Writers continue negotiations

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood writers entered their second day without a new contract Thursday as the threat of a strike that could paralyze the movie and TV industry loomed. \nA negotiating session that began at noon Wednesday ended early Thursday morning after nearly 14 hours of bargaining failed to lead to a new settlement. Talks were scheduled to resume later Thursday. \nProgress between officials for the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was difficult to gauge. Both sides have maintained a strict code of silence. \n"They are very intense negotiations," said Cheryl Rhoden, spokeswoman for the writers guild. "A lot of hours and a lot of work (are) being put in." \n"I think both parties are interested in trying to reach a settlement as soon as possible," added Barry Liden, spokesman for the producers alliance. \nA walkout won't happen until the heads of the writers guild call for a vote from their 11,500 members. \nGuild negotiators and the heads of CBS, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, MGM and other studios gave no indication of how long they would continue bargaining. \nAn agreement likely hinges on pay for home video releases and foreign and cable distribution -- topics over which both sides have remained at odds. \nThe writers have demanded an average annual raise of about 3 percent, amounting to $99.7 million over three years. The producers alliance has said it cannot afford to meet all the writers' demands. \nThe entertainment industry has buzzed with fear of back-to-back strikes for months, as the contract with the two performers unions, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, nears expiration June 30. \nWhile talks between the writers and producers continue, the writers guild said members could continue working under terms of the old contract, which expired at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. \nNegotiations resumed at the WGA headquarters April 17. Before then, the two sides had yet to bridge a $100 million gap between their respective demands. \nA work stoppage by writers and actors, whose contract expires this summer, could delay the fall TV season and reduce the number of movies produced. \nThe last writers strike occurred in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks, stretching from mid-March to early August. It cost the entertainment industry nearly $500 million in lost revenue.