Hollywood writers are on strike until a new deal with television producers is reached.
Pens are down, swords are drawn. Okay, maybe there aren’t any swords involved, but writers and producers are battling it out. On strike since Nov. 5, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) refuses to deliver their scripts until the producers face reality. Just not reality TV, please.
After sweeps the repeats may continue on into the New Year for shows like “The Tonight Show,” “CSI” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Late night television was hit hardest first, forced to air repeats since the strike started. Most other primetime and cable shows will run out of new episodes by January. Those early December cliffhangers might just leave audiences hanging longer.
But why now? Some say strike while the iron is hot. It must have been on fire when the WGA members’ contracts ended Oct. 31. and the strike was announced only a few days later. What they’re looking for is more financial compensation for their work. Or maybe they’ve just taken a nod from the French where strikes are “très populaires.”
With the growth and success of television on the Internet, the writers want residuals. Whether you watch your favorite show off of iTunes or streaming elsewhere, writers want compensation for those episodes. Right now they aren’t receiving anything for their shows viewed online.
It is a two-sided deal. Producers and media CEO’s have to look out for their companies too. According to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) the WGA has received at least $1 billion in residuals over the past 10 years. Residuals from syndication, reruns and DVD sales — but not from the Internet.
Both sides are arguing different positions, name-calling and telling conflicting stories. AMPTP claims writers want a 700 percent increase for one-time Internet downloads and a 200 percent increase for Internet “pay per view” downloads. In their ongoing talks, AMPTP is willing to give writers a percentage from Internet sales but less than the scribes’ request. AMPTP claims the writers are greedy and WGA claims the opposite.
What the writers want is 2.5 cents per dollar in residuals from Internet downloads and streaming. They say that the media companies only want to give them a third-of-a-penny-per-dollar earned from Internet downloads and nothing for streaming. Sounds like the battle lines will be held up for a while longer. Though talks resumed on Nov. 26, no one really knows when the end is near.
Whether the end was yesterday or sometime next year, this fight can be felt here in Clemson as well. Audiences of popular shows like “The Office” feel the wounds of the writers’ war.
“It saddens me that The Office is suspended because of the writers’ strike,” said Allison Franke, a Clemson University student and TV enthusiast. “The writers are amazing and need to be fairly compensated. The longer the strike continues, the more shows that we watch will be affected.”
The writers’ battle turned into a full fledged campaign with the launch of numerous Web sites, videos and other media tactics aimed at overwhelming producers into a deal. Even celebrities have joined the army. From Sarah Silverman to Garth Brooks, even presidential candidate John Edwards picked up a megaphone. The picket lines are filling up with supporters.
Maybe all of this fighting will be fuel for the fire on certain sitcoms. All the animosity and energies built up from the strike might release themselves into the lives of our favorite characters and late night hosts. Remember that episode when the nurses went on strike at Seattle Grace? Maybe on “The Office” Michael and Dwight will decide to go on strike next season. A picket line between the cubicles could be entertaining.
