WGA STRIKE CENTRAL: DAY 15
Talks were ongoing last week to bring "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" back to late night and out of repeats. Reps for several of the shows have been reportedly in conversations with each other about when it might be appropriate for their hosts to return to their studios. Rumor has it production could resume as early as the beginning weeks of December.
The timing could depend on when there appears a settlement of the strike, but for now any agreement would likely have two or more of the shows from the networks returning on the same day-sort of a solidarity move in the wake of the WGA pickets. While Letterman, Leno and O’Brien haven’t been wanting to cross those picket lines, the prolonged strike is already affecting non-WGA staffs and it will only get worse. They aren’t getting money from a strike fund. NBC has already laid off some of those staffers.
TVBR/RBR observation: These late night guys will sit on the side lines for awhile but wait just wait – It is Business – and as the days click off closer to the primary elections they meaning the Talk Host will return, even cross the line to do so. Why? It is all about the money especially the hosts on cable programming. Watch they will cross the line mark our observation.
