QandAs: Buzz

What happens now that Hollywood writers are on strike?

Answer:
Ever since the 12,000 members of the Writers' Guild of America

went on strike Nov. 5, efforts have been going on behind the scenes to bring the writers and the Hollywood studios back to the negotiating table.

The writers strike has put hundreds of crew workers out of work and created turmoil in Tinseltown that hasn't been experienced since the last WGA strike in 1988, which lasted 22 weeks and costed the industry an estimated $500 million in lost revenue.

Studios anticipated the strike and took steps to ensure that TV viewers won't lose their favorite programming any time soon, but if the strike stretches as long as the last strike, viewers could join the list of people most affected by this strike.

As mediators continue to angle for common ground, writers and those who support them are picketing outside the major studios. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, himself an actor, has joined those calling for a settlement that has yet to emerge.

The WGA went on strike when its existing contract with Hollywood studios expired on Oct. 31. The writers were hoping to renegotiate its contract with the Hollywood studios to include a percentage of revenues gained from DVD sales. The writers also want more money from films and shows that can be downloaded onto computers, mobile phones and other devices.