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CNN Live At Daybreak

Hollywood Actors, Producers to Resume Contract Negotiations

Aired July 02, 2001 - 07:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood actors and producers plan to resume contract talks later this morning, after working past midnight. The current contract expired yesterday, placing the start of the fall TV season in doubt.

CNN's Lauren Hunter has this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG KRIZMAN, ACTORS' SPOKESMAN: We're concluding talks for today. We'll be back tomorrow.

LAUREN HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The midnight Saturday deadline came and went with little change. Negotiators for actors and producers returned to the bargaining table trying to hammer out a new agreement while the expired agreement remained in place.

PAM FAIR, ACTORS' SPOKESWOMAN: The contract remains in effect. We're here bargaining. It got late. I think everybody's tired. You can see we're tired.

MARTY GROVE, HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM: They're going to go a few more days, maybe as much as a week. They're going to appear really not to be giving in on either side, but they are going to make a settlement, and I think it's going to be fine.

HUNTER: A news blackout has been in place since talks began, in May, and at that time, both sides sounded hopeful.

BRIAN WALTON, ACTORS' NEGOTIATOR: I'd like to suggest that what this negotiation is about is problem solving.

NICK COUNTER, PRODUCERS' NEGOTIATOR: Let's find solutions, not problems, and get to the end as quickly as we can.

HUNTER: Nearly three dozen proposals are under discussion, including a new residual structure for actor's work that appears overseas and on cable, DVD, and the Internet.

PETER BART, EDITOR, "DAILY VARIETY": The problem is that Hollywood is changed now. The environment that used to consist of the traditional studios and networks is gone. When you have enormous multinational corporations that are basically interested in distribution, they dominate the business, and hence, I'm not sure that these multinationals sign on to the essential economic structure of Hollywood.

HUNTER: The nation's economic slowdown has added pressure to the talks, and while settlement earlier this year between writers and producers helped delay fears of a complete Hollywood shutdown, if agreement is not reached and actors walk out, it could still cost thousands of jobs and millions of dollars.

There seems to be just one word Hollywood wants to hear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action.

HUNTER: Lauren Hunter, CNN Entertainment News, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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