The most interesting things currently going on with our favorite topic — the strike — are the reports (like this one) that the member companies of the AMPTP are not quite all on the same page with regard to how long they're prepared to take a hard line and not give the WGA enough of what it wants. In '88, as that work stoppage slogged on, we heard increasingly that this company or that one was eager — in some cases, almost desperate — to settle but that "The Monolith of Management" was holding together via its own internal pressures. And of course it stands to reason that, just as not all writers are being hurt equally by the strike, not all networks and production companies are looking at equivalent losses.
The other day, I heard someone compare it to Tournament Blackjack, which happens to be a game I've been studying lately. In Tournament Blackjack, as opposed to regular Blackjack, all the players simultaneously play against the House but more importantly, they play against each other so it's possible to gain by losing. If I'm playing against you and the dealer beats us both, we both lose our wagers…but if you've bet more than I have on the hand, you lose more than I do. So I gain on you or even pull ahead of you. You can lose every hand in a Tournament Blackjack competition and still win the game because you bet small.
So it is with a strike like this. Some of the studios are being hurt less by the strike so they're gaining a competitive advantage on the others. No one could reasonably expect that Sony or Universal is going to break away from the Alliance and cut a separate deal with the WGA…but someone in their internal meetings is more anxious to end the strike than someone else.
Yesterday in this space, we told you that the WGA wasn't going to settle this thing without addressing some of the issues that don't relate directly to dollars and cents…and sure enough, yesterday in the bargaining sessions, our team presented demands for the Guild to expand jurisdiction over so-called "reality" or "writerless" shows. Tomorrow, at about the hour the National Weather Service says it'll stop raining in L.A., there's a big rally out in Burbank outside the office of one of the main companies that produces such shows.
(By the way: I noted that the rally was near the Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, which is where one can often find Drew Carey dining, and I mentioned the rumor that he owns the place. I am informed that he does not, but that he may have set up some sort of running tab there, whereby he pays for the meals of any diner who flashes a WGA card. Check before you assume that's true. Mr. Carey does apparently own Swingers, which is a coffee shop near CBS Television City that is feeding WGA members for free.)
No new predictions on how long this thing's gonna last but the more I think of it, the more I think the best indicator that it's close to ending will be David Letterman. The late night shows are taking a bad hit during this strike and they'll rush back into production as soon as the picket lines go down. Jay Leno's having all sorts of problems with NBC that relate to his future, or possible lack of one at that network. Dave's going to hit the ground at full sprint to get back up and running — that's one of the reasons he's paying his staff to keep working. So the second it looks like there's an end date for the strike, CBS exec Les Moonves, who's in the thick of the negotiations, will surely alert Mr. Letterman. When we hear that Dave is lining up a real guest list for even a tentative resumption of tapings, that's when I'll start believing the rumors that the strike is near settlement. Not before.