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Press Release of the Week
Courtesy of ABS-CBN News:
Conan O'Brien paying salaries of staff during strike
NEW YORK -- Late-night US talkshow host Conan O'Brien is paying the salaries of nearly 80 members of staff threatened by unemployment in the Hollywood writers's strike, it was reported Thursday.
Entertainment industry journal Daily Variety reported the popular 44-year-old comic was footing the bill for dozens of staff from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" who have not worked since the strike began on November 5.
O'Brien is continuing to pay the wages of non-writing production staff because of the loyalty employees have shown towards him over the years, Variety reported on its website.
Nightly television talk-shows such as O'Brien's -- which rely heavily on teams of union writers to come up with jokes -- have been in shutdown since the writers strike began nearly four weeks ago.
Industry analysts have warned that the dispute is leaving production staff on the affected shows, such as camera operators or lighting technicians, out of work and facing lay-offs.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) held a fourth day of talks on Thursday in an attempt to break the deadlock.
Writers called a strike after the producers' alliance rejected demands for a greater share of profits from Internet and new media sales.
It is the first strike by the 12,000-strong writer's union in nearly 20 years. The dispute has already led to production or postponement of several hit television shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "24."
FilmLA Inc, a non-profit group that handles film permits and promotes the industry, has estimated that the strike will cause losses of around 21.3 million dollars a day if it extends into December.
