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Writers Strike

Started by moyer777, October 29, 2007, 04:53:50 PM

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moyer777

I found this article pretty interesting.

Strike threatens Hollywood; reality shows loom   

Story Highlights
Writers, producers have been negotiating since July; little progress

If writers strike, possibly as early as Thursday, late-night shows 1st to get hit

Networks getting ready to put on reality shows

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- TV viewers hooked on cliffhanger episodes of hit shows such as "Heroes" and "Grey's Anatomy" could be left dangling if writers walk off the job.


"CBS is not going to go blank," CBS head Les Moonves has said regarding the possibility of a writers' strike.

With Hollywood writers poised to log off their laptops as soon as Thursday, TV networks were bracing for the need to fill the airwaves with reality shows, game shows and even reruns if a threatened strike devours their script inventory.

Viewers could start seeing an onslaught of unscripted entertainment by early next year, when popular series such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Heroes" run out of new episodes.

"I was in a network meeting today, and they were referring to the fact the timing is really good for reality producers," said producer Mark Cronin.

He and partner Cris Abrego have been consistently busy with shows such as "Flavor of Love," "I Love New York" and "The Surreal Life."

But "it's going from 50 mph to 70 mph," Cronin said, adding that networks must "protect themselves and fill their airspace."

Members of the Writers Guild of America and the group representing film and TV producers were set to meet Tuesday with a federal mediator after scant progress in contentious talks that have dragged on since July.

With the current contract set to expire at midnight Wednesday, negotiators remain far apart on the central issue of raising payment for profits on DVDs and shows offered digitally on the Internet, cell phones and other devices.

More than 5,000 members of the Writers Guild of America recently voted, with 90 percent authorizing negotiators to call the first strike since 1988 if necessary.

"I'm willing to put my family on the line for what's right," said Mick Betancourt, a writer on the NBC show "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."

Betancourt has a 4-year-old son and a baby due in December but says he is ready to walk a picket line if asked to do so.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that negotiates on behalf of networks and studios, has said networks will continue to air quality programming.

"CBS is not going to go blank," CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves has said.

If writers walk out, the effect wouldn't be felt immediately. Networks have enough episodes of shows such as "Ugly Betty" and "CSI" written and in production to last at least through the end of the year and possibly into next February, industry executives and analysts said.

But after that, schedules will run into trouble.

Producers already have tried to hurry shooting in preparation for a strike but not always successfully.

The CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" was asked by 20th Century Fox Television to shoot an extra episode during a planned production break last week.

"It simply would have been impossible, so we said no. That was pretty much where it started and ended," said Jamie Rhonheimer, a writer-producer on the series.

A strike could also leave the hosts of the big Hollywood awards shows speechless.

The Academy Awards, set for February, January's Golden Globes and other shows rely on teams of writers to fashion quips and monologues.

A prolonged writers strike could also affect next year's TV season. Pilots for next fall are being written now and the development process, which includes rewrites and casting, extends through the spring.

"When we stop working, it's going to be a lot of catch-up," to get pilots back on track for the fall, said Patti Carr, a writer who has projects in development with ABC and CBS.

Networks are busy mulling proposed reality projects that aren't governed by guild contracts.

The shows have the advantage of a quick production timeline, said producer Abrego, with a series able to go from "concept to pitch to air" in just a couple months.

Abrego expects to see networks going straight from a pitch to a series order, bypassing the time-consuming production of a pilot.

Viewers like reality shows but may be so angry at interruptions to their favorite prime-time programs that they turn off their sets in disgust, some observers fear.

"You don't want viewers turning away from television, because it can be hard to get them to turn back," said Charles Floyd Johnson, an executive producer on "NCIS."

Advertisers, too, would suffer from a long strike and would make networks share their pain.

Advertisers are "not going to get what they paid for," said analyst Shari Anne Brill of ad buyer Carat USA.

"There will be severe under-delivery (of viewers) on the schedule if you get repeats and less-desirable reality shows," she said. "It puts the networks in a horrific make-good situation."

Ad rates are based on predicted ratings; if a show falls short, networks have to make good the difference with additional commercial time.

She noted that ad revenue already was down from predictions, even before the season began.

In May, when the fall network schedules were introduced, advertisers committed to about $8 billion for prime-time commercials, compared to $9 billion just two years ago.

Film production would not immediately suffer the effects of even a prolonged strike because of the long lead time required to make features.

Still, studios could soon be wrestling with plots and endings for unfinished 2009 blockbusters such as "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and the next James Bond flick.

Once a film is in production, changes occur almost daily, with writers being asked to create new scenes, punch up dialogue or accommodate an actor's ad-libs or vision for a part.

None of that would happen once writers hit the picket line.

"What they are looking for is a script as close to a locked script as they can find," said Duane Adler, a writer who has been rushing to finish a 2009 movie for 20th Century Fox studios.

It's not a good time for Adler to go on strike, but he is ready to walk out if asked.

"I've got a movie coming out, I've got one I want to direct and one that is being fast-tracked," Adler said. "It's a bad time for me personally. But these things are secondary."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/29/hollywood.labor.ap/index.html

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Rico

If it happens I doubt it will last long.  And if it does, I have plenty of DVD's to keep me busy.   :metallica:

Geekyfanboy

I think it's going to happen.. that's the vibe I'm getting from the industry... last time in 88 the strike lasted for 22 weeks, from March 7 through Aug. 7, the writers did not write and television ground to a halt. I remember that time and it was horrible.  Yes we do have DVD's but no new TV episodes would really be bad. Let's just hope if it does happen.. it's over quick.

KingIsaacLinksr

Still...I'm suprised that the networks are being this stubborn....its going to cost them big if they don't fix it.  Course, it doesn't really affect me as I haven't watched TV in about a month.  Last show I saw was a new show on Comedy Central that made me nearly kill myself with how disgusting it was.  But not that close ;) 

King Linksr
A Paladin Without A Crusade Blog... www.kingisaaclinksr.wordpress.com
My Review of Treks In Sci-Fi Podcast: http://wp.me/pQq2J-zs
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Geekyfanboy

WGA Strike Update

http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2007/10/30/wga-strike-update/

To add misery to heartache, there is new development on the possible WGA strike front.

Now it appears that the Teamsters Union, which represents more than 4,000 Hollywood drivers, location managers and scouts, casting directors and animal wranglers is giving the WGA's strike plans a major boost with a show of solidarity that could seriously disrupt local production, according to Variety. The Teamsters will call for all of its members to honor the WGA picket-lines and not cross them.

If the Feds can't work out a viable solution between the Guild and studio/network management then the strike will occur this Thursday.

Wow! We all may actually get to experience what it is to leave a dark room and go outside our homes and theaters for fun and entertainment.

Rico

It's really sad that in the year 2007, human adults can't settle their differences in a more civil manner.  Sorry to hear about this Kenny.

Geekyfanboy

Well it's official the writers are going on strike.. they just approved it. It's a sad day for   the Entertainment world..

Ktrek

Well, if your life is centered on entertainment then it is a sad day. However, for me I have other interests that can keep me occupied and judging by the quality of writing to come out of Hollywood of late I hope the suits don't give in too soon!

Kevin
"Oh...Well, Who am I to argue with me?" Dr. Bashir - Visionary - Deep Space Nine

KingIsaacLinksr

/sigh.  Now I have to find something else...oh wait, no TV=not a problem XD lol

Still, its a disappointment.

We'll see how it goes.

King Linksr
A Paladin Without A Crusade Blog... www.kingisaaclinksr.wordpress.com
My Review of Treks In Sci-Fi Podcast: http://wp.me/pQq2J-zs
Let's Play: Videogames YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/kingisaaclinksr

Geekyfanboy

Quote from: Ktrek on November 01, 2007, 10:24:48 PM
Well, if your life is centered on entertainment then it is a sad day. However, for me I have other interests that can keep me occupied and judging by the quality of writing to come out of Hollywood of late I hope the suits don't give in too soon!

Kevin

I don't know if you meant to sound condescending... but I take offense to your comment. Entertainment is a big part of my life as I love my TV and movies, but I do have other interests. When I said it was a sad day I meant for all the people who work in the Entertainment industry, as I am one of them and have many many friends. You do realize that thousands and thousands of people make those TV shows and movies.. and they will be effected by this strike... but you don't have to concern yourself with that... you have other interests....lucky you.

Rico

Let me give another perspective.  I live in Michigan.  For about the past 10 years this area has been economically devastated by the downturn in the American auto industry.  Plant closings, job losses, strikes, a state government that is bankrupt, etc.  For those not in Michigan this most likely wouldn't concern them very much.  Many just continued to buy non-American cars which just drove the industry further into the ground.  All of the above has directly impacted my life.  It also gave me a greater concern when others have these types of situations and it also made me appreciate what I have even more.  Fortunately in the last year or two the tide is turning and people seem to be discovering American cars are as good or better than their foreign counterparts.

Now, while I'm sad that this possible writer's strike will impact the lives of many, frankly there isn't a lot I can do about it.  I still think it's a foolish way to solve problems.  I will say that in general most of the American public sees Hollywood as a very greedy and overpaid industry.  I don't feel that way because I know several people in the business that work very hard and frankly make less money than I do.  But most people do not think about the average Hollywood worker when these things happen.  They just hear about superstars that make millions.  So I think they have a hard time having any sympathy for something like this. 

Just my thoughts and viewpoint.

markinro

Does this mean Lost might not end until 2011 ?  Later ?

Ktrek

Quote from: StarTrekFanatic5 on November 01, 2007, 10:49:13 PM
I don't know if you meant to sound condescending... but I take offense to your comment. Entertainment is a big part of my life as I love my TV and movies, but I do have other interests. When I said it was a sad day I meant for all the people who work in the Entertainment industry, as I am one of them and have many many friends. You do realize that thousands and thousands of people make those TV shows and movies.. and they will be effected by this strike... but you don't have to concern yourself with that... you have other interests....lucky you.

No Kenny...I was not trying to be condescending but only saying that the strike will not affect me personally much if at all. I'm sorry that it will affect you though whether directly or indirectly. However, I have found that things usually work out for the best. It's always dark before the dawn. Good luck and take care!

Kevin

"Oh...Well, Who am I to argue with me?" Dr. Bashir - Visionary - Deep Space Nine

billybob476

Strikes are never good for any of the parties involved. It's unfortunate it had to come to this and many people in the industry will be adversely affected. It may take a reasonable amount of time for the entertainment industry to get back on its feet if this strike goes on for long.

Personally, I won't be pleased that new TV won't be coming out for the next little while, but I guess I'll have to console myself with more WoW.

Geekyfanboy

Quote from: Rico on November 02, 2007, 04:46:07 AM
Let me give another perspective.  I live in Michigan.  For about the past 10 years this area has been economically devastated by the downturn in the American auto industry.  Plant closings, job losses, strikes, a state government that is bankrupt, etc.  For those not in Michigan this most likely wouldn't concern them very much.  Many just continued to buy non-American cars which just drove the industry further into the ground.  All of the above has directly impacted my life.  It also gave me a greater concern when others have these types of situations and it also made me appreciate what I have even more.  Fortunately in the last year or two the tide is turning and people seem to be discovering American cars are as good or better than their foreign counterparts.

Now, while I'm sad that this possible writer's strike will impact the lives of many, frankly there isn't a lot I can do about it.  I still think it's a foolish way to solve problems.  I will say that in general most of the American public sees Hollywood as a very greedy and overpaid industry.  I don't feel that way because I know several people in the business that work very hard and frankly make less money than I do.  But most people do not think about the average Hollywood worker when these things happen.  They just hear about superstars that make millions.  So I think they have a hard time having any sympathy for something like this. 

Just my thoughts and viewpoint.

You're a wise man Rico.. thanks for your perspective. It's true the most people see Hollywood as greedy.. but truly that's 5% of the industry. The rest of us work hard to make ends meet.