GoldbergBlog

WGA Strikewatch

I’ve been reluctant to post about the writers strike not because I disagree with their cause (on the contrary; I wholeheartedly support it), but because I feel that my five readers wouldn’t care not because they’re indifferent to the situation, but because that’s just not their beat. It may affect their favorite shows, but right now they can’t really see the effects in their day-to-day lives. And if there’s no new television, I know that my friends (the only ones who read this self-indulgent thought-manifest) are eclectic and worldly enough to find other ways to spend their time. They’ll miss their shows but they won’t be lost without Lost.

But because I care, I’m going to provide periodic updates on the strike. And before I go any further, I want to show you this video that breaks down the issues behind the strike without any of the mind-bending complexities of legalese and accounting. It’s well written, as it should be.

After seeing this, some of you may say, “Well that’s awfully one-sided,” Well you’re not wrong. But the other side is one of flimsy reasoning. The studios are arguing that times are tight and so they can’t give the 4% increase on DVD sales. They studios also argue that because Internet technology is so new, it’s impossible to know how much revenue new media can yield. Neither is a particularly persuasive argument.

Now some have responded that this is a matter of greed on the part of the writers. Successful writers make a lot of money for doing something that they love and asking any more than that is unacceptable.

1) Yes, there are super successful writers. But they represent a small fraction of WGA membership. And even taking a moment to ignore all the unemployed writers, most successful writers, and by that I mean writers who have steady work on a popular show (and it’s really the TV writers we’re talking about right now because it’s doubtful that we’ll get to Summer 2008 and the writers will still be on strike and we’ll never seen any new movies from 2009 up until the situation is resolved). These writers can still be categorized as middle-class to upper-middle class. Remember that they have to work in and around Los Angeles and New York City to make their shows and neither is a cheap place to live. While their income may afford them a higher standard of living in a smaller city, they couldn’t do the job that provides them the income in the first place.

2) If we’re going to start leveling charges of “greed” then how can we ignore the studio heads. If any of the studio heads (and let’s name names: Anne Sweeney of ABC, Kevin Reilly of Fox, Bruce Rosenblum of Warner Bros, Phillipe Dauman of Viacom, Les Moonves of CBS, and Jeff Zucker of NBC) made what the richest of the screenwriters made, they’d kill themselves. Compared to what these guys make and will continue to make, what the writers are asking for is a pittance.

What finally provided the tipping point for me in writing up a post on the strike is a story in the New York Times, reporting that Fox and CBS will be bringing legal action against various show runners for breach of contract. This is the equivalent of shitting in an open wound and thinking it will heal when it will actually just create instant pus. It’s this antagonist strong-arming that created the strike in the first place and legal action isn’t going to get anyone to cave.

There is a downside to the strike and it’s far worse than no new episodes of The Office. Everyone else on every other show is pretty much getting laid off. So the strike is having a ripple effect on pretty much every working crew member in television. This is just creating an inevitable but still regrettable amount of animosity. The only question is where that hate is gonna be directed. It need to go to the studios, not just because they’re in the wrong, but because Hollywood is a union town and today it’s the writers fighting for their fair share but tomorrow it may be the cinematographers and the day after that it may be hair and make-up. The writers are a guild whose power is only surpassed by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild. If the studios break the writers strike, then they’ve effectively broke every potential strike of any weaker union.

As more noteworthy developments occur, I’ll be sure to post about them. In the meantime, if you want to stay up-to-the-minute with the strike, then check out Nikke Finke’s blog, Deadline Hollywood Daily. While her blog tends to suck when covering Hollywood when it’s business-as-usual, her coverage of the writers’ strike is second-to-none. You can also stay informed on the strike’s official blog, United Hollywood.

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