WGA, AMPTP talks break down

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Talks between the striking Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down in Los Angeles Friday.

Each side blames the other for the halt in negotiations to end a strike that started Nov. 5 and which is hobbling the entertainment industry.

WGA Negotiating Committee chair John F. Bowman said in a statement on behalf of the guild that the AMPTP rejected the WGA's proposal on Internet streaming and said the producers still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads.

"They refuse to cover original material made for new media. This offer was accompanied by an ultimatum: the AMPTP demands we give up several of our proposals, including Fair Market Value (our protection against vertical integration and self-dealing), animation, reality, and, most crucially, any proposal that uses distributor's gross as a basis for residuals. This would require us to concede most of our Internet proposal as a pre-condition for continued bargaining," Bowman said.

He added that the WGA rejects the idea of an ultimatum and is committed to continuing talks.

"We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we're here, ready to make a fair deal," Bowman said.

A statement posted on the AMPTP Web site paints a different picture.

"Quite frankly, we're puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to this strike," the statement said.

The AMPTP said TV networks and movie studios believe their New Economic Partnership proposal, which would increase the average working writer's salary to more than $230,000 a year, "makes it possible to find common ground."

"And we have proved over the last five months that we want writers to participate in producers' revenues, including in theatrical and television streaming, as well as other areas of new media. However, under no circumstances will we knowingly participate in the destruction of this business," the statement said. "Instead of negotiating, the WGA organizers have made unreasonable demands that are roadblocks to real progress."