I love T.V. and I'm not afraid to admit that. I especially love to knit while watching T.V. (Makes me feel less guilty for watching so much) But the higher powers that be are impeding on my T.V./knitting time. There are these high powered executives out in L.A. who refuse to give writers a cut of the Internet and down loadable episodes of their shows. That they wrote! The fat cats in Hollywood need to stop and think and not be so damned greedy.
Here are the facts as I've been told:
-Writers now get about $0.04 per $20 DVD sold. They live off these residuals during down times throughout the year.
-They are only paid during the season of the show that they are working on. So say in the summer when we're all watching repeat episodes of Grey's Anatomy, the writers are living off only the DVD sales of the show.
-These writers also don't get paid nearly what I thought they would. I mean come on, a show like Grey's or E.R. where the actors get hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode, the brains behind the wit barley get a fraction of that. I read somewhere that "the writers are like the line workers of the industry." Living here in the "Motor city" I understand that statement very well. I especially feel bad because I love watching my favorite shows online. There are less commercials and I don't have to be upset if I missed a new episode. I will just watch it the next day online. Very convenient. I assumed everyone would still be getting paid for this convenience. There are at least 5- 30 second commercials and a sponsor logo at the top of the show for pete's sake. So who gets that money I wonder......
Having been in a union myself, I respect the strike and will keep my fingers crossed that they come to a fair agreement soon. Men in Trees, Grey's and Desperate housewives were all getting so good. In the meantime I will just watch my DVDs. Below is a link to 2 of my favorite writers take on the strike.
The Latina (L)it Girl: The Writers Guild Strike
http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/2007/11/as-d-day-approaches-we-have-been-making.html
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3 comments:
I didn't realize they only got paid 4 cent...wow...that's really sad.
I can't believe it's been going on for so long now! I'm really bummed because I watch The Office religiously and I really really miss it! Now I read they might not even come back this season because of the strike. ugh! I can't believe that the big wigs are still being so greedy about it. It's insane!
until now i never understood or had any knowledge of why the writers went on strike.
i fully understand why their was the need for a strike. they deserve much more money than received.
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