A thread about the WGA strike

[Spacey]

The strike is redefining the programs on TV. We will have more reality shows than reality soon.

[jocelyn]

We will have more reality shows than reality soon.

:banghead:

[Me!]

I think the writers strike is gonna be great for that terminator show.  Other than Lost there\'s not gonna be much else on.

[booztravlr]

Though I doubt they have many outside writers, Reno 911 starts up in the middle of January too. [/thread hijack]

[Spacey]

I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.

Though I doubt they have many outside writers, Reno 911 starts up in the middle of January too. [/thread hijack]

I believe some shows have a back line of episodes written but they are running out of material fast.

[davepeck]

here, have your own thread.

[Spacey]

here, have your own thread.

thanks, broseph!

kinda just happened organically.

[Me!]

here, have your own thread.

:lol:

I know there are some shows that still have a few episodes left. House has 3 or 4 left as well as Bones (on right before House)

Letterman\'s company, writers are primed to talk
Worldwide Pants takes the union up on its offer to negotiate with individual firms.
By Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 16, 2007
NEW YORK -- David Letterman\'s production company, Worldwide Pants, jumped at the chance Saturday to negotiate independently with the Writers Guild of America, saying it was eager to make a deal with its striking writers and get new episodes of its late-night shows back on the air.

full article

[jking]

I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.

nope, there\'s a "pencils down" mandate. no writing at all.

and as much as i utterly despise reality tv, i fully support the wga! especially since the companies are using the exact same line of unreasoning now that they used back when vcr\'s first came out. "we just don\'t know if vcr\'s [ now the internet and dvd\'s] will be profitable enough to cut you a slice. sorry." fine. what if you don\'t have any content to put on those dvd\'s and the web? i\'ll bet there\'s no profit there whatsoever! ah, the sacred greed....

[Spacey]

here, have your own thread.

:lol:

I know there are some shows that still have a few episodes left. House has 3 or 4 left as well as Bones (on right before House)

Letterman\'s company, writers are primed to talk
Worldwide Pants takes the union up on its offer to negotiate with individual firms.
By Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 16, 2007
NEW YORK -- David Letterman\'s production company, Worldwide Pants, jumped at the chance Saturday to negotiate independently with the Writers Guild of America, saying it was eager to make a deal with its striking writers and get new episodes of its late-night shows back on the air.

full article

Just read this article. I did not know Letterman owned his show. That is interesting. I would also be interested to see some of these shows that plan on coming back without writers. Probably be horrible.

I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.

nope, there\'s a "pencils down" mandate. no writing at all.

and as much as i utterly despise reality tv, i fully support the wga! especially since the companies are using the exact same line of unreasoning now that they used back when vcr\'s first came out. "we just don\'t know if vcr\'s [ now the internet and dvd\'s] will be profitable enough to cut you a slice. sorry." fine. what if you don\'t have any content to put on those dvd\'s and the web? i\'ll bet there\'s no profit there whatsoever! ah, the sacred greed....

Same argument the producers and film association made in 1988 and we know how that turned out. I support them too since this is basically what the artists did with digital music.

[tyzack]

I have never really watched that much network TV, the only stuff that I watched that had writers were daily show/colbert report. I\'m not really that sad to see them go, because now I can go to be at 10:45 and not have to worry about missing some stupid joke.

However, I do wonder how news (ESPN included) get by, I guess this is only for "entertainment" writers? What about movies, when will they be effected?

Also, I mean, I know writers aren\'t miners or nurses, but how hard is it to find replacements?

[SlimPickens]

I have never really watched that much network TV, the only stuff that I watched that had writers were daily show/colbert report. I\'m not really that sad to see them go, because now I can go to be at 10:45 and not have to worry about missing some stupid joke.

However, I do wonder how news (ESPN included) get by, I guess this is only for "entertainment" writers? What about movies, when will they be effected?

Also, I mean, I know writers aren\'t miners or nurses, but how hard is it to find replacements?

Reports & Writers not in the same union... infact, I\'m not sure if there is a Reporters union.

I\'m going to say yes, it\'s very difficult to find scab writers.  Last time they went on Strike was in the 80\'s, it lasted 22 weeks and costed the industy hundreds of millions of dollars.  Shows like Moonlighting and Kate & Ally were cancelled, Carson & Letterman crossed the line and went on w/out writers

You won\'t see the effect on the movie industry for close to a year due to production schedules.  And the production companies will probably jockey stuff around so you barely notice.

[Spacey]

ESPN must fall under Disney and be on strike or the writers are not WGA. Movies will be effected if this strike continues for a long time. Currently using back logs of scripts.

You don\'t cross picket lines. Especially in Hollywood, you will get blacklisted.

The techs and stage hands are the ones really getting fucked because there is no work.

Even if you could get scab writers to do the scripts, you still need actors/actresses to cross the picket lines. Which is difficult because these unions all support each other externally, so that if one goes the industry feels the shock.

The 1988 strike estimated to cost the industry $500 million over 22 months.

[kindm's]

IMHO they should GBTW and STFU

I cannot believe they cannot find replacements

It isn\'t like what is on TV is any good anyway. Most of the time they are just rehashing old story lines and plot vehicles.

hell how many times have you seen every sit-com do the same tired idea. They do it over and over and over.

Like person comes home finds a (note, letter, message on the answering machine) and is taken out of context, the entire 20 minutes is this character avoiding asking the person the 1 question that would have ended the assumption 18 minutes ago, and then miraculously they discover that they assumed. They all laugh and roll credits.

TV is tired and boring. Only occasionally do you get a TV show that is sort of new and refreshing. These "writers" could use a class in creative writing.

[Spacey]

You don\'t cross picket lines without repercussions. There is a science to a strike. Even if you did find replacements many actors/actresses would not cross the lines. It is not a questions of creativity but pay and getting residuals for their work, which they are entitled.