What happened to the new episodes of of Grey's Anatomy? Or Gossip Girl? The answer is the current Writers Guild of America strike, which has dramatically altered the television and film industries. Since Nov. 5, more than 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) labor unions have been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). AMPTP is a trade organization that represents the interests of almost 400 film and television producers, including GE, Disney, Viacom, News Corp and Time Warner.

Every three years, the Writers Guild creates a new contract with the AMPTP, called the Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). The negotiation of the MBA reached a stalemate last year and the Writers Guild voted to begin a strike on Nov. 5. The key issues that provoked the strike include DVD residuals, union jurisdiction over animation and reality program writers and compensation for "new media," which is content written for emerging digital technology such as the Internet.

A major issue in the strike is DVD residuals, which are payments made to a performer, writer or director each time a recorded television show or commercial has a repeat showing. Currently, writers earn 0.3 percent residual per DVD sold. However, WGA members argue that the profits made from following airings or purchases of a program are a vital part of a writer's income because of the periods of unemployment that are frequent in the writing industry. The WGA proposes an increased residual of 0.6 percent per DVD sold.

Many writers of animation and reality TV writers have been excluded from the MBA and the WGA is lobbying for these writers to be included in the contract. Many producers of reality TV shows, however, argue that the shows are mostly unscripted and require little writing. The WGA disagrees, claiming that reality TV actually contains a great deal of written material. Writers of animated programming are currently prohibited from joining the WGA and are members of a separate union.

According to the WGAW Web site, the writers have been forced into this position by the multinational corporation that own the television studios and networks. The WGAW states that it attempted to negotiate a deal with the AMPTP, but the WGAW Web site states "In response to our efforts, the companies offered rollbacks affecting every gain writers have made since 1960 and proposed a restructuring of the industry that would end our ability to support ourselves and our families."

The writers' strike has had an enormous effect on television shows, award ceremonies and the economy. The Golden Globe Award terminated filming and resorted to posting the results online. Most primetime shows have been discontinued and reality TV shows have greatly increased airtime. "The writers' strike has made reality TV much more visible on television and it proves that reality TV can hold up a TV network," reality TV assistant writer Jason Cooper said.

Also, the WGA refused to issue waivers for the Golden Globes and Oscars ceremonies, which greatly transformed the normally televised spectacle of the Golden Globes. The writers' strike has caused much unemployment in the TV and film industries. "Many people have been affected by the writer strike, many writers have been laid off and many people working for writers have also been laid off," Cooper said. As of now, the time it will take for the writers' strike to end is uncertain.