We don't need no stinking TV!!

The writers strike.

mrr. They are already picketing at 30 Rock here in NYC.

The WGA (Writers Guild of America) is beginning their strike today. Which really, really sucks.

For example, I just got an e-mail from NBC saying that Heroes will end the season with a re-shot Episode 11 on Dec. 3rd - pending the strike doesn't go on too long. And Heroes: Origins? "Indefinitely Postponed" (a nice way of saying canceled).

For the record, the last strike in 1988 (which brought about the era of hour long news shows, btw) lasted 22 weeks.

After reading comments on various blogs, its clear that people are unsure why the writers are striking. Heres the gist of it all: Writers are first and foremost asking for more money on the residuals they get from DVD sales (they earn 4 cents/DVD now, they are asking for 8 cents). They got sold down the river on this issue when it was last discussed, back when VHS had just come out. Because, you know, who the hell thought that a little tape would be so popular in sales? Basically, they don't want to get screwed with their pants on again.

But more importantly for them, there is a serious question over revenue from "online content" - streaming videos, downloads, etc. Right now? The writers get nothing. And that is just blatantly wrong. So, sorry studios - i understand your argument that new shows need all the advertising and exposure they can get, which is what the cheap and easy internet gives them - but this is intellectual property we are talking about. People worked hard to give us this stuff, and deserve to be compensated for it.

I really don't know how long the strike will last. I am hoping not long...i want my Heroes. But heres an interesting thought - people under the age of 35 are the most targeted audience in TV advertising, and it is this demographic that is hit first by the strike (read: Colbert, The Daily Show, all other late night shows are immediately going into reruns). Its also the most fickle audience to get a hold of. If advertisers walk away to the -gasp- internet and find they can sell just as effectively (and cheaper) there, they won't go back to the studios, who are already having a hard enough time convincing advertisers that they need TV at all.

You watch TV? The LA times put up a good (if incomplete) list of how many episodes shows are expected to air.

Like i said, as much as i hate it, i'm with the writers on this one. ...Idiot studios. The economic cost of a 22-week strike? $1 billion. Because, lets face it, the ripple effect of Hollywood shutting down is that much of LA will shut down.

So I'm going to go off and yell at something, and then try and enjoy Heroes tonight. It may be one of the last till NEXT fall.

~M