Bad News for TV Fans

Just when the news looked like it would be safe to turn on the television again, comes the news that after twenty-five days of a writer’s strike, there is still no end in sight. On Thursday, the Writers Guild of America rejected the new bargain presented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The strike has shut down the entertainment world, stopping production all over. Television has had no choice but to resort to repeat programming, as well as non-scripted programming, as we’re nearing the end of the shows that were already stored “in the can,” forcing reruns. We made it through sweeps okay, but the reruns are going to get old very soon.

Many talk shows have halted production while their hosts, many writers in their own right, support the Writers Guild. Some have opted to continue, such as Ellen DeGeneres, feeling that while she does support her writers, she also has other production people that she wants to continue to provide work for. It turns out it’s not an easy choice for anyone.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached out with an olive branch on Thursday, offering a contract that they felt was a “new economic partnership.” Much of the discord between the two sides has dealt with the issue of revenue received from media seen on the internet or downloaded from services such as iTunes. The deal certainly sounded good, as they promised $130 million more in revenue annually, on top of the already $1.3 billion the writers are currently receiving.

The writers feel they are just as much part of the creative process and only want their just desserts. This new offer, though, was only promising $250 per year for a yearly streaming license, while a network run of the same show gives them $20,000. The revenue generated from all this jumps by 10% annually, and the writers are asking for nearly a third, with a 3% increase annually.

This doesn’t seem like the two sides are anywhere close in their demands. One side doesn’t want to lose any of the profit they receive from the digital market, which they claim is already slim, while the other side just wants to have what they consider their rightful share. The problem, of course, is that it’s us, the viewers that lose out. It just means another week of reruns, and probably means a jump somewhere in what we already pay to online media services as they will have to do something to recoup the money they feel they will be losing, one way or another.