Here is a quick run down of where the WGA writer’s strike stands at the present:
WHO: As In Who Are The Key Players
WGA - The Writer’s Guild of America: The Union that represents writers for both television shows and movies
VS.
AMPTP – Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers: The big production companies and studios that fund television and movie productions.
WHAT: As In What Is The Strike REALLY About
The real battle here is over a collective bargaining agreement. The old agreement expired last year and the two sides have not been able to come to terms on several key issues which led to the WGA strike.
The main issue revolves around money earned from new media formats. The writer’s get very little if any money from internet distribution, online viewing and purchasing from sites like iTunes, and on-demand viewing of shows.
Other issues include DVD residuals, meaning the writers see very little if any money when television box sets or dvd movies are sold in stores. When the last agreement was struck DVD’s were still a small industry trade and some insiders felt like they would never be a huge money making endeavor, however today DVDs are the main money making tool for studios. In April of 2004, the New York Times reported the companies made $4.8 billion in home video sales versus $1.78 billion at the box office between January and March. That’s a lot of loot and the writer’s are getting about 0.3% of it.
Two other major issues are animation and reality television. The union wants to have jurisdiction over those genres.
WHEN: As in When Did It Begin and When Will It End
The strike began November 5, 2007. Most casual viewers of television likely didn’t notice the strike was even going on until their shows began to end prematurely leaving many cliffhangers and storylines in doubt.
The WGA and AMPTP sat down shortly after the strike began, but talks fell apart. Now eleven weeks into the strike the two sides are about to began INFORMAL discussions.
WHY: As In Why Are They Returning To The Table
The AMPTP handles agreements with over 80 different unions including the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Director’s Guild (DGA) and many others. What many outsiders don’t realize is that not only is the WGA agreement up, but the DGA and SGA agreements are about to expire as well. The DGA went into negotiations last week and hammered out a deal with producers. This deal give the director’s some money for new media and dvd residuals, but not as much as the writers are asking for.
What this agreement has done is force the WGA to make some adjustments on their demands. The first thing the WGA did was drop their position on animation and reality programming. This is encouraging news and takes 2 or the major hurdles out of the way. The AMPTP in return agreed to return to the bargaining table with the WGA.
Informal talks began on Wednesday. If it is determined that the two sides are really ready to get down to business then FORMAL negotiations could begin in a week or two.
HOW: As In How Is The Going To Affect My Television Programming
The bad news is, television will never be the same again. Each year the major networks dish out big bucks on pilots. The ones they like get added to a fall schedule which is promoted heavily at the Up-Fronts every May. Well because of the strike many of the pilots originally sent into production have been cancelled. NBC studio head Jeff Zucker said that this is likely going to force television to be go into a “year round format.” This means that shows won’t just debut in the fall anymore. Some shows might premiere in the summer or spring now. Which isn’t really a bad thing if you ask me.
The shows that you love are likely finished for this television season. Even if an agreement was reached today, which it won’t be, it would take several months to get new episodes on the air. The best we can hope for is a quick resolution and a full television season next year. A few of your favorite shows like Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives might be able to get one or two episodes on the air to bring some closure to their current seasons, but that is a long shot.
If there was a new show you really liked such as Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, or Reaper there is good news. These shows were all decent shows, but none of them were a sure thing to return next season. Well now that many pilots and development deals have been cancelled last year’s crop will likely have a second chance.
Many lives have been affected by the strike. For every actor or writer or director that is now out of work there are 100 crew people that have been laid off. For every show that has gone dark there are caterers, make-up artists, costume designers, and camera men that are without a job right now. The strike has already cost about 1 billion dollars. The sooner is can be resolved the better.
I feel like we have finally seen that turn around third base. It is coming down the home stretch. Unfortunately, even when it wraps up the fall out will be felt for several years. It remains to be seen if these changes will be good or bad. One thing is for certain, the way you watch television has been changed forever.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, post them in the comments section and I will do my best to get you an answer.
OUT!
WHO: As In Who Are The Key Players
WGA - The Writer’s Guild of America: The Union that represents writers for both television shows and movies
VS.
AMPTP – Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers: The big production companies and studios that fund television and movie productions.
WHAT: As In What Is The Strike REALLY About
The real battle here is over a collective bargaining agreement. The old agreement expired last year and the two sides have not been able to come to terms on several key issues which led to the WGA strike.
The main issue revolves around money earned from new media formats. The writer’s get very little if any money from internet distribution, online viewing and purchasing from sites like iTunes, and on-demand viewing of shows.
Other issues include DVD residuals, meaning the writers see very little if any money when television box sets or dvd movies are sold in stores. When the last agreement was struck DVD’s were still a small industry trade and some insiders felt like they would never be a huge money making endeavor, however today DVDs are the main money making tool for studios. In April of 2004, the New York Times reported the companies made $4.8 billion in home video sales versus $1.78 billion at the box office between January and March. That’s a lot of loot and the writer’s are getting about 0.3% of it.
Two other major issues are animation and reality television. The union wants to have jurisdiction over those genres.
WHEN: As in When Did It Begin and When Will It End
The strike began November 5, 2007. Most casual viewers of television likely didn’t notice the strike was even going on until their shows began to end prematurely leaving many cliffhangers and storylines in doubt.
The WGA and AMPTP sat down shortly after the strike began, but talks fell apart. Now eleven weeks into the strike the two sides are about to began INFORMAL discussions.
WHY: As In Why Are They Returning To The Table
The AMPTP handles agreements with over 80 different unions including the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Director’s Guild (DGA) and many others. What many outsiders don’t realize is that not only is the WGA agreement up, but the DGA and SGA agreements are about to expire as well. The DGA went into negotiations last week and hammered out a deal with producers. This deal give the director’s some money for new media and dvd residuals, but not as much as the writers are asking for.
What this agreement has done is force the WGA to make some adjustments on their demands. The first thing the WGA did was drop their position on animation and reality programming. This is encouraging news and takes 2 or the major hurdles out of the way. The AMPTP in return agreed to return to the bargaining table with the WGA.
Informal talks began on Wednesday. If it is determined that the two sides are really ready to get down to business then FORMAL negotiations could begin in a week or two.
HOW: As In How Is The Going To Affect My Television Programming
The bad news is, television will never be the same again. Each year the major networks dish out big bucks on pilots. The ones they like get added to a fall schedule which is promoted heavily at the Up-Fronts every May. Well because of the strike many of the pilots originally sent into production have been cancelled. NBC studio head Jeff Zucker said that this is likely going to force television to be go into a “year round format.” This means that shows won’t just debut in the fall anymore. Some shows might premiere in the summer or spring now. Which isn’t really a bad thing if you ask me.
The shows that you love are likely finished for this television season. Even if an agreement was reached today, which it won’t be, it would take several months to get new episodes on the air. The best we can hope for is a quick resolution and a full television season next year. A few of your favorite shows like Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives might be able to get one or two episodes on the air to bring some closure to their current seasons, but that is a long shot.
If there was a new show you really liked such as Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, or Reaper there is good news. These shows were all decent shows, but none of them were a sure thing to return next season. Well now that many pilots and development deals have been cancelled last year’s crop will likely have a second chance.
Many lives have been affected by the strike. For every actor or writer or director that is now out of work there are 100 crew people that have been laid off. For every show that has gone dark there are caterers, make-up artists, costume designers, and camera men that are without a job right now. The strike has already cost about 1 billion dollars. The sooner is can be resolved the better.
I feel like we have finally seen that turn around third base. It is coming down the home stretch. Unfortunately, even when it wraps up the fall out will be felt for several years. It remains to be seen if these changes will be good or bad. One thing is for certain, the way you watch television has been changed forever.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, post them in the comments section and I will do my best to get you an answer.
OUT!
1 comment:
Thanks for the update. It helps a lot. I’m trying to look at this as a positive. Now maybe when we commit to watching a new show, there may be the same sort of commitment from the TV networks. The worst thing about watching new shows is they break your heart sometimes when they get pulled. Now they may have to stick it out a bit longer. Plus, I think they will be more selective when putting “crap” on TV. So all in all I take this as good news. Hopefully the strike will officially end over the next month or so.
Paymon
Post a Comment