Just allowing Leno and others to cross picket lines w/o expelling them from the union shows the weakness of the union. But all I can say about the current WGA leadership is that it is a weakness with eyes wide open.
Jerry
On Jan 4, 2008 2:37 AM, B. <docile_body at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/633119/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20080103:hollywood_labor__ER:85949
>
> Is Jay Leno subverting his union?
>
> By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
> Thu Jan 3, 3:51 PM PST
>
> [...]
>
> The union rules could present a host of issues: if a
> guild member is prohibited from performing in a
> character for which writers normally provide material,
> what to do about Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who
> performs his entire show in character? Colbert's
> program, and "The Daily Show," return to the air
> without writers on Monday.
>
> Leno received support from fellow late-night host
> Jimmy Kimmel, who criticized WGA members for picketing
> Leno and NBC's Conan O'Brien. "I don't want to depart
> too much from the party line, but I think it's
> ridiculous," Kimmel said on Wednesday's show. "Jay
> Leno, he paid his staff while they were out. Conan did
> the same thing. I don't know. I just think at a
> certain point you back off a little bit."
>
> While Leno's writers are on strike, Letterman's
> Worldwide Pants production company reached a separate
> deal to bring writers back. Through the deal, writers
> were also back at work at Craig Ferguson's "Late Late
> Show" on CBS.
>
> At least on opening night, viewers were more intrigued
> by O'Brien's attempt to navigate without writers than
> Ferguson's work with his full staff. O'Brien's "Late
> Night" had 2.8 million viewers, up 37 percent from his
> pre-strike average, Nielsen said. Ferguson was seen by
> 2.2 million people, up 28 percent.
>
> The night was essentially a wash for Kimmel, who is
> working without writers. His ABC audience of 1.8
> million was slightly down from his season average.
>
> [...]
>
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>
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