Writers Guild Contract Expires On Oct. 31

Their contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers expires Oct. 31.
The writers' unions are demanding that they be paid higher residual fees for films and television shows on DVD. They are also asking that pay schedules be set up for other digital outlets, such as the Internet and mobile phones.
So far, the AMPTP has been unreceptive to those concerns, according to various published reports. In the case of new media, producers want to get a better sense of how programming for the Web and cell phones will be valued by the marketplace.
Several scripted television shows would be unable to air new episodes in the second half of the TV season, depending on how long a potential strike lasts. As a result, reality shows -- which do not require union writers -- might become even more ubiquitous on U.S. television.
The last Writers Guild strike occurred in 1988.
David B. Wilkerson is a reporter for MarketWatch in Chicago.

What could this mean for all our favorite shows? Alot of the shows we love will run out of episodes by early next year, so I'm sure we all hope they come to some sort of agreement very soon.