CBS - CBS CHIEF PREDICTS STRIKE WILL END "IN A FEW MONTHS"

CBS chief Les Moonves has suggested that the deadlock in contract talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers may soon be broken. Speaking to a Citigroup conference in Phoenix, Moonves indicated that he is trying to get negotiations between the two sides restarted. He assured the conference, however that the strike is not currently having a negative impact on the network. "We can finish this television season just fine," Moonves said. "The television season ends at the end of May, obviously revenue will be down somewhat because ratings will be down. ... Our revenue will be down somewhat, but the cost of producing original programming will be down more." In any case, he said, he felt "guardedly optimistic that [the strike] will be over in the next few months."

11/01/2008