Regardless of the writer’s strike most of the late night talk show hosts will be returning to the air in early January, however, David Letterman will have one thing the rest won’t – writers. The host of Late Night has negotiated a separate contract with the Writer’s Guild of America via his production company Worldwide Pants. Letterman has been off the air since November 5, but will return to broadcasting on January 2. The new contract negotiated between the Guild and Worldwide Pants offers provisions that will pay writers for work distributed via emerging media distribution technologies such as the Internet. That provision has been the major sticking point for guild negotiators and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will also be returning to the air on January 2 and John Stewart and Steven Colbert will follow on January 7. Unless the strike deadlock is broken all four hosts will be returning sans writers.