and they don't want to sell themselves short on some contract that would lock them in for too long a period?

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, they are that far apart on the major points, which involve how much the writers will get, if anything, when the programming they have written is used by the networks and studios on the internet, etc. Last time around, the major point was the same issue, only in re DVDs. The writers feel they got totally burned on that back in the 80s and are determined not to get burned again.

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Pick, UT : Does this mean "Celebrity Autopsy" might finally get a chance?

William Booth: It would be a dream come true. Lisa?

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Michigan: What can the average citizen do to show solidarity with the writers?

William Booth: Pay their mortgages.

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Lisa de Moraes: In re "Celebrity Autopsy" I have high hopes for this concept now. I've been urging the networks to make this into a series ever since hearing from an exec at a network that was trying to figure out the runaway ratings success of Fox's "Alien Autopsy," that they concluded what had attracted so many millions of viewers to that craptastic program was not "alien" but "autopsy." I said then, and I'll say it now, that if they combined the "autopsy" with the incredibly drawing power of "celebrity" -- Paris Hilton? I rest my case -- you'd have the biggest show in the history of TV...I suggested they pair it with another half hour reality series called "Celebrities You Thought Were Dead but Aren't"...Really, how could it miss?

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Why Not Outsource: In the tech world, many jobs have been outsourced to India. Why can't the studios outsource the writing to a foreign country? Or why can't they use non-union writers?

William Booth: Don't think that this isn't being discussed. Get me rewrite in Bangalore! But as you point out, its a union thing.

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Quantico, Va.: No more scripted shows? What will cable do without professional wrestling?

Lisa de Moraes: If you're talking about WWE wrestling, while it is scripted, they are not writers guild writers, so it will not be affected...

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Washington, D.C.: Good afternoon!

I have to admit that I am worried about my daytime soaps. The genre has taken some serious hits in recent years and ratings are at already at an all-time low. Will shows that are owned directly by the producers (such as Y and R and Bold and Beautiful, which are owned by Bell Productions) fare well during the strike?

Lisa de Moraes: No, they too will be affected. They shoot about a week out, so they could be hurt soon-ish...

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Washington, D.C.: Will this strike mean more reality programming?

Or does that genre rely just as heavily on writers as any other?

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, lots more reality if the strike goes on a long time. The networks ordered more reality programming for "midseason" this time around, which, everyone assumes, was part of their strike contingency plan

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Atlanta, Ga.: Are the Meerkat Manor writers on strike? What happens if all the Meerkats die before the strike is resolved?

Lisa de Moraes: I assume "Meerkat" is covered under "reality" and is not a writers guild show...

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Wheaton, Md.: I caught the end credits of "The Singing Bee" and noticed that it had, like, 10 writers. What exactly do they write -- Joey Fatone's repartee?

Lisa de Moraes: Yes -- great stuff, yes?

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Wheaton, Md.: Are late-night talk show hosts really that incompetent? I've always known they've had help from writers but never knew they were completely incapable of writing a 5-minute monologue. Looks like Leno and Letterman are the ones overpaid

William Booth: Seems wee harsh. Five minutes of completely new material times five days a week equals 25 minutes of funny/week. That is harder than it looks. Plus, Letterman, Leno, and the others do contribute to their monologs -- they just don't write it all.

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Phoenix, Ariz.: At what point can I safely turn my TV set into an aquarium, confident in the knowledge that My Favorite TV shows will never be returning?

William Booth: February 3, 2008. What kind of fish?

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Washington, D.C.: Can we dispel a myth here, quickly -- the vast majority of television and film writers do NOT live in grand mansions; few of the top talented writers make big, big money -- and certainly nowhere near what the stars of their shows make.

The reality is, and you guys covering Hollywood and television know this, the writers are treated like the stepchildren of the film and TV family.

The producers may argue that Internet or "new media" sales aren't great enough to cut in the writers. Sure, maybe today, but why cut them out if it suddenly explodes into big profits next year?

All the writers want is their fair share, their slice of the pie, if you will. Why should only producers make residuals on DVD sales? Why shouldn't the writers get their fair cut of that action?

That's what they are demanding and it certainly doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

William Booth: Dispelling as we go.

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Arlington, Va.: Lisa, can we count on you folks at The Post to let us know when shows switch from new episodes to reruns, like in the Highlights feature of the Style section? Being somewhat poor, I'm still using a VCR to record shows like "House" since I'm usually not home during prime time, so I'm hoping for a way to know which episodes to record and which to skip. Thanks.

Lisa de Moraes: I'll mention it to the person who does the highlights...

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Prescott, Ariz.: The coverage I have seen of the strike has been decidedly slanted, literally depicting the writers as greedy backstabbers. Do you think this is due to media consolidation, since the same media conglomerates that the writers strike is affecting also broadcasts most of the news in the U.S.?

William Booth: That's why you should read The Washington Post.

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Washington, D.C.: What about the all important network ratings during the time the strike is on? What will they do? What will you do, Lisa?

Lisa de Moraes: The ratings will suck. I, meanwhile, have taken up mahjong...

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Glen Burnie, Md. : Okay, my dumb math question: If the writers get only 4 cents of a $13 video and the writers want 8 cents, why not raise the video price 4 cents and call it even? I know, too simple. Sorry.

Lisa de Moraes: Way too easy, which explains why you are so ill-suited to to a high-level executive at a studio....

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Toronto, Ontario: Some industries/countries still need unions. Does this one still have a real purpose? Isn't there enough content and enough distribution channels now to say it's better as a purely market driven thing?

William Booth: Good question. One answer you hear is that the studios and labor (writers, actors, directors) both benefit from the guilds, who manage the complex compensation forumalas and also manage the benefit packages, re: health and retirement.

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Alexandria, Va.: Okay, so I understand that the writers want a bigger piece of the pie that they help create but for some reason I don't feel sorry for them. Yes, they help create and develop a lot of tv and movies we enjoy. And Yes, actors, producers and directors are paid in the millions but I still don't feel sorry for the writers on strike. I work in the design industry and I produce a lot of work for my firm that my boss take credit and profit off of but I can't imagine going on strike to get more money for the work I produce. Why can't they just negotiate a larger pay when they work on individual projects?

Lisa de Moraes: Interesting perspective. But, given that residuals are a standard in this industry, it's understandable that the writers guild would want to see that concept extended to internet use of the material they've written...

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Arlington, Va. - What about "The Wire" and "The Shield": Last season for both these shows. Any word on whether they've been wrapped already?

Lisa de Moraes: Good news for you -- I'm told the final seasons on "The Wire" and on "The Shield" are written.

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Arlington, Va.: Knowing some of the writers on a personal level, there's a bit of mockery in this strike...aren't many/most of these writers extremely well paid and living in the Hollywood Hills of L.A. or Upper East Side of N.Y.? Aren't most of them "required" by the Guild to strike even though the strike is meaningless to them? Why aren't news venues making this point about the strike?

William Booth: Well, it's out of the bag now.

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Lisa de Moraes: We're out of time. Thanks everyone for participating...

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