Writers Strike

[Rico]

Striking Writers plan "Star Trek" day....

WGA Organizing Star Trek Strike Day At Paramount
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Trek Franchise

As the WGA strike goes on, the guild is regularly doing "themed" rallies and pickets, such as the 'Horror writers exorcism' last week. For next Monday they are staging a Star Trek themed event at Paramount. The strike captain is currently rounding up Star Trek writers, producers and actors and already has confirmations from a number of them including Scott Bakula, Brent Spiner, Judy and Gar Reeves-Stevens, Harlan Ellison and many others. They also hope people working on the new Star Trek film will join them. There will even be a band (The Intergallactic Blues Band). Fans are also welcome to come and show their support.

If you are interested in attending, the check in spot is the Windsor Gate. The event runs from 11-3 at Paramount Pictures at 5555 Melrose in Hollywood. Any writers, actors or producers who want to contact the strike captain can contact me via the tipline (right sidebar).

TrekMovie.com will provide updates on the event as new information becomes available. TrekMovie.com will also report from the event itself on Monday, Dec. 10th.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Um.....wow.......why the Star Trek theme? 

King Linksr

[Geekyfanboy]

Because it's Paramount and it brings attention to the strike.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Because it's Paramount and it brings attention to the strike.

Got to love Paramount.....:laugh: 

King Linksr

[Rico]

Of course since they don't produce Star Trek for TV anymore it's seems a bit odd to me.  But of course they are doing the movie.

[Geekyfanboy]

Well Paramount is synonymous with Star Trek. And like I said.. I can guarantee that there will be news camera covering this.

[Jen]

huh... interesting. I didn't know they themed protest rallies. :)

[Geekyfanboy]

huh... interesting. I didn't know they themed protest rallies. :)

Well after awhile the strike becomes less news and they stop covering it. Last week they did a 'Horror writers exorcism'  and sure enough that got them attention. This will be the same.

[Jen]

Now you're talking my language—they're marketing. Makes sense to me. :)

[Darth Gaos]

I understand the concept of bringing attention to the cause and "no publicity is bad publicity" but at the same time....I dunno I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into words here....At what point does it become a "stunt" that might diminish in some peoples eyes what the writers are trying to accomplish?  Keep in mind i am firmly in the writers camp here but things like this might get old to some.  I think the real pressure will come when new shows are suddenly gone and sponsorship money dries up because the networks are producing such tittilating shows as "American Gladiators", "Big Brother" and that lie detector show on Fox.  And Kenny, please believe me when I say I am not trying to take pot shots at your lively-hood per se I am merely making the "too much of a good thing..." point.

[Rico]

This just in....

NBC refunds advertisers as ratings plunge

1 hour, 48 minutes ago

Fourth-ranked broadcaster NBC has quietly begun reimbursing advertisers an average of $500,000 each for failing to reach guaranteed ratings levels, the first time a network has taken such a step in years, media buyers said.

Networks usually offer make-goods -- free advertising slots -- in the event of such shortfalls. But NBC has none to give. In fact, no broadcast network has much ad inventory left between now and year's end -- except for, perhaps, a handful of units the week between Christmas and New Year's, and that doesn't do much for advertisers chasing holiday shoppers.

CBS, ABC and Fox also are doling out make-goods, primarily for the first quarter. They have blamed softness on a new ratings formula, but media agencies disagree. None of the networks would comment.

The networks' problems emerged even before the Writers Guild of America went on strike November 5. The networks had enough first-run shows to get them through November, and repeats and replacement programming will not begin in earnest until January -- when their problems will likely start to worsen.

Among the Big Four networks, NBC has the most serious ad shortfall, as its primetime ratings are down most dramatically. Meanwhile, none of its new series this season have caught on with viewers. Compounding buyers' angst about NBC is the network's plan to schedule more reality shows, including "Celebrity Apprentice" and "American Gladiators."

"We're trying to understand NBC's recent moves," Starcom Entertainment exec vp Laura Caraccioli-Davis said. "We are concerned that it might be thinking about adopting a programming strategy like some of its sister cable networks. 'American Gladiators' and even some of the shows they have in development, like 'Knight Rider,' are remakes being dusted off rather than coming up with new creations.

"NBC used to be the upscale, quality network," she added. "We have come to expect quality, iconic programming. Maybe they are searching for the reality hit they don't have, their own 'American Idol.' But too much reality just doesn't play well with advertisers."

NBC program planning president Vince Manze countered that the network will air more scripted shows in the first quarter than it did a year earlier, so the perception that NBC is moving more heavily into reality is wrong.

"We will have about 85 hours of original, scripted, first-run programming in the first quarter," Manze said, citing the return of dramas "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (which previously aired on NBC's sister cable net USA Network) and "Medium."

In February, NBC will premiere midseason drama "Lipstick Jungle." It also has first-run episodes of "Law & Order: SVU," "ER," "Chuck," "Friday Night Lights," "Las Vegas," "Scrubs" and "My Name Is Earl" yet to air.

Magna Global audience analysis exec vp Steve Sternberg said he saw no problem with NBC airing a reality block on a low-rated night like Saturday or even during the week if the production values were high or if it replaced other reality programming. However, "if it replaces midweek scripted hours, it could have a negative impact" on ratings and audience quality, he said.

Reality programs featuring high production values, including Fox's "American Idol," CBS' "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," draw sizable audiences each week.

Still, one network executive charged that audiences for those shows are "borrowed" viewers. "A majority of those viewers come in for that show and then leave," the executive said.

Added MediaVest senior vp group director Ed Gentner: "No one (advertiser or agency) wants to see too much reality programming on TV. But broadcast television has changed, and reality is part of today's landscape."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[Geekyfanboy]

Well we knew this was coming....

[Geekyfanboy]

Is writers strike the Christmas Grinch?

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sat Dec 22, 12:39 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Nearly two months without paychecks. Scores of shuttered shows. Thousands out of work. The Hollywood writers strike suggests a bleak Christmas for many in Tinsel Town.

But just like a movie script, this story has a twist: many striking writers remain upbeat despite the financial and emotional strains the walkout has brought to the season.

Since members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike job Nov. 5, more than $350 million in wages have been lost, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Committee.

Writers, though, are accustomed to sporadic employment and saving their pennies, and they're inspired by the feeling that they're helping their profession and the labor movement at large.

"We're swept up by the romantic notion of being on strike and doing the right thing," said Luvh Rakhe, a writer and strike captain for the ABC show "Cavemen." "By strengthening the union movement in Hollywood, everyone who's in a union benefits."

But not everyone sees it that way.

The strike against the studios has also forced nearly 40,000 "below-the-line" workers — including electricians, carpenters, welders and prop masters — out of work, according to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Unlike the writers, who are buoyed by feelings of righteousness and will presumably benefit from the strike's outcome, these workers are simply jobless at what should be a festive time of year.

The strike has been "devastating" for IATSE members, said spokeswoman Katherine Orloff.

"They've not only lost their paychecks, they're losing hours that contribute to eligibility for health insurance and pension coverage," she said. "Everybody wants to go back to work, whether they support the strike, don't support the strike, are angry at producers or are angry at writers."

Christmas presents are hardly a concern when "people are going to start losing their homes and their businesses," she said. "Gifts are almost frivolous ideas at this point. This is about survival."

Most writers and below-the-line workers earn middle-class incomes. The average writers-guild member's salary is $62,000 a year, according to the WGA. IATSE salaries are similar. Strike or no, employment is inconsistent for both groups, with nearly half of writers-guild members and 10 to 15 percent of IATSE members without work during the year.

"As a writer, you have to develop the instinct of squirreling money away," Rakhe said. "You're just used to a lot of uncertainty in the first place."

The WGA prepared its members for the possibility of a strike a year in advance, so many writers saved money and started buying Christmas presents early.

"Wisely, I did all my holiday shopping throughout the year," said Sally Nemeth, a writer for "Law & Order" who described herself as "truly a middle-class member of the guild." "My shopping was very modest, but I got it done months ago."

Others curtailed shopping and travel plans to accommodate newly abbreviated incomes.

Randall Caldwell, a writer for "Judging Amy," said he usually travels to Memphis to see his mother for the holidays, but not this year.

"I'm staying home because I don't know how long this will go on," he said. "I'd rather be here picketing."

Rakhe, the "Cavemen" writer, said he trimmed his gift budget and is adopting a "thought-that-counts type of attitude."

"In the past, when times were good, I would go nuts," he said, "and this year I'm certainly not."

He recently took a part-time tutoring job to earn extra money, but said writers' morale remains high despite the strike's pocketbook pinch: "People are buoyed by the fact that we feel like we're doing the right thing and we have the support of the public."

Writers in serious financial straits can apply for loans from the $13 million Writers Guild Strike Fund, said WGA spokesman Gregg Mitchell. Loans are approved by a member-governed internal committee. About $3.8 million in loans were granted to members during the 1988 writers strike, he said. He declined to say how many, if any, loans had been granted since Nov. 5.

Still, even successful writers feel the strike's pall over the season.

"This is the worst holiday in this town that I've ever experienced," said Jim Brooks, longtime writer and producer of "The Simpsons." "This is not dancing-in-the-street time. This is shuffling in a line, carrying a sign time."

Studios, though, are still celebrating, with Disney, Universal and Paramount throwing big holiday bashes like they do each year.

Those same studios, said "Law & Order" scribe Joe Reinkemeyer, are the "Grinch that stole Christmas from all of Hollywood."

However, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, blames the writers.

"Because they walked off the job, tens of thousands of other people who had no stake in this dispute are losing hundreds of millions of dollars," said spokesman Jesse Hiestand. "Many of those other workers will never have the kind of six-figure incomes enjoyed by WGA writers and it is a real shame that the holiday season is being dimmed by the writers' decision to go on strike."

Pamela Elyea, who runs the prop company History for Hire, isn't pointing fingers. Her main concern is keeping her company afloat and her employees working. She spent a year preparing for the strike and has "a very strong game plan" that will keep the business running through June, she said.

Elyea had to lay off five part-time workers and shrink the company's holiday party ("This year no guests, no gifts," she said). She also opted not to exchange gifts with her family. But her full-time staff of 12 is still on the job.

"The best present anybody could have is just to keep their job," she said. "It's that true meaning of Christmas, where you're grateful for your family, you're grateful for your community and you're grateful for your country. It's not about the stuff. It's about the people."

[Trekkygeek]

You know, a writers strike is never a good thing, but it seems that this year is particularly painful for us Geeks. There are so many shows that are affected by the strike that we all follow. You guys in the States are seeing the effects of this strike through less quality writing and the fact that many series will be stopping their run half way through the season. Over here, these shows aren't even being broadcast yet. Heroes season 2 will probably be aired in the spring, Bionic woman in January, I don't expect to see Pushing Daises broadcast over here until the summer and Desperate Housewives (I know it's not Geeky, but I truly love that show) in January.They only just finished season six of Smallville over here last week. So the strike isn't really talked about by anyone over here, In fact I think I have seen it mentioned in the news once.

I hope this gets sorted out very soon. It seems that some heads need banging together. In the meantime, it gives me the opportunity to catch up on these shows through the wonders of the net and when they finally get shown over here, and people wonder why the quality has dropped or why there are only half the normal shows in the season, I will have the answers and will have already shared the pain with my friends at Treks in Sci-Fi.

[markinro]

What I wonder is how quickly the season can get back on track if the strike is settled.  Are there some episodes that will just never air ?