Disturbing new info from Variety suggests that now that the Writer's Guild has turned down the latest offer, there is little optimism that the strike will end before March. If that's the case, it's doubtful many (or any) new shows can be produced and air this season (perhaps maybe a few for May sweeps).
With both sides back at the barricades, many believe the writers strike won't be resolved until March at the earliest. Optimism for a quick resolution as negotiations resume Tuesday has faded to nearly nonexistent. In the aftermath of last week's lifting of the news blackout about the talks, each side played the blame game and stressed how insulted it's been by the other's recent conduct.
The WGA has eased up on its hardline stance in one area -- it granted a waiver for writing on Sunday night's telecast of the Kennedy Center Honors.
The Guild also granted a waiver for Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS benefit at Paramount this past Saturday night.
In a statement, Verrone said, “The WGAW lowered our picket line because this worthy event is happening solely through the efforts and underwriting of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who is not only a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, but an outspoken supporter of the Writers Guild in our struggle to achieve a fair share of all media - new and old - for our members and all members of the Hollywood talent community.”
Leaders of the Writers Guild of America insist that companies need to pony up far more in new-media compensation than was contained in their proposed New Economic Partnership. Meanwhile, CEOs are still bristling over how the new offer -- valued at $130 million by the AMPTP -- was slammed and dismissed out of hand by WGA leaders on Thursday night.
"This is going to set the tone of Internet pay for all eternity, so we have to get that right," WGA negotiating committee chair John Bowman said during a weekend interview.
Picket lines resume today at major lots as the strike starts its fifth week. The WGA West said Sunday that members of the negotiating committee and board will be at all studios during all shifts.
One conglom topper said in frustration, "These people (WGA) are acting like they want to go to rallies more than they want to make a deal."
There's still a slim hope that the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers can make enough progress this week to keep moving toward a deal -- aided by the shuttle diplomacy efforts of CAA topper Bryan Lourd. Under such a best-case scenario, the WGA will make a counteroffer Tuesday or Wednesday that could start the actual give-and-take of bargaining and perhaps conclude a tentative agreement by Christmas.
But the emerging consensus is that the two sides remain so far apart that the WGA talks will collapse soon. That would open the door for the AMPTP to start negotiations with the Directors Guild of America, which indicated before the strike that it was nearly ready to begin bargaining.
"If we should decide to schedule an 'early negotiation,' we will be ready to go," the DGA told its members on Oct. 24.
Over the weekend, the town was still mulling Thursday's developments. These included WGA leaders' insistence that rumors had so overtaken the talks that it was essential to lift the blackout.
"Our inability to communicate with our members has left a vacuum of information that has been filled with rumors, both well intentioned and deceptive," said WGA West prexy Patric Verrone and WGA East prez Michael Winship. "Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a 'done deal.'"
The missive went on to blast the AMPTP proposal as a "massive rollback." The WGA's key objections include the $250 fixed residual for a year's reuse on streaming, which is not anywhere near the $20,000 currently paid for a rerun on networks; the fact that jurisdiction over original programming for the Internet had not been granted; and no change to the residual formula on downloaded programming from the current DVD rate.
WGA leaders indicated that they needed to break until Tuesday because they were caught off-guard by the fixed-rate residual proposal. Initial reaction indicates they will respond by contending that payment for streaming needs to be tied to use.
Meanwhile, execs say they don't understand why the WGA opted to take a relatively long break from the talks with the strike nearly a month old, or why it used such dismissive language in Thursday night's statement, especially because, execs believe, top showrunners are getting antsy about the slow pace of talks.
Execs also talk about the lack of showbiz negotiating experience of WGA West exec director David Young.
"None of these people have ever concluded a deal of this magnitude," said one topper. Execs have also expressed disappointment over being painted as being uncaring about the biz when, they say, they've all come up through the ranks.
One exec expressed particular disappointment over the WGA's sudden departure Thursday.
"This does not help move things along," he said. "In bargaining, you need to build the process before you get to the point of give and take, creating a sort of snowball effect like at a seventh grade dance. What's happening here is that every time we make a move, they break off talks, so that's a real momentum killer."
For now, the CEOs don't anticipate taking more drastic steps, such as going to the bargaining table themselves or bypassing the WGA leadership and taking their case directly to the members.
Despite the length of the strike, no organized public opposition within the WGA has yet emerged, and members appear to be strongly backing their leadership on the issue of coverage for work on the Internet.
A widely distributed email from "Without a Trace" creator Hank Steinberg urged members to view the AMPTP pronouncements with a jaundiced eye and keep picketing. "We're still in good shape to make a fair deal, and we shouldn't allow their tactics to dampen our spirits or forget what it is we're striking over in the first place," he said.
It'd be very hard for the AMPTP to use scabs. It'd be worse than the NFL owners' use of scab players that time. Besides that, more & more actors/actresses are getting behind the writers.
Shore am glad my entertainment isn't limited to the boob tube, as I'm not gonna watch a whole blort of (uggh!) reality shows.
And I think the last round where the writers are now asking to expand and include game show writers into this deal by unionizing them is for the first time turning me off slightly to the Writer's Guild. I've been for them to this point.
There is a funny article written by "According to Jim" Executive Producer Warren Bell at http://www.nationalreview.com about being a tv writer and about the strike. I know most people on this forum probably don't agree with the politics of National Review but I think you guys will enjoy this piece.
Both sides are extremely stubborn if you ask me. Does it matter? I mean people can find other forms of entertainment that I don't know why they think they can survive a long strike. People, especially the younger demo can find plenty of alternative forms of entertainment, I expect video game sales to increase by a lot.
Posts: 1539 | Location: NY | Registered: 17 November 2006
Originally posted by NYHunter: Both sides are extremely stubborn if you ask me. Does it matter? I mean people can find other forms of entertainment that I don't know why they think they can survive a long strike. People, especially the younger demo can find plenty of alternative forms of entertainment, I expect video game sales to increase by a lot.
I agree. Both sides are very stubborn and its getting downright boring. But I will say the writers could be in bigger trouble than they originally thought. A lot of people like myself will have no problem watching Jericho and Big Brother as well as catching up on some repeats of other shows. Not to mention, two of TV's biggest shows will still be on (Dancing and Idol).
I'm not worried either. I finally can catch up on Chuck, Californication, Torchwood, continue to check out Big Brother, Survivor, Psych, and maybe even Apprentice.
And looking forward to The American Gladiators!
I finally watched the final Andy Barker this weekend.
====================
Posts: 5743 | Location: Chicago, IL | Registered: 20 September 2006
Originally posted by xwiseguyx: I'm not worried either. I finally can catch up on Chuck, Californication, Torchwood, continue to check out Big Brother, Survivor, Psych, and maybe even Apprentice.
And looking forward to The American Gladiators!
I finally watched the final Andy Barker this weekend.
Originally posted by NYHunter: Both sides are extremely stubborn if you ask me. Does it matter? I mean people can find other forms of entertainment that I don't know why they think they can survive a long strike. People, especially the younger demo can find plenty of alternative forms of entertainment, I expect video game sales to increase by a lot.
I agree. Both sides are very stubborn and its getting downright boring. But I will say the writers could be in bigger trouble than they originally thought. A lot of people like myself will have no problem watching Jericho and Big Brother as well as catching up on some repeats of other shows. Not to mention, two of TV's biggest shows will still be on (Dancing and Idol).
Originally posted by NYHunter: Both sides are extremely stubborn if you ask me. Does it matter? I mean people can find other forms of entertainment that I don't know why they think they can survive a long strike. People, especially the younger demo can find plenty of alternative forms of entertainment, I expect video game sales to increase by a lot.
I agree. Both sides are very stubborn and its getting downright boring. But I will say the writers could be in bigger trouble than they originally thought. A lot of people like myself will have no problem watching Jericho and Big Brother as well as catching up on some repeats of other shows. Not to mention, two of TV's biggest shows will still be on (Dancing and Idol).
and let's not forget LOST -- my favorite show!
You bet! And if I run out of programming, I could always start viewing Days online at NBC.com or check out a show that I haven't seen that's in repeats or catch comedy repeats on Nick at Nite and TBS.
Originally posted by mushu_jj: . . . . Both sides are very stubborn and its getting downright boring. But I will say the writers could be in bigger trouble than they originally thought. A lot of people like myself will have no problem watching Jericho and Big Brother as well as catching up on some repeats of other shows. Not to mention, two of TV's biggest shows will still be on (Dancing and Idol).
Although my sympathy is with creative types over the suits, I'd have to agree with you that the writers could indeed be in bigger trouble. All I know is what I've read in the media, but from that it appears to me that the writers have overplayed their hand--especially by infuriating all the employees of the shut-down shows like electricians, wardrobe, etc. etc. It could be that they'll never get a better deal than the one they were offered before the talks broke off.
Sure it could go on until March. The suits haven't negotiated in good faith yet. The strike will be settled the minute the AMPTP wants it settled. If the writers took the reality tv issues off the table tomorrow (they'll have to take them off the table; the WGA knows it) the studios would find some other reason not to negotiate; they're going to try to break the union's resolve until the last possible moment rather than give up millions in residuals. That's how corporate America works. The writers were about to break ranks back in '88. It worked then, so why not now? March would be five months. The 88 strike lasted five months.
Unfortunately, the studios are done with the writers. They'll be going after the directors very soon to try and negotiate a soft deal since the DGA has a history of negotiating early. If the AMPTP gets them to accept a soft deal, the writers are up an anal tributary without a suitable means of locomotion.
Even if the directors actually have a backbone, pilot season's already gone. The studios have gone this far--they'll try until June when all the guilds would be on strike to shut everything down. Then there'll be a settlement. I still can't believe that they had the gall to offer a payment of $250 for a year's use of streaming episodes. The studios make a fortune by putting ads in front of those episodes. They know what they're worth and they simply don't want to pay the writers for them. Your corporation makes money by keeping labor costs down. Too bad the same philosophy doesn't apply to the CEOS. Take a gander at Les Moonves' brand new compensation that was filed on public record with the US securities and exchange commission.
We're talking a sweet multimillion dollar package with stock options and compensation between 30 and 57 million. The studios sure can afford to pay their CEOS, but they won't pay the writers who create the episodes that make them millions online. Do I think the writers should win? Yes. Do I think they will? Probably not. By March everyone will be running out of money and be in a foul humor.
there's always money for CEOs, like you said in any business. it sickening that the people who actually have the largest hand in making these shows (or any product) are always the ones getting shafted. I wonder if there's any way to make certain numbers, like how much ad revenue is generated through the online streams, publicly known. I feel something like that which could really damage the public's view of those in charge of the studios could act as a fuel to help the writers get closer to what they deserve.
