Writers Strike Enters Second Week

As television and film scriptwriters continued their pickets outside the major Hollywood studios, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with officials from the Writers Guild of America. Schwarzenegger is scheduled to meet with a group of studio executives, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday. “The purpose is so he can talk to both sides and see what they are after and try to see how the state can be helpful,” the Times quoted press secretary Aaron McLear of Schwarzenegger’s peacemaking initiative. Members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike Nov. 5 after failing to reach a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The main sticking point between the sides is payment to writers whose work is made available through online downloads, Internet streaming and mobile distribution.