Writers Strike Looming

If you thought re-runs were bad in the summer, you ain't seen nothing yet.

The Writers Guild of America met last night and agreed to recommend to their union leaders that they go on strike. The strike could begin as early as Monday, although there is room for some last-minute negotiating at the bargain table this weekend.

What would a strike mean for you, the television viewer? Well, a lot more reality-based shows like Dancing With The Stars and American Idol. It could also mean some of your favorite shows will suddenly vanish and go into re-run mode, since few have completed filming their full compliment of shows for the television season. Other shows, like FOX's upcoming Season 7 of 24 and ABC's Season 4 of Lost may not hit airwaves at all for a while, since only about 1/3rd of those seasons' episodes have been shot to this point.

Obviously, the longer a strike goes on, the more impact it has. Movie-goers won't immediately notice the impact of the strike, but an ongoing strike will mean new movies won't be produced.

The major dispute of the WGA is over how DVD and Internet profits are divided.

And if things weren't bad enough, a possible strike by the Screen Actors Guild is possible in June of 2008, and the Directors Guild contract expires not long after that.