TV companies struggle to carry on without new material
By Maureen Inouye
We all quote lines from our favorite TV shows. I probably know dozens of Chandler Bing and Carrie Bradshaw lines by heart. And I watch "Heroes" religiously.
So when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike I was worried. The writers of many of the most popular television shows stopped writing last week and created picketing signs instead.
The Writers Guild of America Minimum Basic Agreement expired on Oct. 31. When this happened and large television companies like CBS and Fox refused to meet the Guild's demands, the pens dropped.
And UP students began to take interest.
"I appreciate the quality of a well-written show. So when the big companies try to underplay the importance of the writing, I say they get what they had coming," junior Matthew Tongue said.
Basically, the Guild is concerned that the current contracts do not pay the writers enough. With new media that allows TV shows to be viewed on the Internet, companies are making more money and writers are not receiving any residual benefit. The WGA is currently in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
"The writers need to stand their ground or get taken advantage of, like they did last time contracts were negotiated - which resulted in them getting just a couple cents from each DVD sold," senior Amy Anderton said.
Anderton is referring to the last round of Guild negotiations with production companies, as popular shows were increasingly sold as DVDs and writers were concerned that, again, they were receiving no part of the increased profit. The AMPTP claims it does not yet know enough about Internet streaming to promise the writers' money.
"It's not fair for the people responsible for these products to get a pittance on the major ways their creations are distributed," Anderton said.
TV favorites such as "Lost" and "The Office" only have a few episodes remaining before the strike forces them into repeats. Meanwhile, daily talk shows including "The Colbert Report" and "The Late Show with David Letterman" have grinded to a halt and remain in repeats indefinitely.
Students, with a few exceptions, seem to think the strike is justified.
"Ultimately, I support and respect their strike, although I will miss my shows, which have been one of few stress-relieving moments in my busy weekly schedule," junior Jordan Lusink said.
Tongue agreed, and like Anderton, referenced the Guild's history of negotiations as evidence that the strike was necessary.
"They're striking because they got shafted on the home-video front and they're trying to keep from getting shafted on the new media front. So I support them in that respect," Tongue said.
Reality shows like "America's Next Top Model" will not be affected.
"I have absolutely no intention of watching reruns or reality TV. Ick," Anderton said.
Other students were less calm. Sophomore Liana Louie, who loves "Grey's Anatomy," one of the shows that has stopped production, was upset.
"My one hour of stress relieving - gone! What am I going to do?" she asked.
Negotiations continue, as do picket lines in dozens of locations across the country.
Some students, however, seem less affected by the strike.
"I like "Scrubs," "The Daily Show" and "The (Colbert) Report." But life is so much fuller without TV consuming my soul every day," senior Kevin Krohn said.
