Although the writers’ strike is entering its fifth week, some students are finding that little has changed in terms of their viewing habits.

Alex Bean, a freshman biological sciences major, said he watches very little television to begin with.

“I watch ‘South Park’ and ‘The Office’ regularly, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone [creators of ‘South Park’] don’t seem to be in on the strike,” Bean said, noting that Comedy Central continues to air new episodes.

Communication instructor Laura Vazquez said she was in Los Angeles attending the Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences Foundation faculty seminar when the strike began. Vazquez said she had the opportunity to speak with several writers.

“One of the concerns was that they were not receiving enough residuals for their shows that stream on the Internet,” Vazquez said. Residuals, she said, are how much writers receive when an episode re-airs.

“The central issue here is how anyone is paid on the Internet,” Vazquez said, noting that many individuals in different sections of the entertainment industry are in the same bind.

“The writers strike is an early indicator of discussion that is still going to happen,” she said. “This issue came up over and over again.”

Vazquez said viewers can expect to see a lot more reality TV-type programming in the next couple of months, but she could not speculate as to when the strike could cease.

“They [the writers] anticipated a very long strike,” Vazquez said.

A prolonged strike that lasts for several months could have a serious effect on the L.A. economy, and TV in general.

Already, several programs have had to shut down production before finishing their series, according to the Los Angeles Times. NBC’s “The Office” is listed as having filmed only 10 of 30 episodes, while ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” is listed with 11 of 22 episodes completed.

The writers strike is also affecting late-night talk shows. Since the first day of the strike on Nov. 5, all airings of programs such as NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” have been reruns.

Carri Wostratzky, a junior media studies major, also said her viewing habits haven’t changed despite many networks currently airing reruns.

“I think viewers should still watch the shows so nothing screws up in terms of ratings,” Wostratzky said.

Vazquez echoed similar sentiments, posing the question, “Will the audience come back?” if the strike is prolonged.

Despite the reruns, Bean and Wostratzky said they supported the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTA).

Freshman undecided major Nick Barich, on the other hand, said that negotiations were useless.

“I hate it. I honestly think they should fire them and hire new writers,” Barich said. “All you need is creativity to write. I’ve flushed more creativity down the toilet than these people have written.”

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that AMPTA was willing to offer $130 million in extra pay, but the WGA said this amount would cover only advertised-shows that stream on the Internet for free.