Moguls: We're ready to make nice

As writers rally on Hollywood Blvd., members of the AMPTP are trying to strike a conciliatory tone.

CBS supremo Leslie Moonves sent an e-mail to staffers this morning saying that while the two sides still have substantial differences, "We continue to believe that with hard work, patience and understanding from both sides, they can be overcome."

The Moonves mail is almost identical to a letter Warner Bros. distributed to staffers today. Apparently, members of the AMPTP agreed on the basic structure of the letter. Each conglom then customized the ending.

The full text of Moonves' letter is after the jump.

--Josef Adalian

To:  All Employees

From:  Leslie Moonves

Date:  November 20, 2007

As you may know by now, leaders of the AMPTP and WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26.  Both sides have also agreed that no other details or press statements about the talks will be issued. We think that restraint is important going forward, and will make sensible, productive talks far more likely than those surrounded by the atmosphere we've witnessed the past couple weeks.

The resumption of talks is very welcome news indeed to everyone in our business. We are all, producers and writers alike, looking forward to an end to this strike, and realize that there's no way it can be resolved unless both sides are talking. Sitting down for serious discussions is an important first step in the resolution of our differences.

These differences are substantial, but we continue to believe that with hard work, patience and understanding from both sides, they can be overcome. One crucial fact that has been somewhat overlooked during the strike is that we, the members of the AMPTP, as producers of television programs and motion picture entertainment, have always believed that writers should be compensated when their work is distributed through new media and that they deserve to share in whatever success new technologies create.  In fact, the industry has already paid millions of dollars in residuals for permanent and pay-per-view downloads.  So, while the terms of those payments may be on the table, the basic principle that writers should be compensated in this arena is not. 

During the last bargaining session several weeks ago, the AMPTP companies believe they made significant proposals on several matters of importance to Guild members, including the key issues of Internet streaming and new media jurisdiction. But, there are still many issues that need to be resolved that will take hard work and compromise by both sides.

Suffice it to say that while we are committed to hammering out a fair deal with our WGA members, CBS cannot make an agreement that places our company at a disadvantage or makes it impossible for us to meet our commitments to our many constituencies—other employees, shareholders, advertisers, the producers with whom we work, and the public that these days is constantly redefining the way they experience our programming.

The producing organizations and the writers who are so integral to our business are both facing the same challenge. We live in a new-media world, and all of us must wrestle with the 21st century realities of our business. Going forward, we must work together to craft a new contract that is fair and keeps our business strong.

We believe that a new, fair deal is possible. As an industry, we have done such deals before. We will do them again.

Until then, we remain prepared in every way to keep the CBS Television Network operating at its customary high level of performance. I am very proud of our employees across the company who have responded to this challenging situation with the utmost professionalism, dedication and creativity to keep our programming operations strong in the days ahead.

I will do my best to keep you informed as the situation develops.

And, as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, please keep in your thoughts our many colleagues and friends throughout the community who have been adversely affected by this strike, particularly the production crews at our television series.  It is certainly our hope to have everyone back to work as soon as possible.

Comments

[Melody Watson]

Fingers crossed, it sounds good though. I really hope that everyone can work this out.

Good luck writers!