The Writers Strike

For a week now the Writers Guild of America has been on strike. It is, of course, pretty big news. The automatic question for America whenever any large group goes on strike is "How does this effect me?"

The answer for this one is the same with every other strike..."It depends." Depends on how much TV you watch and on how well prepared your favorite TV Show was.

For me, this is an interesting situation. As an aspiring filmmaker, media studier, and all around motion picture entertainment connoisseur, this strike is of particular interest and significance to me. It may be of more interest to me than to most people. Although, it may actually effect me less than it would most people. Generally, I don't watch that much new television. This year even less than usual. So when shows are going into reruns or being pushed into hiatus, it doesn't really make too much of a difference in my life. I do enjoy good television shows, but I don't do well trying to keep up during the year. So I often watch tv shows later. Sometimes on DVD in the Summer. Sometimes on On Demand through cable. Sometimes during the season on iTunes.

Which leads us to the point of this particular strike. It seems that the writers of all these programs aren't getting paid for their work being shown on these new media formats.

I don't care much for strikes. No kidding, right? But when they come up, I tend to think there is no excuse to not get these things fixed before it comes to that. In most cases, I don't know who is right or wrong, but get it fixed before we have to cancel the World Series or before I have to walk from Sherman Oaks to Hollywood.

In this case, however, I can really come down on the side of the strikers. Obviously as someone with an above average appreciation for the rights of artists, it makes sense. But even beyond that, this one seems a bit of a no-brainer.

The writers want to get paid when the material that they created gets played on the internet and on cellphones and other such new media outlets. The Networks/Studios are saying 2 things.

1. That its too early to tell just how much money they are making off these new outlets. So they won't pay the writers anything while they are waiting.

2. They also have said that most of the Internet distribution is a "form of promotion" for the show, essentially a commercial, and therefore they shouldn't have to pay the writers anything.


I don't know a lot about labor agreements, but I know BS when I smell it. There are a few simple truths in this world and here is one of them. You can't tell a story without a story. And that is becoming very very obvious to the bigwigs right about now.

-T