Los Angeles - An estimated 3,000 screenwriters picketed Fox Studios Friday as their dispute with TV and movie producers entered its fifth day and behind-the-scenes mediation efforts picked up. Chanting "We Want a Deal," the writers heard union leaders call on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to return to the negotiating table and strike a compromise.
"There comes a time in every broken relationship for one side to step up and be the bigger man," John Bowman, the chief negotiator for the Writers Guild of America said. "Let us be the bigger man. I love you, AMPTP. Come back to the table. We can make this work."
Other speakers said this did not mean the writers would cave on their request for fair payments for work distributed over DVDs and the internet.
"We took a bad deal for cable 25 years ago. We took a horrible deal for VHS 20 years ago," said Alan Rosenberg, President of the Screen Actors Guild. "We won't be fooled again."
The rally came as the Los Angeles Times reported that leaders from the industry's top five talent agencies met WGA bosses in an effort to help break the impasse.
Former Hollywood heavyweight Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the governor of California, also revealed that he was talking with leaders from both sides in an effort to help bring an early end to the strike that he said was already having a severe impact on the state's economy.
"I'm talking to the parties that are involved because I think it's very important that we settle (the strike) as quickly as possible, because it has a tremendous economic impact on our state," he said.
Talks between writers and major studios broke off Sunday, and the writers started striking Monday. The strike has caused the cancellation of talk shows and hit dramas like Desperate Housewives and 24.
NBC on Friday even sacked all the employees of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and is working on a plan to run the show with guest hosts. So far all the major late-night talk hosts have refused to cross picket lines.
The last writers' strike in 1988 lasted more than five months and cost an estimated 500 million dollars. Industry analysts have predicted that the strike could last well into 2008 and create havoc with TV schedules as studios and networks run out of prepared scripts and actors and other professionals refuse to cross picket lines.
Major studios and networks, which have prepared a back-up plan of reality TV and re-runs to replace original scripted materials have so far taken a hard-line stance against the writers. Many have cancelled the contracts of writers who also have producing responsibility. They have also cut payments they make to top writers for staff and other expenses.
