Yet Another Strike Update: This Time Not So Encouraging
TVGuide.com just published this short statement about the writers’ strike status.
Although statements circulated by producers and writers yesterday reveal that only $20 million separates their contract proposals, we still may be no closer to seeing this strike resolved. How can that be? The issue isn’t the $20 million — producers drop that over lunch — it’s how to assess compensation for ever-changing digital platforms. In any case, talks, such as they are, will resume today. — Ben Katner
If you don’t know what the writers are striking about, here’s a rough description of the issue. Right now, all the actors, producers, and everyone else under the sun gets paid every time a show’s episode gets watched online (because of the revenues from those ads we see during the video) - except for the writers. I’m also pretty sure taht they don’t get compensated the same way the rest do for electronic media such as DVDs. But I say, there wouldn’t be any episodes to show at all if the writers hadn’t written them. They deserve the same sort of compensation for their work as everyone else. Let me tell you as a person who has made a living writing for ** years, writing is not something that just anyone can do with the same flair those writers can. They deserve what they are asking for.
I know that it’s easy to get upset because we don’t get to see new episodes of our favorite shows for a while, but we have to think about the talented people who create them for us. We can be patient while the “powers that be” get the message that writing is valuable to them and should be rewarded just like every other talent involved in show creation.
That’s my two cents. What do you have to say about the strike? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!
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3 opinions for Yet Another Strike Update: This Time Not So Encouraging
Holly
Dec 4, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Actually, I don’t think anyone but the networks makes money off of streaming episodes. They say it’s “promotional” so they don’t have to pay. There are legitimate “promotional” uses…like the two-minute clips at TVGuide or youtube. Full streaming episodes with commercials do not count as “promotional” anymore than on-air re-runs do.
Also, despite the AMPTP’s “internal” email that touted a $130 million deal, the WGA claims to be at a loss to figure out how they came up with that number, since the propsal they received apparently adds up to about $32 million…unless the extra $98 million is in the second part of the proposal that the AMPTP hadn’t given them yet.
I fully support the writers in this. The Companies are trying to screw them over saying the internet is too new or that they don’t make any money off of it after going on and on to their investors about the millions they’ve already made off the internet.
Holly
Dec 4, 2007 at 8:04 pm
I wanted to add this:
There is a fan support site at http://www.fans4writers.com
Some strike captains of the WGA who run a blog at http://www.unitedhollywood.com are helping to organize all the fan support in the Pencils2MediaMoguls campaign. To donate to send a box of pencils to the moguls (sent with the suggestion that they donate them to low-income school children), go to http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2007/11/pencils2mediamoguls.html
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Dec 7, 2007 at 5:55 pm
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