NBC Cuts “Tonight Show” Staffers

Non-writing staffers of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” were laid off Nov. 30, casualties of the four-week scriptwriters strike. The Associated Press reported that NBC confirmed the layoffs of the Burbank-based staff members but provided no additional details. The late night talk show went into re-runs when television and film writers represented by the Writers Guild of America began their walk out Nov. 5 after failing to reach a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Negotiations between the two sides resumed Nov. 26. The studios have offered the writers $130 million in extra pay over the life of the proposed three-year deal in addition to the $1.3 billion that writers already receive each year, the AP reported. The talks resume Dec. 4.