My First and Only Post on the Writers Strike
I was surprised to see on someone's blog that the writers' strike was still going on. I would think that the biggest danger of going on strike (beyond the lost income) would be that no one notices you are not working. This seems to be a real danger faced by the writers, and an important reason why you will never see Congress go on strike.
Dan:
I notice... I'm sure if you talk to some TV addicts like me you'll see that we're eagerly following it.
January 16, 2008, 7:40 pmDan:
I notice... I'm sure if you talk to some TV addicts like me you'll see that we're eagerly following it.
January 16, 2008, 7:42 pmHighway:
Well, there's also the fact that Congress sets its own pay scale, and gets way more credit than they deserve for everything anyway. So basically all the issues that the writers are striking about are already handled for them.
January 16, 2008, 9:44 pmSol:
I'd say for the writers, the biggest danger of going on strike is accidentally pushing ahead the date of the obsolescence of your industry, or at least your business model. What happens when viewers wise up and realize the Internet can provide viewing material that is just as interesting for free? (Hmmm... and if the new Apple TV gizmo actually takes off, will it promote this as well?)
Seriously, if I were a TV writer, I'd be thinking hard about negotiating higher up-front pay with few or no residuals at all. In ten years, DVD sales and paid Internet downloads are going be the sort of dodgy business model that CDs are today...
January 17, 2008, 2:54 amRob:
Maybe Americans will get so sick of re-runs and typical reality TV ploys that they will get up off the couch and do something else more active. Et voila, Health coverage "crisis" solved!
January 17, 2008, 6:46 amRob:
Maybe Americans will get so sick of re-runs and typical reality TV ploys that they will get up off the couch and do something else more active. Et voila, Health coverage "crisis" solved!
January 17, 2008, 6:46 amAnother guy named Dan:
Sol -
January 17, 2008, 8:13 amA big part of what this strike is about is an attempt to make sure that if there is independent Internet content created, the producers will still have to deal wtih the "creative" guilds.
delurking:
I'm sure we'd notice quickly if Congress went on strike, as many things rapidly improved.
January 17, 2008, 10:41 amElamBend:
Actually, I think it will cause a lot of writers to strike out on their own and get around the producers. The actual cost of logistics of production is getting so low, the actual creative side of the equation could take more of an active part in the business.
January 17, 2008, 1:21 pmBest case scenario: a shake-up of both the writers union and the production houses leading to many spin-offs
French Unions:
Fightin' the good fight. Or not.
"France Fines Amazon for Free Shipping"
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2249940,00.asp
January 17, 2008, 5:09 pmStan:
"...why you will never see Congress go on strike."
Oh that's good stuff.
January 17, 2008, 8:04 pmJohn:
Hopefully by the time of writers get the pay what they want,at end of the strike they'll have enough things to write about their strike. But when it is going to be end no one knows..
January 18, 2008, 11:47 pmCar Breakdown