Welcome back to the blog. After a long day at work, I look forward to sitting my butt on the couch, and watching some amazing television. I know that I write a lot about reality shows, hell, I watch a ton of reality shows. The truth is, though, I watch a lot of television period. Probably too much, I will grant that premise.
But this week, instead of surfing the internet and downloading shows I love, or getting news about how much more fake the Hills really is. Seriously, apparently Lauren and Heidi are secret friends? I have also spent a fair amount of time trying to understand why the writers that write my favorite shows have walked out…
Here is how it boils down: Basically, the production companies and the networks give no residual payments (zero) for any of the downloads or online streaming of the shows or movies. What are residuals? Well, they are payments based on percentage for every time that shows are re-run or bought on DVD. The percentage given to writers are pretty low. For instance, apparently every time you buy a DVD for $19.99, the writer gets a whoppin four cents. You read that correctly. I will grant you that this adds up, but let’s face it, it ain’t much. However, the term “residual” and what rates are paid for what happens with the show or the movie script that the writers have penned themselves don’t apply to a lot of how we are all now receiving our television. Now, the writers are paid for re-runs that show up on late night television and the small percentage of DVD sales. That hasn’t always been the case. Writers used to get absolutely nothing for anytime their show was put into syndication. The best example I have seen was related to I Love Lucy. That show has been on television for fifty straight years – it has entertained the viewing audience (some more than others) for that long. The only thing those writers were paid was for their original script – and that’s it.
The change in how television is viewed is clear. In the last 3-5 years, networks have been streaming full episodes of their shows for free online. Also, services like Apple’s Itunes and Amazon’s Unbox, and most recently NBC’s Hulu have begun to sell those same episodes for download. When you watch the episode for free online, there are often several 30 second commercial breaks. Even though you watch for free, the network gets ad revenue from you watching (most likely based on the number of views). When you pay $1.99 for an episode of Lost on iTunes, ABC turns a profit. The writers, as of their current contract, receive NOTHING from any of that. The networks are calling these electronic views “promotions.” I think we all know that doesn’t pass “the smell test.” It smells pretty bad, in fact. So the writers’ contract is up, and the networks don’t want to give the writers squat. And so now they strike.
Actors are joining them on the picket line even though they are members of the Screen Actors’ Guild, because their contract is up in June of next year, and they will also want similar residuals. It will make a difference. Think about a writer who writes a brilliant movie and sells a script to a studio. They may write 10 more before a studio buys another one. They may need those residuals from DVD sales or online downloads to bring in small checks to get them by until their next project is frutiful. As of now, they would be getting four stinkin’ cents per DVD and not a dime off of the downloads.
It boils down to this: Disney’s doing fine. Viacom is okay. It’s the people that actually entertain us each week, with their imagination and humor and creativity that need a few extra dollars to insure they have time to write or act or produce these shows and movies instead of having to pay the bills by digging ditches or waiting tables. They’re asking for a fair share. And I think they deserve it. So in the next month or so, when CBS has to air Ultimate Fighting Specials instead of the new CSI season, or ABC is showing you re-runs of Disney classics instead of the new season of Lost, I will probably cry a little, watch more of my Netflix queue than usual, or even (gasp!) read that growing pile of books on my shelf. But I will support the writers…They deserve their fair share for their work and their gifts.
Here are some more links for your education…
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The Los Angeles Times is keeping up with the latest news from the picket lines.
- Anyway, that’s all I got. Long live these strikes. This thing is affecting so many of the people like the crews and the production people and the actors too. In a couple of weeks, more people will be laid off because they are “expendable.”
In the next few weeks, a lot more shows will be going to re-runs instead of original episodes, and all of the late night talk shows as well as my favorites like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have already gone dark. I just hope the networks and production companies will come to the bargaining table and do the right thing…Until then, I am sad, but I get it.
