Students may soon find their favorite programs are not coming out with new episodes because of a television, film and theater writers’ strike.

According to Tom Wallis, film lecturer, the Writers Guild of America strike stems from money issues.

“The strike revolves around the question of how much writers should be compensated for DVD sales and materials that circulate on the Web,” he said. “Currently, writers receive 4 cents for every DVD that’s sold, and they are demanding 8 cents per DVD.”

There is more to the strike than just DVDs, however, according to Wallis.

“As of now, writers are not compensated when their work appears on the Web,” he said. “Studios argue that there’s no formula for calculating the profits generated by online material.”

As a result, picket lines and protests are stopping the writing processes of any new shows, he said.

The strike is currently affecting late night television shows, which are written daily.

Soon, more programs will run out of new episodes, Wallis said.

The strike is not the first in the film industry.

In 1988, a similar a writers’ strike also occurred.

According to Wallis, after that strike, people turned to other forms of entertainment.

“According to industry analysts, after the 1988 writers’ strike, which lasted 22 weeks, the television audience shrank by nine percent even after the new shows returned,” he said.

However, Wallis said this may not be the case for this strike.

“Of course, now that we’re in the age of satellite television, and based on my own experience, I’d say that as long as there are reruns of Law and Order SVU on the USA network, viewers will tune in.”

Steven Cash, a senior in psychology, said he heard about the strike on the Internet, and said that Scrubs was the show he hated most to see leaving for a while.

“I’m a little annoyed [that Scrubs is going to reruns], but I’ll probably watch it anyway,” he said.

Joe Miller, a sophomore in math, said he found an alternative.

According to Miller, he would just watch his DVDs of TV shows when the reruns began.

“I’m not particularly annoyed because most of the shows I watch are on DVD,” Miller said.

Miller said he thought the strike would not be a problem for long.

“Most of the shows I watch have about a month of shows left, but I’m confident that the strike will be resolved by then,” he said.

Students studying film are particularly concerned with the issue of the strike.

Joseph Briscar, a freshman in film, said the issue of the strike has been coming up frequently in his classes.

“It’s not necessarily going to change the classes, but people will be made aware [of it],” he said.

Briscar said he thought the strike was good idea.

“It will revive the film community,” he said. “It will help motivate writers.”

Briscar said he misses Daily Show but sees the benefits of the strike.

“In a sense, I support what [the strikers] are trying to achieve as a film student, but I want to see the new shows too,” he said.

Megan Blanchard, a senior in film, said the writers are demanding more pay for good reason.

“Though it is unfortunate for viewers of some really great TV shows, the strike will help writers be properly compensated for their creative input,” she said.

Blanchard also said she thinks the “strike is a step for making sure that producers and America realize the input that writers give to television and film.”