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WGA (writers') Strike - where shows stand

29K views 247 replies 67 participants last post by  NetworkTV 
#1 ·
As it looks very much like we're about to go nuclear, a very interesting article by the LA Times on how long we have before we go into reruns. This is more of a HOTP-type post, but given it does have detailed show information thought it deserved its own thread.


Hopefully this becomes irrelevant quickly for the right reasons.


Portions copyright Los Angeles Times, November 3, 2007

The TV Grid

The writers' strike would take an immediate toll on television viewers' favorite programs, dealing a setback to shows that are written day-to-day -- such as Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" -- as well as scripted programming already underway or about to go into production.


Soap operas would theoretically start disappearing from the airwaves soon, since most have episodes to last them only until the end of the year. But during the 1988 strike, producers wrote in place of striking writers, and soaps stayed on the air.


Prime-time scripted series have episodes through mid-January or early February, depending on how many reruns they space out in the next few months. Unscripted shows -- such as "Survivor," "The Amazing Race," and, when it returns in January, "American Idol" -- would continue uninterrupted.


Here's a look at where many shows stand:

Late Night

"Colbert Report", "The Daily Show", "SNL" Will go into repeats immediately.

"The Tonight Show" and"The Conan O'Brien Show" Will go into repeats immediately.

Letterman, Craig Ferguson - going into repeats immediately [from Nikke Finke's Hollywood Daily blog]

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Staffed with WGA writers, so it would probably go to repeats. But Kimmel could also decide to wing it and do the show himself.

"Nightline" Will remain live and in originals.

ABC

"Desperate Housewives" Has nine episodes written, which should last through the first week of December. [Report: production shut down 11/7]

"Grey's Anatomy" 13 episodes of 23 episodes written, 11 of which have been shot and six have aired. This means there are five more episodes in the can. [Report: production shutting down this week]

"Ugly Betty" 13 of 24 episodes completed.

"Boston Legal" Will have 14 or 15 of 22 episodes completed.

"Big Shots" Will have 13 of 13 episodes written. Shooting its ninth episode Nov. 7.

"Lost" Expected to have eight out of 16 episodes ready. Midseason, none have aired yet

"Cavemen" Expected to have 12 out of 13 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full season.

"Men in Trees" Has five episodes left over from last season, 10 new episodes shot, four more scripts to shoot; adds up to 19 out of 27 for the season.

"Cashmere Mafia" Will have seven episodes out of an order of 13; premiere delayed.

"The View" Will continue uninterrupted, according to a spokesman.

"Dirty Sexy Money" Expected have between 11 and 13 episodes completed.

"Brothers & Sisters" Expected to have either 11 or 12 episodes completed.

"Eli Stone" Will have 13 of 13 ordered. Midseason premiere date is undetermined.

"The View" Will continue uninterrupted, according to a spokesman

"Pushing Daisies" [Report production will stop shortly.]

CBS

"CSI Miami" Will have 13 out of 24 episodes completed.

"Moonlight" Expected to have 11 out of 12 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full season.

"Criminal Minds" Will have 12 of 22 episodes completed.

"Cane" Expected to complete all 13 episodes; has not yet received an order for a full season.

"Jericho" Will have seven of seven episodes.

"New Adventures of Old Christine" [Report: production halted.]

"Two and a Half Men" [Report: production halted.]

"Big Bang Theory" [Report: production halted.]

"Rules of Engagement" [Report: production halted.]

NBC

"My Name is Earl" 13 of 13 episodes completed.

"Law and Order: SVU" 14 of 22 episodes completed. [Report production will stop shortly.]

"Medium" Will have 9 of 22 episodes completed.

"30 Rock" Has nine out of 22 episodes completed, with several days of shooting for the 10th episode scheduled for this week.

"Friday Night Lights" Expected to complete 15 of 22 episodes.

"Scrubs" Expected to complete 12 of 18 episodes.

"Journeyman" Expected to complete 13 of 13 episodes; has not yet received an order for a full season. [Nikke Finke reports an agent says they shut down production 11/5 - or maybe not.]

"The Office" [Production shut down 11/7 - see youtube video. ]

CW

"Everybody Hates Chris" Expected to complete 22 of 22 episodes.

"Gossip Girl" Expected to complete 13 of 22 episodes.

"Supernatural" Has 10-12 episodes completed;

Those shows also have roughly five scripts that are ready to shoot.

"America's Next Top Model," "Beauty and the Geek" and new shows such as "Crowned" (the mother-daughter beauty contest) Three of a number of reality shows that have already been ordered up, meaning they are covered for the rest of the season

Fox

"24" Will have eight or nine out of 24 episodes completed. Midseason, none have aired yet. [11/7 - On hold, Fox will not air 24 until all 24 episodes completed]

"Back to You" Will have nine episodes completed out of 24 total episodes ordered. [Report - production halted.]

"K-Ville" Will have 10 of 13 episodes completed.

"Til Death" [Report: production halted.]

USA

"In Plain Sight" New show, episodes are nearly wrapped

"Psych" and "Monk" Enough scripts in hand to guarantee a full second half of each season

"Law and Order: Criminal Intent" Enough for first half of the season (10); the second half (12) will be affected (meaning not enough scripts to guarantee production start as scheduled.)

"Burn Notice" Scheduled to start production of Season 2 in January

"Starter Wife" Scheduled to start production in March

Sci-Fi

"Stargate Atlantis" Expected to go on as scheduled.

"Battlestar Galactica" Has 10 hours of episodes, plus a two hour movie to air this Fall.

"Eureka" Will be affected.

FX

"Thirty Days" Completed, not expected to be affected.

"Nip/Tuck" 5th season, the 22 episodes were planned for two cycles: 14 to run from now to February and eight next year. All 14 in the first cycle have been written. So, only the second cycle could be affected.

"The Shield" The final season is written, no date set for airing.

"Dirt" Production is underway and could be affected.

"The Riches" 7 of 13 episodes, reportedly good through Dec 10

"Rescue Me" 5th season, just announced, would be affected since production is expected to start in early '08.

"Damages" No word yet on whether it would be picked up

HBO

"Entourage" and"Big Love" Are currently in the writing stages and were scheduled to air in the summer of 2008.

"True Blood" and "12 Miles of Bad Road" Have begun production.

"The Wire" Completed and will air as scheduled.

"In Treatment" New series will air as scheduled.

Showtime

"Dexter," "Weeds," "Californication" and "Brotherhood" Have ended or will be ending their season runs.

"The Tudors" Second season returns in late March, completed production Nov. 1 on 12 episodes.

A new Tracey Ullman series Five-episode series is shot.

Lifetime

"Army Wives" Production on hold.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...6966.htmlstory


Updated: How many shows are actually left? Check here. (Thanks Marcus Carr)
 
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#77 ·
I saw some news footage of Eva Longoria passing out DOMINO'S pizza... Who side is she on?


You would think with the kind of cash her and her hoopster hubby are banking, she could have popped for the good stuff rather than something more void of taste and nutrition than the Producer's latest contact offer.
 
#78 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kib /forum/post/12161514


I saw some news footage of Eva Longoria passing out DOMINO'S pizza... Who side is she on?


You would think with the kind of cash her and her hoopster hubby are banking, she could have popped for the good stuff rather than something more void of taste and nutrition than the Producer's latest contact offer.

I think that Dominos is one of the few places that actually delivers anymore. Besides, she's going to need to save her pennies for a while - she's out of work for the duration, too.
 
#79 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV /forum/post/12161665


I think that Dominos is one of the few places that actually delivers anymore. Besides, she's going to need to save her pennies for a while - she's out of work for the duration, too.

Don't worry about Eva. Tony has enough bucks to get them through the rough patch at work.
 
#80 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kib /forum/post/12161514


I saw some news footage of Eva Longoria passing out DOMINO'S pizza... Who side is she on?


You would think with the kind of cash her and her hoopster hubby are banking, she could have popped for the good stuff rather than something more void of taste and nutrition than the Producer's latest contact offer.

Maybe her genes were designed so she has all beauty and no tastebuds.


Or maybe Dominos sponsored her. I can think of Papa Johns that apparently makes better pizza, but are there any other local outlets that make good pizza? (I've never been out there.)
 
#81 ·
Any Conan O'Brien fans (like yours truly) that are depressed for missing his nightly wit because of the strike will want to read this story for the closest we're going to get to a well-written monologue for quite some time.


The WGA Strike
O'Brien Performs Live, but Charity Benefits

By Jacques Steinberg, The New York Times - November 8, 2007


NBC ran a rerun of Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday night during the ongoing writers' strike, but it was still possible for a select few to see the host do an original monologue.


A comedian following Taps,' that's what I'm dealing with here, Mr. O'Brien said in disbelief, and by way of introduction, as he followed the Quantico Marine Corps band onstage at a benefit performance at Town Hall in midtown Manhattan. And to top it off, I'm your host for the evening and my writers are on strike.


Watching from the front rows were the guests of honor, several dozen soldiers at various stages of recovery from serious wounds in Iraq. They were flanked by several thousand others (some of them the most prominent media executives and personalities in town) who had paid as much as $100,000 (for a block of 20 premium seats). The beneficiary: the Bob Woodruff Family Fund, begun by the ABC journalist, who nearly died after being struck in the head by a roadside bomb in Iraq.


The monologue tonight is entirely crafted from Dixie riddle cups, fortune cookies and old Sanford and Son' dialogue, Mr. O'Brien said, as Brian Williams and Stephen Colbert looked on, as well James Gandolfini and Joe Torre. I'm not kidding I got nothing.


I do have some good news about the writers' strike, he quickly added. If it continues, there will not be a third Deuce Bigalow' movie.


He then explained: My mother wrote that. But she's in the W.G.A. the Writers Guild of America, which initiated the labor action so she's in a lot of trouble.


Hollywood writers went on strike just after midnight Monday in their battle with producers, most contentiously over how much they should be paid when their programs and movies are shown on the Internet and devices like cellphones and iPods.


The walkout immediately affected the entertainment talk shows, sending Mr. O'Brien's program and others into repeats.


At Town Hall, Mr. O'Brien did not spare Mr. Woodruff, who was in a coma for more than a month after his brain was pocked by shrapnel and other debris. Here's the irritating thing about Bob, the host said. Bob was wounded by an I.E.D. at close range, and he's still the best-looking guy in this room.


After noting that those who had witnessed Mr. Woodruff's recovery first-hand knew that his memory still failed him occasionally, Mr. O'Brien suggested, Those of you who didn't witness it first-hand, this is a great opportunity to borrow money from him.


To be fair, Mr. O'Brien continued, Bob is not the first journalist that has been injured during a war. True story: Larry King was wounded while covering the War of 1812.


With an audience dotted with veterans of an increasingly unpopular war, Mr. O'Brien like the performers who would follow him was careful not to be too political. But he couldn't resist doing a bit that imagined an NBC television movie (rushed into development just before the strike, of course) about power in Washington. Aided by photos of politicians and their celebrity doppelgangers projected onto a screen behind him, Mr. O'Brien announced that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, would be played by Martin Short; Senator John McCain of Arizona by Tim Conway; Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico by Erik Estrada, and Senator Charles Schumer by Grandpa Munster.


With that, Mr. O'Brien yielded the stage to a lineup that would be difficult to assemble on his show. There was Bruce Springsteen, who played three songs on acoustic guitar and harmonica, including Devil's Arcade, a new song about a gravely wounded soldier and his wife. And, this being part of the New York Comedy Festival, there were three stand-up comedians: Robin Williams, who did his best, loud-mouth drill sergeant (when he wasn't acting out what a certain senator's men's room tryst might have looked like); Lewis Black, who engaged in an extended riff on Santa Claus running for President; and Brian Regan, who spoofed Antiques Roadshow and the audience that loves it.


The event raised more than $2.5 million, according to organizers, not counting the more than $80,000 bid successfully by Mr. Williams's wife for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle used and then donated by Mr. Springsteen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/ar...ia&oref=slogin
 
#82 ·
"24" falls victim to writers strike


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As the writers strike entered its third day Wednesday with no end in sight, Fox said it would not air "24" this season.


The seventh season of the hit real-time series was scheduled to begin in January, but producers had completed only about one-third of its 24-episode order as of last week.


"It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show," said Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling chief.


The decision to act quickly so early in the strike also was prompted by the large amounts of marketing money associated with the premieres of new series and the annual launch of "24." The network began airing promos for the upcoming season of "24" during the World Series and on a big screen in Times Square.


"Had we delayed executing and implementing of a strike schedule, it could've cost us a lot of money," Beckman said.


"24" started production late, and was affected by the recent wildfires. The show's star, Kiefer Sutherland, is also scheduled to do a stint in jail later this year in connection with a drunk-driving conviction.


The high-profile new drama "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," originally slated to run in tandem with "24," will now premiere on Sunday, January 13, and will air in "24's" Monday 9 p.m. slot, following "Prison Break" and the reality series "When Women Ruled the World."


"Women," about educated and independent women ruling over a group of unsuspecting men, is one of two reality series Fox is planning to launch midseason, along with "The Moment of Truth," a show featuring people being administered a lie detector test to be hosted by Mark L. Walberg.


With "House" running out of original episodes, "Hell's Kitchen" will land the plum post-"American Idol" Tuesday 9 p.m. slot beginning April 1.


Fox's midseason schedule also includes new scripted series "The Return of Jezebel James," "Unhitched," "New Amsterdam" and "Canterbury's Law."


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071108/tv_nm/fox_dc_2
 
#84 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fredfa /forum/post/12130081


Unless you know something sinister about Travis that I don't, I think your somewhat veiled and accusatory post is -- at the least -- odd.

It's nothing sinister, but the information he posted about Heroes last week was incorrect. And he could probably have gotten his information straight with a single phone call. Fact checking is the difference between journalism and gossip.
 
#85 ·
For anyone exposed to one-sided info of the WGA strike from traditional media outlets (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc.) should read the following from Bill Scheft, head writer for David Letterman, who wrote the following in alt.fan.letterman:


--begin paste--


Newsgroup: alt.fan.letterman

Subject: It's me, your old pal Bill Scheft....

Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:30:28 -0800

Message-ID:


I am the union rep for the show, and felt compelled to bring you up to date on the writers strike. Day Four on the picket line. Our guys have been so much better represented out there than all the other NY shows. I am really proud of them.


Quickly, lest you think we are a bunch of spoiled brats just looking for a raise, the big issue, money from original content shown on the Internet and other new media, is our way of replacing the money we are losing over the disappearing residuals. Residuals are not a bonus. They are the way writers live when they are between jobs. The standard writers contact is up for renewal every 13 weeks. You can have a five- year contract, but they can let you go every 13 weeks without paying you any more as long as they give you a month's notice. That is the deal we all enter into. There are 12,000 writers in the guild. You need to make $30,000 a year in guild earnings to keep your health insurance. Last year, 6000 didn't reach that figure. Half.


I have been lucky enough to have a job for 16 years. That simply does not happen. So this is what we are fighting for. Believe me, we would love to be in the office, writing fun facts, actives with Rupert, illegally doctoring footage or downloading porn, but this is the frontline fight for all the other union contracts that come after us.


The Late Night writers are the first ones affected by a strike, and the ONLY ones who will never recoup the money we lose because we do 10 times as many new shows per year as any drama or sitcom. But we go out in support of our fellow union members and pray this thing ends soon.


One more thing. To a man, all of the writers are deeply concerned about the collateral damage if we stay out too long. We think of the 150 people who work at the Late Show whose fight this is not and believe they will be taken care of. They are all embarassingly supportive of us. No one any moreso than Dave. It is quite humbling.


Sorry to be so serious, but this is serious business. I wanted to write you people because this site has loyally and relentlessly followed the show since we came to CBS. I felt you were owed as much of an explanation as anyone outside the negotation room can give.


Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to respond. Thanks.

Bill Scheft


--end paste--
 
#88 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by luckytwn /forum/post/12166851


24 is not canceled. Production is continuing on the eps that were already scripted. What Fox did was pull it from the schedule because they obviously don't want to air 8 hours and then leave people hanging.

In other words, it's cancelled. It's not airing. They can shoot and produce episodes all they want, but if it doesn't air this season, it's essentially cancelled.


I think this is a mistake. By the time it comes back, few people will care based on the last season. They might as well dump the series at this point.
 
#89 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV /forum/post/12169694


In other words, it's cancelled. It's not airing. They can shoot and produce episodes all they want, but if it doesn't air this season, it's essentially cancelled.


I think this is a mistake. By the time it comes back, few people will care based on the last season. They might as well dump the series at this point.

Canceled means the show has ceased production for good and would not be coming back other than to air episodes already shot. That is not the case with 24. They are just holding the episodes until they have a season to run fully and thus, not leave people hanging. Claiming it's "canceled" makes about as much sense as if you had come on here during one of the 18 month gaps between Soprano seasons and saying it was canceled. You are using a specific term in the wrong fashion.


As far as it being a mistake or not, I don't see how it's a mistake. How can they run 8 hours of 24 and then have it just stop in the middle of the story with no clue as to when the storyline might be resolved?


Lost may not air either, depending on what they decide to do with the 10 eps they'll have in the can once production is shut down assuming the strike goes on that long. Right now, it's believed ABC is going to air an 8 ep mini-season but the producers have stated they are not in favor of that.
 
#91 ·
I've cleared the post title. Anyway, according to dictionary.com


can·cel /ˈkænsəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kan-suhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -celed, -cel·ing or (especially British) -celled, -cel·ling, noun

-verb (used with object)

1. to make void; revoke; annul: to cancel a reservation.

2. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off: to cancel a meeting.
 
#92 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by luckytwn /forum/post/12170101


As far as it being a mistake or not, I don't see how it's a mistake. How can they run 8 hours of 24 and then have it just stop in the middle of the story with no clue as to when the storyline might be resolved?

They can build in an angle where they slip him a sleeping pill.



I wonder how many shows with not a lot of viewers will get canceled because of this if it goes on long?
 
#93 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by santaclaus /forum/post/12166841


For anyone exposed to one-sided info of the WGA strike from traditional media outlets (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc.) should read the following from Bill Scheft, head writer for David Letterman, who wrote the following in alt.fan.letterman:

Thanks for posting this letter. As an IP lawyer I am familiar with the issues/landscape and completely support the writers. It makes perfect sense that as the networks find ways to make more money via new outlets ("new media"), that writers get residuals for shows aired in new media.


And if anything, in the media I've still only heard the WGA side of it. What is the position of the networks? Simply that they are just being greedy bastards who think that just because they come up with the idea to sell shows on itunes or have them free on cbs innertube.com or abc.com (With ads!), that somehow people who write the content shouldn't get compensation?


If the networks have a credible argument, I'd love to hear it, but so far I haven't heard a peep about their side.
 
#94 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JeromeS /forum/post/12171084


I've cleared the post title. Anyway, according to dictionary.com


can·cel /ˈkænsəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kan-suhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -celed, -cel·ing or (especially British) -celled, -cel·ling, noun

-verb (used with object)

1. to make void; revoke; annul: to cancel a reservation.

2. to decide or announce that a planned event will not take place; call off: to cancel a meeting.

Nothing here has been called off. The episodes will still air just not when originally planned.


Plus, as already noted "canceled" as it pertains to the TV industry is a specific industry term.
 
#95 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mx6bfast /forum/post/12171199


They can build in an angle where they slip him a sleeping pill.



I wonder how many shows with not a lot of viewers will get canceled because of this if it goes on long?

It could actually have the reverse effect if it goes on long enough to impact pilot season. In that scenario, there is a belief that the networks would just bring back most of this season's shows.


That would also have an added benefit of saving a lot of money for the networks because pilot season costs hundreds of millions of dollars.
 
#97 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by alinski /forum/post/12173136


Interesting take on the WGA Strike at http://www.filmstew.com/showArticle....ontentID=16614

"At best, a WGA writer currently collects four cents for each DVD of his or her work sold. Here's what that buys you in Lalaland."


alinski...

Old news - the WGA has already dropped that part of the negotiations. They won't get anything more on DVD revenue this time around. They're still fighting for "new media" compensation, though.
 
#99 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV /forum/post/12173762


Old news - the WGA has already dropped that part of the negotiations. They won't get anything more on DVD revenue this time around. They're still fighting for "new media" compensation, though.

One of the articles linked to in the "Hot Off The Press" thread indicated that DVD residuals would be back on the table. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...s#post12155508
 
#100 ·
NBC to Lay Off Leno Staff Next Week; Guest Hosts Could Save Jobs


NBC Tells Nonwriting Tonight Show Staffers They'll Be Laid Off at End of Next Week in Wake of WGA Strike, But Guest Hosts Could Bring Show Back Nov. 19 and Save Those Jobs -- Late Night with Conan O'Brien Staff in Same Situation


By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/9/2007 3:57:00 PM


NBC informed the nonwriting staff of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that it will be laid off at the end of next week in the wake of the show shutting down for the writers' strike.

Jay Leno


And with Leno still refusing to cross the picket line, the show is looking at coming back on the air Nov. 19 with guest hosts so that it can save the jobs of the nonwriters.


All sorts of things are being discussed, including guest hosts, Tonight Show executive producer Debbie Vickers said. Our preference is that we return to production of The Tonight Show with Jay as host as soon as possible.


B&C also learned that the same timetable has been given to the staff of NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. That show's nonwriters also face layoffs at the end of the week of Nov. 12.


But Vickers also wants to save the jobs of her nonwriting staffers.


We want to protect the staff, who have been loyal to this show for decades, in the same way that Johnny Carson reluctantly returned without his writers in 1988, she said.


Late-night shows have gone into repeats since the strike began Monday as the hosts walked out in solidarity with their writing staffs.


With the shows shut down, networks can cut costs by laying off most of the rest of the staff.


And Leno's chief writer doesn't expect Leno back anytime soon.


I talk to Jay every day, and he will not be the first [late-night host] to cross the picket line, said Tonight Show head writer Joe Medeiros, also a strike captain for the Writers Guild of America. So they are looking at guest hosts as one possibility so all those people don't have to lose their jobs.


Medeiros on Friday expressed anger at NBC for pulling the plug on the staff so quickly.


This is the way that NBC treats the No. 1 late-night talk show that makes them $50 million a year and has been No. 1 for 12 years? he said, noting that NBC even turned off his NBC e-mail account.


Even prior to the strike taking effect, many knew that the nonwriting late-night show staff members from all networks would probably begin to see layoffs within two to three weeks if their hosts did not resume their on-air duties.


The hosts are compelled to return without their writing staffs to save the jobs of all of the nonwriters, which can number more than 100 per show.


There is precedent for hosts to come back sans writers, as Johnny Carson and David Letterman both did during the 1988 strike.


Medeiros also spoke in animated fashion about NBC's decision to replace Leno with Conan O'Brien in 2009.


And all this after they already kicked the man out the door, Medeiros said.


CBS has already said that The Late Show with David Letterman will remain in repeats the week of Nov. 12.


ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live continues to run in repeats, as its host has backed the writers not only by stepping aside, but even driving a taco truck around to picket sites in Los Angeles. Leno has also been a constant presence at picketing around town.


For a gallery of photos from the picket line, click here.


For full coverage of the strike, click here.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/CA6499587.html
 
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