He is pushing it to the last minute. He will meet Monday with a group of Los Angeles business leaders to make a final plea for writers and studios to find a compromise resolution and avoid a work stoppage. The main difference between these potential strikes compared with the devastating 22-week WGA strike in 1988, as far as TV is concerned, is that the studios and networks have stockpiled original material and reality programming. The most devastating effect the 1988 strike had was in television. This time around, it is a whole new ballgame.
Networks are well prepared with an arsenal on reality based series and game shows.
It will still take a few months to jumpstart production even without the strikes. Studios rushed to get as much production done as they could in the past few months. MGM recently said it has 18 finished films in hand in preparation. But now things are winding down. Those who work day to day in movies and television, from the casting directors to costume shops to caterers, are feeling the effects in a major way.