The Writers Guild of America strike affects the people, the writers, the television and movie industries’ employees and television itself; however, the strike does not affect the studios.
“The studios can last a lot longer time than the rest of the industry,” said Bakersfield College professor Kathryn Butterfield-Davis, film studies.
According to Davis, General Electric owns NBC and Viacom owns Paramount.
These studios are only one source of income. “Film and television programs are a measurable part of their business, but not their only business.”
FOX, which is part of Rupert Murdoch’s business, has more to gain from the strike.
“(FOX) are welcoming the strike because they’re saving monies by ending all the projects they didn’t really want to do anyway,” said Davis.
“Force majeure'” is a term used to describe the process of backing out on projects because it is a “hardship” and, according to Davis, FOX invoked this power the second day of the strike. “So they had this planned ahead.” Also, according to Davis, FOX is in the lead when it comes to reality show programming.
Though reality TV is guided by some writers, they are not unionized under WGA. This fact was also discussed between the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, however, perhaps too late.
While scripted shows are shutting down and the industries’ employees such as actors and post-production companies face losing their jobs, reality TV and primetime sports will eventually reign over television.
“They (FOX) have everything to gain and nothing to lose,” said Davis.
According to Davis, writers must be on strike for a year before there is an impact on studios. Because of the stockpile of scripts gathered last minute and those that sat on a dusty shelf for quite some time, studios have enough scripts to last them awhile.
Davis also believes that public pressure could possibly speed up negotiations.
According to a statement from WGA West President Patric M. Verrone on their website, a poll conducted by Pepperdine University found that 63 percent of American people support the strike, four percent support the conglomerates and 33 percent had no opinion.
“I think it’s necessary. The writers need to be paid for any type of outlet that their work is being used in,” said BC English major Briana Carrillo, 22.
“I believe the strike is reasonable, but it has to come to a point or agreement before it gets out of hand,” explains BC English/theater major Drew Hallum, 21.
“If it continues, I see more people within television/movie industries striking and asking for royalties as well.”
Although history major Derek Hammond, 22, did not know the details of the strike, he offered an opinion: “These writers are wimps. They just need to shut up and do their job like everybody else. They don’t have it that bad, they are writers so they just need to write and be happy.”
Several other students either did not know about the strike or did not know about its details.
According to information gathered from both the WGA West Web site and AMPTP’s Web site, the WGA is asking for residuals on new media formats, which are downloads from the Internet, cell phones, etc.
“Writers currently do receive residuals for digital downloading (regardless of whether the download is temporary or permanent),” said AMPTP President Nick Counter.
According to Counter, the WGA seeks to increase residuals by impossible standards and seeks to gain monies through Internet site owners’ revenues in advertising, though “producers are getting none of that money themselves.”
However, according to the WGA, they are not informed about the specifics of residuals on new media formats and there are other practices that AMPTP participates in, which effects WGA members.
According to the guild in a Nov. 5 New York Times article, since the 1988 writers’ strike, WGA jobs within television and films have dropped from 95 percent to 55 percent because of the production of animation and reality TV.
“Studios have a history of being fearful of . any new technology,” said Davis.
“So over the years, they wouldn’t promise anything to their writers, as far as them getting a piece of the profit from the new technology, saying they’ll make it up to them later, but never do.”
According to Davis, most writers do not make that much money. “So the decision to strike had to be a huge one for them.”
According to the New York Times article, 12, 000 members of the WGA are television writer-producers “who take up to $5 million a year.”
However, junior writers “make $50,000 or less,” which equates with the average income of Los Angeles workers.
“About 48 percent of West Coast members (of the WGA) are unemployed.”
Though the guild does hold $12 million in strike fund assistance, writers, if they qualify, must repay their loan within 180 days after the strike officially ends.
“The majority of writers are barely making a living, and the majority of writers’ careers are very short-lived,” said former president of the WGA East and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” writer Chris Albers in the article.
“Most writers are not rich at all,” stated Davis, ” and will never be able to dig out from the financial hole they’ll be in by the end of the strike.”