TV to return to normal soon

The strike pends an agreement to be ratified on Feb. 25.

By Allie Blood

Published Feb. 15, 2008

Students who missed their favorite popular television shows because of the Writers Guild of America strike don’t have to wait any longer.

After a three-month strike, the Writers Guild signed a new contract Tuesday and resumed working.

“I’m freaking pumped because I miss Grey’s,” freshman Clare Powell said, referring to ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy.

Negotiations Sunday included members of the Directors Guild of America with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to write new contracts that benefited all groups.

The Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild urged the Directors Guild to keep the writers’ interest central when making negotiations.

“If the DGA is able to reach an agreement with the AMPTP, we will carefully analyze the terms to see whether or not they advance our interests, and SAG will do the same,” WGA West President Patrick Verrone said in an email.

According to the WGA Web site, 3,775 writers voted, and 92.5 percent in favor of stopping the strike.

“The strike is pending upon ratification on Feb. 25,” WGA spokeswoman Sherry Goldman said.

Goldman said the writers’ most important achievement through the strike was compensation for work used in new media.

“When writers’ work is used on the Internet or iTunes, their old contracts didn’t pay them for it,” Goldman said.

In addition to compensation for new media, a raise in pay is also included in the new contract.

According to the Web site, deals with studios such as Lions Gate and Marvel fueled the effort for a better contract.

“Lions Gate is considered a leader in the industry, and its signing an interim agreement again confirms that it is possible for both writers to be compensated fairly and respectfully for their work and for companies to operate profitably,” WGA East President Michael Winship said in a news release.

Other producers who made interim agreements with the WGA include United Artists, Worldwide Pants and Spyglass Entertainment.

Because of the strike, events such as the Golden Globe Awards and Writers Guild Awards modified their productions.

Many shows will return soon, but others will not until the next season. No decisions will be made until the contract is confirmed.