A Sea Of Red

Excerpt:

Fox, the first to announce revisions to its prime-time schedule because of the strike, said it would indefinitely postpone the start of the seventh season of “24,” which had been scheduled for January, to ensure an uninterrupted 24-episode season.

Original episodes of NBC’s half-hour comedy “The Office” will stop broadcasting after the Nov. 15 show. Other television programs, including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on NBC, were wrapping up production yesterday as producers ran out of fresh scripts. And the cast and crew of “Desperate Housewives” on ABC were expected to stop filming by tomorrow, a studio spokeswoman said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/busin ... nted=print

I heard this on the radio this morning and I have to say as an avid tv watcher I am very scared as to what may happen to my daily tv viewing habits. This could be bad!!!

mechildress wrote:I heard this on the radio this morning and I have to say as an avid tv watcher I am very scared as to what may happen to my daily tv viewing habits. This could be bad!!!

You might have to join an internet message board or something.

Oh no, that would be really bad

I found this article on TV Guide online about the writers strike. For those of you who are avid TV watchers like me here is what I found.

There seems to be little doubt that the writers' strike will result in a shorter TV season, but just how short are we talking? Well, as you might've guessed, it varies from show to show.

Here is the link for a detailed list of remaining episodes. http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry ... /800026937

I'm not much on unions, but if I was a member of the Writer's Guild, I think I'd be striking too. They'd be getting screwed if they didn't.

If I were a studio I'd fire them and hire replacements.

Those guys make pretty good change for creating a rapidly degrading quality of entertainment. If it weren't for so many big actors also being writers, these guys could all be out of a job, permanantly.

ALUmnus wrote:Those guys make pretty good change for creating a rapidly degrading quality of entertainment.

And, yet, people keep watching it. Demand, meet Supply.

Cable TV says otherwise.

RagingTireFire wrote:And, yet, people keep watching it. Demand, meet Supply.

Actually the numbers continue to erode at an alarming rate. Network television has major issues with justifying returns on their expenditures.

Sly Fox wrote:

RagingTireFire wrote:And, yet, people keep watching it. Demand, meet Supply.

Actually the numbers continue to erode at an alarming rate. Network television has major issues with justifying returns on their expenditures.

Those numbers are still in the millions and, in this case, the issue isn't about return on the networks' expenditure. It's about the insane profit margins the production companies are making off of the back end.

Incidentally, the writers for cable shows are on strike, too.

LUconn wrote:If I were a studio I'd fire them and hire replacements.

I thought the same thing until I found out that the studios have a contract with the writer's guild and must use the writers from the guild.....stupid for the studios but very smart for the writer's guild

ALUmnus wrote:Those guys make pretty good change for creating a rapidly degrading quality of entertainment. If it weren't for so many big actors also being writers, these guys could all be out of a job, permanantly.

Do you understand what the strike is over?

More condescention. Strike about money. Writers makes lots money, even though suck. Point of mine post.

ALUmnus wrote:More condescention. Strike about money. Writers makes lots money, even though suck. Point of mine post.

Yep. That's just it. Money. They just want more money. It's that simple.

Whatever. I'm not even going to bother. I was asking you genuinely, not condescendingly but you're ill-informed so it's not worth the hassle.

ALUmnus' take on the strike:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9-FZK5K8J-s

I don't have a link so therefore many people will not take me seriously...but I was watching a report on tv and the average producer makes 20 million a year, the average writer makes 100,000....yes a lot of the actors are writers, but not most...most writers are just writers and if the producers and others are making more money off the online stuff then so should the writers and I am behind the writers...I am not a huge tv fan, but they are being screwed over and there is nothing wrong with getting what is yours...without writers the producers and/or networks would make no money so they should be considered when money is concerned.....

Although I agree with the principle behind the strike, this thing basically screws everyone except the writers who already have plenty of money. These are the writers who stand to gain significantly from any residuals they would receive from DVD sales and online downloads.

One writer recently expressed his frustration on a message board:

I will never look on this union as an asset to me. You wouldn’t let me join when I hadn’t sold anything. Then I sell something and you’re calling me and mailing me like a telemarketer that I better send in my dues and join the union quick. Then I join, give you a lot of money and now you put me out of work and you don’t tell me why. You don’t think for a minute how this is ruining my life and the life of all the new writers out there who were on the path to successful careers.

Settle this thing quick. My family needs to know that I’m not an idiot pursuing this career like I have all my life. I finally get my big break, get to do what I want full time and now I look the idiot telling everyone, “well I can’t really sell anything right now”.

I for one hate the idea of a small group of people manipulating the many just because they can. In other settings, this sort of behavior would be considered criminal, and those people would be arrested and tried. I find it flummoxing that this strike doesn't breach any sort of contract for the season-in-progress. Why didn't these guys just wait until June when the actors and directors are supposed to strike?

two reasons, their contract ran out last week and when else would they have more leverage???

mrmacphisto wrote:...this thing basically screws everyone except the writers who already have plenty of money.

Said in my best Dwight Schrute voice: False.

Writers who are currently working on a successful show make an average income for the area they live in. By far, the majority of the members of the Writer's Guild are not currently working on a successful show. If they're lucky, they've worked on one in the past which is why residuals are so important. That money provides them with compensation for the sale of their work. Residuals have always been a part of their deal and I don't agree that just because the format is changing they should stop getting them. It makes no sense at all. The only people getting rich on a television show roster are the Producers, Directors and Actors.

I do understand that there are people like grips, cameramen, makeup, etc. that get screwed by the writers going on strike, but that's not a good enough reason for the writers to let the TV execs screw them.

yep, nothing about money in that post.

The other part not mentioned is that around 50% of the writers in the Guild are unemployed at any give time. Even writers for successful shows do not write every episode. There are multiple writers, so they are not working all the time. They are requiring on residuals from older episodes to pay their bills.

I heard that they are asking for .08 on every DVD sold. They were previously getting .04.

The other part is they are looking at getting something for what is broadcast on the internet, itunes etc. Currently they receive nothing from these mediums. The executives say that they should not make money from shows on their websites because they are used for "promotional purposes"...even though the execs are making all kinds of money off the ads that you watch when you watch a show online.

Their other concern regarding online, is they feel in 5 years, all TV will be shown through the internet, so if they do not take care of this now, they will be screwed in the future.

From what I hear, it does not look like the two sides are even close.

thepostman wrote:two reasons, their contract ran out last week and when else would they have more leverage???

I'm not talking about the WGA contract; I'm talking about contracts between the writers and the studio or network for the show whose season is currently in progress. Do they work without signing a seasonal contract?

They could just as easily say that they're cancelling next season. Again, this is manipulation of the worst kind. Everybody is getting screwed here except for the successful, established writers with money. They do exist.

I'm not saying the writers are completely to blame for the situation; the industry had this coming for years and did nothing. I think both parties are responsible.

oh i agree...both parties are to blame here....i don't watch a lot of tv anyways...i watch like 3 shows...so its not THAT big of a deal to me....if anything it kind of says a lot about america where people are downright angry that their is no new episodes of their favorite shows....