WGA vs. AMPTP

There is a war going on. And it's not in Iraq. It's in Hollywood, and it's pretty important if you care at all about TV, film, and the creative process in general. The Writers Guild of America, which represents about 12,000 TV and film writers, are likely to go on strike pending a final decision to be made by today. Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have fallen through, and it seems a full-out strike is inevitable. The looming strike is over royalties from DVD sales, which were last negotiated in 1988 before DVD/home video became the big commodity it has become now, as well as royalties from new media. Basically, writers want a bigger stake in royalties from all places their work is distributed, including internet downloads.

So why is this important, and how will it affect us?

Well, should the strike happen, the immediate effects would be felt on the late-night shows, including Letterman, Leno, Conan, and The Daily Show, which are not pre-written in advance due to their topical natures. No writers = No lengthy monologues (Conan is funny, but he also has writers to make him funnier), no political jokes, no top 10 list. Down the line, daytime soaps would be the next to go, since they stockpile about 30 days in advance, and then further down the line, the prime time comedies and dramas. The effects of that probably won't be seen until first/second quarter of 2008, but with production completely shut down, it will be a very uneven season for most of the shows we know and love. This would also mean a bombardment of reruns, reality shows (and not the semi-scripted kind, such as The Hills, which has writers) and game shows to fill prime time spots. Just what television needs. =P

Obviously there are two sides to the negotiations. But considering DVD sales have been steadily on the rise, and new media is increasingly making a presence in the world of tv and film, it seems that the AMPTP should be making more of an effort to give the writers a bit more than what they're getting. Is it fair for the producers to reap all the benefits of DVD or iTunes sales? After all, without writers (a lot of whom also act as producers on shows), there would be no words for actors to speak, no shows for directors to direct (for the lack of a better word), nothing for producers to work on. And with an actual strike, the writers aren't the only ones who will be affected when all of Hollywood shuts down: there are hundreds of behind the scenes crew members who will be out of jobs as long as the strike goes on. Here's to hoping a quick and just resolution, for everyone's sake.

(image courtesy of AccessHollywood.com)