Coach potatoes, brace yourself — dark days are nigh. TV fake-news-hosts, be warned: happy days may be put on hold for a while.

Negotiators representing Hollywood screenwriters have recommended the union go on strike for the first time in two decades, a move that could fill U.S. television screens with reruns and reality shows.

The unanimous recommendation was announced at a meeting of Writers Guild of America members late on Thursday, after three months of talks that deadlocked over royalties for new technology.

A lengthy strike will affect TV programming and movie production, although Hollywood studios have been stockpiling scripts. CBS said yesterday it has new first-run programming ready for substitution.

But two of Viacom’s popular comedy shows, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report,” which rely on fresh writing on current events, could be affected by a strike and the company would have to evaluate what to do with that programming.

Here’s a thought: Will coach potatoes become Laptop Potatoes? With so much video content available on the Internet, from classic TV to global news to edgy original stuff, is Hollywood shooting itself in the foot by bickering, while viewership is waning?

(Los Angeles Times)
(Reuters)
(Hollywood Reporter )

Keep an eye on:

• Disgraced shock jock Don Imus, who was fired by CBS Radio six months ago in an uproar over an on-air racial slur he made, has signed a deal to return to radio on December 3 with a new nationally syndicated morning show. (Reuters)
• Google has signed MySpace on to its OpenSocial platform allowing outside software developers to write programs for social Web sites. The addition of MySpace gives the Google platform greater strength against fast-growing Facebook, which opened up its site to developers in May and has seen its user base grow to more than 48 million people since then. (Reuters )

• After unveiling its long-awaited gaming service at a splashy media event in August, Nokia has postponed the launch due to software testing delays. Meanwhile, Warner Music Group is pulling its songs from Nokia’s music shop. (Reuters ) (WSJ )
• Disgraced shock jock Don Imus, who was fired by CBS Radio six months ago in an uproar over an on-air racial slur he made, has signed a deal to return to radio on December 3 with a new nationally syndicated morning show. (Reuters)

• Time Warner Inc may spin off the remainder of its stake in Time Warner Cable next year. A transaction is not imminent, but a cable spin-off is “likely” in 2008. (New York Post )
• Richard Smith will step down next year as Newsweek’s editor in chief and chief executive. (NYT)

(Photo: Reuters/Presenters Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert celebrate with actor Steve Carell at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 16, 2007)