The writer's strike has reached its sixth week. I will be honest, I don't think its really had much the impact so far aside from screwing lots of people who are not on strike out of jobs. I mean as far as the public giving a damn about it.
Aside from myself, and people I know who take an interest in the enterainment business, people are either unware or apathetic about a strike at all. I talked to some co-workers about it recently. Another person after I told him that Leno, Letterman and Conan were in reruns for a month, brought up that he thought late night tv was dead anyway. He said as long as The DAily Show and Colbert report were still new, he hadn't even noticed the shows had gone dark for over a month. To be honest, my concern about the strike would be down about 2 or 3 notches if it wasn't about to ruin the final Season (and many ways the series) of SCrubs.
Very few network shows have any new scripts left before the strike, so many shows have shut down production. THe shows that do have episodes left were intended as shows like 24 or Lost that start mid-season anyway. But the problem is they have only a few. I had heard 24's upcoming season was so bad they had to rewrite it. Lost will only have 8 shows. Aside from a few other mid-season replacements, come 2008, it will be reruns and reality.
After two weeks of talking, talks broke off last friday bettween studios and writers. During thanksgiving weekend the writers took off and didnt picket, and studio big wigs arent used to working during the holidays. So, I figure that we might be looking at the 2nd week of January before the two sides even go back to talking about anything.
The writers are taking a stand, but sadly they are screwing lots of people who will never benefit from the strike during the holiday season. Makeup people, camera crews, wardrobe people, and various others are all losing their jobs.
The crappy thing is, people love reality tv, and will eat up many of the new shows launching after the holidays. Which means if the strike is ever settled many of the shows will be canned anyway to make room for the new over night reality show hits. Leaving some writers with no job to return to.
Not sure if its the fact that there are still a few new shows of popular programs left or if people are distracted with their own problems right now. But its been 6 weeks, and for the most part America aside from Hollywierd has moved on with their lives. We live in a society where we entertain each other anyway with MYSPACE and YOUTUBE. Maybe we are not on the edge of a new media but different pop-culture all together. Recent studies have shown that pretty much all of the young europeans prefer the Internet to TV anyway.
One wonders if people will make time again to see what Republican is getting slammed on REal Time, too see Leno's headlines, or spend time with the zany office workers. Bettween when now and when the strike gets settled is plenty of time for people to pick up new routines to get them their their mundane work weeks.
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6 comments:
First off the media outlets are screwing over the writers not the writers screwing over us. Go read that site that your beloved HIMYM writers refer too.
And your friend really is not payoing attention to the shows he watches either, The Daily Show and Colbert Report have been in reruns since this began as well.
I mentioned that my friend "hadnt noticed the shows had gone dark for a month"
Of course fans are getting screwed, we are the reason these guys have jobs in the first place.
Many, many people are getting screwed that will NEVER benefit from whoever wins. IT would have been nice if they went on strike in Feburary instead and now. If I were a writer id watch for a falling boom mikes when I return to work. From the guy who lost his house, and missed months of paychecks as vicitim of their cause.
I also read the writers, wanted the writers (!?!) of reality tv show to join the union. That really ticked the studio off.
There was a media blackout during the talks so its hard to say what was said back and forth. But, it is starting too appear to me more than just paying on DVD etc.
All everyone talks about is reality shows. I Love NEw York, and some other shows I never even heard of are all that is talked about in my office. Granted, Im not saying my office is the best study group. BUt, I have noticed when I bring up the writers strike to basically anyone, they don't care. Usually the topic shifts reality shows again.
The writers are right (unless more comes out that they are hiding from us. AFter all 95 percent of the information out there comes from the writers union)but I simply don't think it will work.
If it wasn't for the movies being shut down, than the studios would not have even batted an eye yet. "24" can easily be replaced by Farmer Needs a Wife.
The biggest shows by far are American Idol, and DAncing with the Stars. Network scripted tv writers might soon realize their value (not to me of course I hate rality tv) isn't what they thought it was when all these new reality shows become mega-hits.
I doubt we will the two sides meet again till next year. Too much trash talking going on right now.
Its the sixth week now, and aside from all the production crews that have lost their jobs, and TV junkies like me, no one cares if the writers get paid over and over again for their work or not.
It amazes me how people who should know better, and also Keith, reflexively side with corporate interests in any and all labor disputes, no matter what the circumstances. I suppose I'm no better, since I reflexively support the little guys, but I have yet to see a strike where the little guys were in the wrong.
This one is no different. Networks are making shitloads of money by selling their shows online, and the writers don't get dick. That's just wrong. The writers have already given up too many of their own demands, but it's still not enough.
I've seen a few high profile strikes go down since I started to take an interest. Some of them are tough, like the NHL lockout, where you had to balance the reasonable demands of the players against the genuinely precarious financial position of the league. This one is not tough. There's right, and there's wrong, and it's not hard to see which is which.
Blaming the writers for this is wrong. Period.
I am not blamming the writers, but a lot of people who are out of jobs are. It would have been nice for them to wait till Feburary and hit the sweeps than instead.
There is no way either side is going to want to talk during the holidays. So that adds on 4 or 5 weeks to this.
My main point is I dont think the strike is really working. Most people dont care.
If people on the streets were asked the biggest TV moments of this year. It would all be about dancing with the star and American Idol...I hate those shows but its the truth.
Of all the top rated shows this year, all the shows for the most part were in their 5th season.
When the strike ends, less writers will have jobs,or the chance for jobs next season. Thats the bottom line.
Keith, the strike is over a contract negotiation. The strike happened when it did because the old contract expired before the new contract had been agreed upon. The timing was not the fault of the writers.
You say "No one cares if the writers get paid over and over for their work or not." First of all, you're just wrong. Lots of people care, and the people who do care support the writers. Millions of pencils have been sent to the networks as a symbolic show of support by TV fans for the writers whose work they enjoy. But more important than that, you're overlooking the fact that the writers are only asking for a tiny sliver of what the networks already get.
The networks get paid over and over again. When they air a program, they sell ads. When they air a rerun, they sell ads. When they put it on the internet, they sell ads. All the writers are saying is that whenever the networks make money on a product, the writer should get a tiny piece of that money.
Why is it so ridiculous that the writers should get paid over and over again for writing scripts that make the networks money over and over again?
Of course the writers deserve what they are asking for.
But, honestly aside from nerds like us that read about such stuff. Does anyone notice or care? I bet if you started talking to the person next to you on the Patco, about the writers strike they would look at that you are a space alien. People either, havent noticed, or say they could care less.
I thought the contract expired awhile back and they were working with not contract. I could have sworn that the contract expired in the summer sometime.
It is far from over, because the actors will very likely go on strike this summer, and the directors might too. Even if the writers strike is solved.
AGain, I am on the writers side (not that,that means anything to them), but there are a lot of people that are being hurt by a strike.
The number #1 network if FOX, because of all the reality. I fear the networks will think they don't really need writers all that much anymore or scripted tv when these reality shows are all big hits.
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