WGA strike a year later; Leno may face disciplinary action (VAR)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

Now that a year has passed since the writers' strike ended, Variety takes a look back at its lasting impact and also reveals that WGA West is still reviewing the possibility of bringing disciplinary action against Jay Leno for "Tonight Show" monologues he delivered while the guild was on strike.

The trade says it is understood that the guild has brought disciplinary proceedings against Leno, although the specifics of the proceedings are unclear. Leno is a WGA member and writer for his show.

According to the strike rules, the guild has the authority to hold hearings to review allegations of violations of strike rules and to discipline members. According to the rules, that discipline may include "expulsion or suspension from guild membership, imposition of monetary fines or censure."

In January 2008, Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert all went back on the air for the first time since the strike began.

David Letterman also returned at the same time but his writing staff was in place thanks to an interim deal with the guild. Letterman's Worldwide Pants owns his "Late Show" whereas NBC Universal owns "The Tonight Show."

Leno was a vocal and public supporter of the guild and "The Tonight Show's" striking writers at the outset of the walkout. He paid his production staffers out of his own pocket in November and December when the show was dark but after "The Tonight Show" returned with new episodes on Jan. 2, 2008, WGA feathers were ruffled about Leno "writing" his monologues.

Although there was much back and forth between Leno's camp and the guild about the monologue issue at the time, it's been widely assumed that the dispute became moot after the strike ended on Feb. 12, 2008.

Meanwhile, as the industry still grapples with SAG's long-running contract drama, the collateral damage of the WGA walkout is coming into sharper focus.

Variety notes that the impact has included such things as a swift and dramatic reduction in fees paid to above-the-line talent, particularly actors and writers; primetime development business that has yet to fully recover from the disruption caused to the 2007-08 TV season and a de facto strike caused by uncertainty surrounding SAG.

While the global financial meltdown means that some of the current H�wd downsizing would have come even without the 100-day walkout, the realignment of the industry's investment priorities is coming more swiftly and more comprehensively.

Most painfully for Hollywood, the strike gave big media a force majeure cloak allowing for deep, immediate cuts without fear of losing competitive advantage in the creative community or appearing as if they were retrenching.

In the year that has passed, series budgets have been hacked and it is understood that several established drama series are under pressure to cut budgets by double digits or they will not be returning.

Talent reps, meanwhile, report that for all but top A-listers, actor salary quotes have become a thing of the past. Further reps are being warned that the industry tradition of renegotiating actor salaries after the second or third season is going the way of the VCR and the pay telephone.