The strike by the Writers Guild of America continues to drag on, with the writers this week rejecting a new proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that offered $130m in additional compensation to writers.
The sticking point continues to be compensation for online sales and revenue, with the Writers Guild claiming that the new offer of $250 for a year’s reuse of an hour long program streamed on the Web was not enough when compared to the normal $20,000 payment made per year for re-runs of a program.
Further talks between both parties are set to resume this week, but unless one party backs down from its current position the strike will go on over Christmas and into the new year.
The immediate effect of the strike saw a number of topical daily talk shows go off air, including NBC’s Tonight Show and Late Night, CBS’ Late Show and Late, Late Show and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The networks had stockpiled scripted drama and comedy shows prior to the strike, but as the strike drags on these stocks are running out. Viewers in the United States won’t be presented with static, but they will soon be presented with reruns and cheap to produce reality TV shows and gameshows as the networks scramble to fill the gaps.
Younger audiences are already switching off TV, with various surveys indicating that a growing number of viewers prefer the internet over television. Consider that during the last Writers Strike in 1988 television lost roughly 10% of its audience after the strike, and at a time where there was fewer alternatives for entertainment. Today a viewing audience presented with reruns and reality TV has alternatives, and the internet will be the number one alternative; a switch away from TV today could be as big or even bigger than it was in 1988 and would benefit nearly every part of the long tail of online content providers.
Here’s a quick list of TV shows that will go off air in the coming months. Even if the Writers go back to work tomorrow the networks have already started firing staff so it will take time now to re-hire staff resulting in a delay in restarting production.
House (FOX): three episodes left scheduled for January
Samantha Who? (ABC): six episodes left
Family Guy (FOX): mix of new episodes and repeats through January
CSI x 3, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace and Cold Case (CBS): four or less episodes each
Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies and Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): two episodes left
Desperate Housewives (ABC): last episode to be shown Sunday
The Office (NBC): 0
Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two And a Half Men, Rules of Engagement: 0
24 (FOX): postponed indefinitely
See our previous coverage here, here and here.
(image CC via myyearofnewthings on Flickr, list data via AP)
Jay comes on at around 11:30 and it usually under performs. It’s a sugar coated family oriented humor. Now remind me why is this is on techcrunch?
The vimeo ex founder might have gotten it right this time around. A bong hit can open up those back channels.
I personally love the strike. Fortunately there’s no way on online guild could create some sort of a TCP/IP picket line to cross.
It still boggles the mind that writers would have a giant union like this. I can think of few industries where the individual output is more personal and unique. To think they have so little confidence in their actual productive abilities that they can only bargain as a monolith is just sad. Sad for them, their self-esteem, and their families, that is.
Guaranteed, this little break from their work will open a million doors for outsiders and take another few pieces out of Hollywood as a whole, accelerating the marginalization of their entire slow, fear-driven industry.
Probably because its providing a big boost to technology and the internet.
Personally, it caused me to start watching history channel, which seems to have produced a lot of good shows that I didn’t know about before. I will likely stick with History channel for a while even after the other shows return. They have quite a few good shows.
maaaan, F the striking writers – i’m sure there are many, many potential prospects just wanting to take their job, and not be bitchy about it
the only show I miss cause of this strike is the Tonight Show
Hi pay for bad, predictable, stupid writting, sounds lie a good deal!
I wouldn’t mind writing for House
Thank god you won’t be.
^— best exchange I’ve read all day.
i saw that woman at one of the strikes. her baby’s sign read ‘when i learn fractions i’ll be pissed.’
f’ing brilliant.
With the wealth of talent online, I think bloggers should try to capitalize on this strike by going after some of the market share. Bloggers with the resources could create streaming video content and lauch podcasts. Also, the internet delivers on demand and not on a set schedule. It is also cheaper than cable and satellite. I usually know information much faster by being online and I get to pick when and what I want to experience on my own time. TV is really starting to suck anyway. But hey, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Much respect to writers for taking a stand for their beliefs!
Hitler didn’t smoke, support the writers aand not Adolph!
The networks are certainly going to lose viewers when this is over. People are finding a lot of other ways to entertain themselves and some percentage won’t be back.
I miss the Daily Show/Steven Colbert & Jimmy Kimmel. Discovery and History channels do have some good programs. I like that show “Human Weapon” on History. And Man vs. Wild is back on now that Bear Grylls has been rehabilitated and told not to sleep in any hotels when he is supposed to be roughing it outside
this entire thing is rediculous ya fine strike but by god does every show have to start going offair its rediculous, i think the studios should start stockpiling from now on lol
Most shows are run by their creators. By definition, most creators are writers. When the writers go on strike, there is no one left to manage the asylum.
So, yes, if the writers go on strike, most narrative shows will be forced off-air.
I just got my Hulu invite and it’s great! I don’t subscribe to cable TV anymore because of sites like it, where I can get a quick fix of content for zero as opposed to the $85 I was paying for cable.
Albeit, as others do the same ISPs are bound to change to bill by the byte or mirror how we (U.S.) pay for cellular service.
Oh well I enjoy it until then…………
WTF cares about dumbass TV shows.
Want to see what a world of non-union scripted media looks like? Just watch some reality TV–or did you think that stuff is actually real?. Krusty was right; the living really will envy the dead.
P.S. one of the reasons 4 out of 5 middle-class Americans are only one medical emergency away from the poverty line is that they believe the crap the rich feed them about unions. Don’t be fooled about who the bad guys and what the stakes are in this strike.
So tell me again why its FAIR that the studios don’t want to pay the writers the same percentage for online as they do offline? Why do you think the writers are foolish enough to think that their efforts are worth less because its online?
We’re all internet people here. Should we get paid less because our work is on the internet as opposed to be in the traditional media? And I’m talking about proportions here, if online I get 10,000 viewers and offline I get 1 million viewers, and I get, say, 10% offline, why shouldn’t I get the same 10% online too, especially if studios benefit both ways?
Many of the posts here are knee-jerk anti-union without even knowing what the issues of this strike are. Its simply a matter of fairness people. Wake up!
So let’s see. If I design a great looking website that get’s 1,000,000 views each month, should I expect to get royalties instead of just an upfront payment? Or if I wrote a blog article (creatively similar to a script in some cases), should I expect royalties?
I realize this would never happen, but if people were just paid for their time spent (like most of the world’s workers) instead of expecting never ending royalties to get rich on, then eventually the price of an older show could be free. What if the Gaffers went on strike expecting royalties on every show they ever worked on?
You will only catch me by a TV to watch a movie or something really drama filled like House, Lost or Nip/Tuck, even then I’d prefer to watch it online, on demand!
@jeff, don’t be silly. The whole idea of royalties with entertainment talent has been around since forever. For sure we could honesly argue that this should be ended. But that’s the system, and that’s a different conversation.
Fire Duncan!!!!!
Something you may not realize is the collateral damage this strike is causing. http://movies.z...d/the_pitch.mov
Oh the horror!!
lol at fractions comment…
surely they can hire writers who are not in the guild? there must be ton’s of brite writers at university (college)…
So let’s see. If I design a great looking website that get’s 1,000,000 views each month, should I expect to get royalties instead of just an upfront payment?
If you had a union and were willing to strike for it, you just might.
A WGA Writer
Guys Vote For Ron Paul in 2008!
http://www.yout...h?v=FG2PUZoukfA
OMG, crap that people made with their webcams will totally destroy the hell out of people that went to acting school with professional looking sets and storylines.
I was about to say that ‘24′ was the only TV show I watch anymore (and sports). It’s been postponed–ouch!!!!
TV is a mess — they run an episode, then 3 weeks later they rerun the same episode. They switch nights so you never know when a show is on. Once I lose track of a show, I forget about it and never pick it back up.
The writers shouldn’t back down on web royalties because broadcast revenue is going to shrink.
Ha! I AM going to be voting for Mr. Ron Paul! Great video btw!..Who needs hollywood when our entire country is falling apart. Please people lets just get back to the basics!
The writers that support this strike are oblivious of the fact that it’s causing grief and distress for everyone else who works in this industry. But obviously their selfishness has blinded them of the fact that making TV shows and movies is a collaborative effort. Sure if it weren’t for writers we would have no shows, but if it weren’t for cameramen we would have no shows either, or makeup artists, or gaffers, or caterers, or set builders, or painters, etc. You get my point? No one else gets royalties, so why should the writers get MORE royalties? I work in VFX, so this strike is causing my work opportunities to dry up, all thanks to the selfish writers who want more.
Here’s what the rest of us should do when the writers eventually come back from strike: we should all go on strike. So when the writers say “How come you are striking? We are ready now”, it might teach them a lesson that they are not the only people that the world revolves around. That making a show is a team effort, and when one member in that team is being selfish and refuses to budge and be uncooperative, then it makes the rest of us fail.
Stop being selfish, and get back to work. You should be glad you get royalties in the first place. What would happen if the studios turned around and said “fine, no royalties at all”. What are you going to do about it? Strike more? That will be great, strike yourselves into poverty.
Me? I’m going to use this opportunity to finish off my ideas for my short films that will get more attention thanks to you striking writers, due to the fact that there is less content out there. So strike all you want, if you dare, I’ll be making money from it while you are going hungry. That should teach you for dragging down all the rest of us who work in this industry.
Hey Concerned_VFX_Artist, do you know what unions do? They secure health care, retirement and fair wages for their members.
If you’re dumb enough to believe that it’s only about the greedy writers wanting more money, get this — you’re next. The Studios and Networks look at writers like a bunch of monkeys with Powerbooks. How do you think they view you? Like just another tiny little replaceable cog in the big machine. What the writers get will set the standard for the rest of the industry. If they break us, they sure enough are gonna break you. I haven’t been paid in a month, and I don’t expect to see any money for months. I have a wife and a house and a four month old baby girl. Gee, I’m a real selfish asshole, aren’t I? I’m one of those so-called hyphenate writer/producers who could quietly call in my notes to the editors and the studio would quietly pay me — but that would be bullshit, wouldn’t it? So I walk the picket line and stand in solidarity with my fellow writers.
Listen genius, the studios and networks want to re-invent the whole business, and cut costs (ie- your salary) 50% or more. The WGA is taking a stand, saying we want a tiny piece of a very profitable pie. Point your anger where it belongs — at the rich motherf’ers who run this town, not the writers, who work side-by-side as crew members with you every day.
By the way, I’m paying my assistant (who got fired the week we went on strike) out of my own pocket. So you go make your short films, Mr. Auteur, while “I go hungry.” I’ll cut you a nice fat slice of humble pie when this is all over. Douche.
Hey TVwriter, I don’t need a union to negotiate my pay. I do it myself as my work stands out from the rest. I get offers from all over the world to work on projects. I also negotiate all my own benefits. That’s my point, people hide behind these unions because they are too lazy to negotiate themselves. Writers should just do away with the union, and negotiate with the studios themselves. If either party sees the deal as unfavourable, then move on.
And don’t get me wrong, I know exactly how the studios view me, as I do not have delusions of grandeur about my work. But I get the work done anyway without all this complaining. If they ‘break you”, then so be it, but there is nothing they can do to “break me”.
One thing you fail to realise is that what if you get what you are asking for? Do you actually think the studios will eat those costs themselves? If you do, then you are delusional. I have more to fear that writers get more money than if they don’t. Why? Well either the studios will raise the prices on their products to accomodate the increase in the writers payouts, thus selling less to consumers because products are more expensive, or they will take money from other areas of the budget, like VFX, putting a squeeze on my type of work. Money doesn’t come out of thin air, it will come from somewhere, and it certainly won’t be their own pockets. I am not sure you have thought it all the way through.
I also have one more question. Do you actually think that those crew members you work side-by-side with are happy about what you are doing? Let me paint you a picture.
Mr. CrewMember has just been informed that he is out of a job because the writer he works side-by-side with has gone on strike for more money. Months later, the strike is resolved, and Mr. CrewMember is rehired back. Not only is Mr. CrewMember angry about being put out of work, but then he learns that the very people that caused his halt in work just got a payrise. That’s a slap in the face, so don’t expect all of us crew that you work side-by-side with to be sympathetic to your cause when you put us out of work, then gloat in our faces when it’s all over that you got a payrise. How insulting.
I agree with VFX artist. This only helps speed up the TV to internet transition. In the end the quality will be better because the pool is bigger. No more “It’s who you know”.
Ron Paul is the man!
VFX. It’s pretty clear you’re very proud of your talents. With all those offers from all over the world it’s a wonder you have time to blog. Plus, with this world full of offers, why bother with Hollywood? The world’s not on strike, so which is it, are you working or not?
I’m glad you’re in such demand. But if you think there are an infinite number of people who can write and create the TV shows and movies you work on and watch, get this — more guys play in the NBA than do what I do. To those of you who think all it takes to be a writer is a copy of Final Draft and a PC, I suggest you start your screenplay or teleplay or webisode today.
If, as you seem to suggest, Hollywood runs on market-based efficiencies, then the best scripts, or the ones most likely to end up as profitable shows would simply rise through the system and get made. There is no barrier to membership in the WGA. You get somebody to make your script, you’re in.
As far as “hiding behind my union” is concerned, no raise in either minimums or residuals will ever compensate for the months of lost pay I’m incurring now — so this strike is a net loss for me. This difference between us is, I believe in the greater good. I believe in health care and pensions and fair contracts for work produced. Gee, what antiquated 20th century notions, right?
As far as the crew is concerned, some are unhappy, but most get it. And, by the way, they’re still working. We “selfish writers” made sure they had enough scripts to get them to Christmas. And I don’t gloat about what I’m paid, raise or not. I’m good at what I do, and expect to be compensated.
TVwriter, if I may be so bold in saying that your strike actions are nothing but masked greed. If you truly, and I mean truly, single heartedly with all the love for humanity one can muster, believe in health care and pensions and fair contracts for work produced, then it seems that you are pouring your energies into the wrong basket. All of you writers would do more good lobbying the American government with all this energy. That would produce more for you as far as the “greater good” is concerned. Your actions are misguided. There are plenty of working government systems around the world that provide exactly what you are striking for. Complain to your local politicians to set up these systems for the people.
As for myself, I am working, in a part of the world that has no striking writers, but I feel for the multitude of my friends who are being affected, and let me tell you, there are plenty of people out there who are fed up with the striking writers. What will you say to your crew once the work runs out and they are forced out of work because of your strike? Do you honestly believe that they are happy you are causing this to them? I can guarantee that while they may not admit it to you personally, they are scared witless by the prospect of not working because of the actions of the striking writers.
You still haven’t answered my question of where this extra money will come from. It’s all well and good to demand more money, but the basics of economics states that if costs go up, either the prices goes up too, or the quality comes down. What will it be?
Also, another comment I want to bring up is the fact that all unions, and I do mean *all* unions over time become redundant. That like the movie studios, the unions have grown unto such a state of self serving, that they prey upon the weaknesses of their members. Of course the union wants a strike, your union bosses lose NOTHING!!!!!! They are sending you like troops into battle, while they are commanding from their armchair at the back of the field! They want you to go on strike, they want you to believe that the union is as important as they say it is. mean while, they are still rolling in your union fees.
You mentioned yourself that “no raise in either minimums or residuals will ever compensate for the months of lost pay I’m incurring now — so this strike is a net loss for me.” But the union bosses have not gone without. You can bet your baby daughter that they will still receive their money through hell and high water to keep their bloated lifestyles as fat as can be.
Unions are like any other corporation, they only have themselves in their best interests, everyone else, you included, are just tools for them to use. I am glad I am not in a union.
As an exalted “consumer,” I have to tell you fine writers and producers and VFX artists and gaffers and assistants/professional ass-kissers that it’s really quite refreshing to see your industry failing because I basically don’t give a flying fuck about what mindless crap you’d like to churn out for the masses to put a dollar in your pocket.
It seems that we are on the precipice of a great awakening among the jaded consumerites, that maybe our world view can expand a little, out and above the dingy hole of the entertainment industry and it’s manipulative, commercially brutish strong-arm social agenda.
The liberation afforded by the social media paradigm, away from mass media thought control and towards a collectivist, plural and open network of informational fields will bring about a minor renaissance in our modern culture.
We’re not witnessing the failure of an industry, we’re witnessing the evolution of modern society.
So step down. Your idiotic endeavors, however backed by academic degrees and professional experience, are doomed to failure if your intent is to support and side with the throughly fissured media monoliths through this social transformation.
As a personal anecdote; I was an avid television watcher circa y2k – then I got a broadband connection. It took all but a month or so for me to hardly pay attention to the idiot box. I could browse information from any subject, at any time, without interruption or advertisement. I learned 3D modeling and rendering, music theory, accessed a plethora of scientific information; but most importantly and at it’s apex, I found communities to associate and collaborate with that brought me totally out of the mindless mental drone of television programming and invigorated my mind with *personal* agendas, *personal* productions, *individual* associations.
So, here’s a hearty F-U salute to you, moronic employees of the idiot industry. I’m happy to say that you can shove your blue-pill entertainment programming right up your asses.
Farewell in the real world among the rest of us.
Hey Bailing-
You need to mix a girlfriend, (or boyfriend) into that personal agenda of yours. A real, flesh-and-blood live one. Jeez, lighten up.
I have to agree with TVwriter here, how much *personal* productions are you going to continue doing for free while flipping burgers before you think to yourself “I should be getting paid for my *personal* productions that everyone is looking at for free”.
I doubt that your significant other is applauding your choice to give away your talent for free for very long.
Hopefully the strike will be settled by mid of Jan, however there are chances that more crew members like camera man, makeup man will go on strike..
Nice job bailing!!!
I believe the writers were paid for their services and they were happy to take the money for their services. If they wanted to be in an industry with residuals perhaps insurance sales might have been the way to go. Just because their industry yielded to the selfish demands of actors doesnt mean it cant wake up. Realizing the actors got paid for a job too. Yeah lets pay camera crew and gaffers and makeup people more on reruns & internet –better yet pay back the viewers for time lost on all the advertising they are forced to watch on the reruns
You were paid for a job!!!!!
If you want communism move to China (Right they would put up with this crap)
Now let me see here…we have people so stupid that they think any union, any organization of workers, anything that is not furthering the RULING CORPORATE JUGGERNAUT (oh, sorry, polysyllables only confuse and anger the fascist right. oops…) is ‘COMMUNIST’?
my god, no wonder we’ve had eight years of hell under the most moronic, venal, corrupt, and evil ‘president’ in US history. These turds VOTED for him!!!!
Now let me see here…we have people so stupid they generalize to all this any that …speaking of moronic loser
–glad to hear from you tempus
Try sticking to the subject
Being that this site is an internet/media news blog… I would think that the people commenting would be a little more informed regarding the issues surrounding the strike.
First and foremost, a comment in regards to the current “crap” on tv. It’s the same media conglomerates the writers are striking against, that force true creativity into a stale moldy box. Any writer will tell you, whether writing for feature film or the small screen, that’s it’s become a write by committee endeavor. And unfortunately, the “committee,” knows everything about numbers and nothing about spirituality, soul, passion, entertainment. They ask, will that boob job net us more viewers… and guess what, it does.
As the accountants from Wall Street dictate how to run “entertainment,” it becomes less and less about what inspires or informs, and more about the advertising dollar. I’m sorry if most of you do not understand that the WGA fight will become, if hasn’t already, everyones fight.
Our republican politics have de-regulated big media, so much so that no one knows what real news is anymore. Follow what the FCC is doing right now, trying to expand the power and reach of these companies even further, as their pockets are filled by the lobbyists. Have you heard about this on National Nightly News? Of course not, guess who owns it… the same companies that are trying to pass that shit off on the American Public as politics.
Look, everybody needs to wake the fuck up, and stop blaming the writers for the United States of Amnesia. The real tragedy here, is nobody is informed enough to even have an informed opinion. Stop being so self-centered… just because the internet gives you the opportunity to voice an opinion, doesn’t mean you should.
I really miss the daily show. Who knows what important news I do not know? I feel like I’ll never laugh again
Hey Hollywood practice what you preach–this is America and you can voice an opinion–Opinions are like assholes every one has one–to bad you think you are so high and mighty on the knowledge tree that every one else is ignorant–News Flash you are not the only one informed
tvwriter, dont give us that poor me, im not getting paid bullshit. i read the wga contracts. while the writers are on strike, they are still being paid from 50% to 100% of their pay because the of the reruns the networks have to air in the meantime. so, all the writers out there making 12 grand an episode (!) for the hour long shows are still doing fine, and not even working for it. and what loyalty that displays to the fans that appreciate the end results of the writers labor. i hope scabbers replace you all. youve been doing a shit job for the whole last season anyhow.
As much as I agree with what the writers are fighting for, it is sad to see that the strike has gone on too long. For those who would criticize the strike, saying that the writers are being paid and that they are just being greedy, think about a lot of those writers who don’t write for shows like “Heroes” and “Lost” — they are the ones who have to live off of residuals and can really be hurt by not being compensated for shows that go online.
I agree with the writers in the sense that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with (as dealing with Hollywood studios has taught me that they still are not even close to understanding the internet), I would like to see a deal done soon. I don’t do well without “The Office.”