CORRECTED: U.S. TV hosts to return despite strike

Leno and O’Brien had resisted pressure from NBC to resume production even as ratings for reruns of their shows plunged. But earlier this month negotiations to end the strike collapsed amid harsh rhetoric and finger-pointing from both sides.

"Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further negotiations scheduled, I feel it’s my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing staff, which were laid off, back to work," Leno said in a statement.

O’Brien said he, too, was acting for the good of his 80 non-writing employees, and acknowledged that his show "will not be as good" without his writing staff.

SUPPORTED BY WGA

Leno, who replaced Johnny Carson as "Tonight Show" host in 1992, and O’Brien, who is slated to take Leno’s place on the No. 1 U.S. late-night show in 2009, both are WGA members, and both said they continue to support the union and its cause.

The WGA expressed sympathy for Leno and O’Brien, accusing NBC in its own statement of "forcing" the two hosts back on the air without writers.

"Jay and Conan have been supportive of us from the beginning, and we understand the pressure they’re under from NBC," said WGA spokesman Jeff Hermanson.

Leno also faces stiff competition from his long-time rival, CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman, who is expected to return soon with his writing staff intact.

Letterman, who owns his show, is negotiating an "interim agreement" with the WGA to allow his program to resume taping.

Some experts suggested that the return of late-night TV hosts, whose sidelined shows were major symbols of the union’s clout, might actually be good for Writers Guild.

"I think when they go back on the air, they’re going to be tweaking the noses of their corporate bosses over the strike," said lawyer Jonathan Handel, a former WGA co-counsel.

Leno and O’Brien’s producers acknowledged during a conference call with reporters that both shows, which usually feature a heavy dose of topical jokes and comedy bits, will be forced to get by with less scripted material, perhaps devoting more time to interviews and musical guests.

"It’s going to be hard. We have 12 writers here normally," "Late Night" executive producer Jeff Ross said.

Writers Guild spokeswoman Sherry Goldman said O’Brien and Leno would be violating strike rules if they wrote monologues or other material normally handled by their writing staffs.

"They don’t write their own comedy. They can’t start now. That is struck work," she said.

Another potential hitch for both shows is the reluctance of some celebrities to cross picket lines in order to appear as guests during the strike. But as the walkout drags on "it does seems like people are warming to the idea," said ’Tonight Show’ executive producer Debbie Vickers.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Alan Elsner)