The pundits wondering whether the writer strike might send viewers to the Web for their entertainment, perhaps for good, are getting some help from striking writers.

David Letterman scribes have launched this site LateShowWritersOnStrike.com. I am literally holding my sides as I write this over the posting by Joe Grossman under the heading "Things I Regret Purchasing Right Before the Strike." Below it is what appears to be a refund receipt from K-mart with a big red circle around the "$334,457,811.49 Airbus A380 Prvt Jet." The reason for the return: "Wrong size or color."

Then there's BILL SCHEFT'S STRIKE-RELATED DAVE-TYPE MONOLOGUE JOKE OF THE DAY:

"A strike is also known as a work stoppage or a job action. Wait a minute. A job action. Isn't that what got President Clinton impeached?"

The Daily Show writers have also launched a site, http://strikenotes.blogspot.com/.

There may not be as much laughter on the other side of the picket lines, where some wonder if a protracted strike could actually hasten the flight of viewers to access content on other media. And the irony, of course, is that compensation for that new-media content is what the strike is mostly about.

By John Eggerton

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