I doubt bloggers can ever afford to go on a strike — not blogging for a week or a month, for instance, to make a statement or to press for an issue.
Writers apparently can; especially writers in the United States of America, they can. And they could if they are the writers of high-rated TV series watched by millions around the globe.
Writers’ Strike
In Hollywood, a writers’ strike is brewing and threatening to halt the plot of some of TV’s blockbuster series such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and my favourite series, Prison Break.
The third season of Prison Break is not yet shown in my part of the world but I wouldn’t want it run into a snag once TV stations here started showing the series.
The strike, according to reports, could go ahead this week after the 12,000-strong Writers’ Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement on new pay terms.
The key issue for writers is their demand for a larger share of the money derived from the sale of DVDs and shows distributed digitally.
Impasse
So there’s going to be an impasse between the writers who are the brain behind the plot, and the producers, who present the plot to the viewers.
On Oct 31,The Writes’ Guild of America issued this statement:
“Today, just hours before the expiration of our contract, the AMPTP brought negotiations to a halt.The Companies refused to continue to bargain unless we agree that the hated DVD formula be extended to Internet downloads.
This morning we presented the AMPTP with a comprehensive package of proposals that included movement on DVDs, new media, and jurisdictional issues. We also took nine proposals off the table. The Companies returned six hours later and said they would not respond to our package until we capitulated to their Internet demand.
After three and a half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable.”
Here’s an excerpt of the statement by AMPTP President:
“We want to make a deal. We think doing so is in your best interests, in your members’ best interests, in the best interests of our companies and in the best interests of the industry. But, as I said, no further movement is possible to close the gap between us so long as your DVD proposal remains on the table. In referring to DVDs, we include not only traditional DVDs, but also electronic sell-through — i.e., permanent downloads. As you know, we believe that electronic sell-through is synonymous with DVD.
There are pending claims with regard to electronic sell-through that will be resolved through the arbitration process. But to make any new agreement with you, residuals for the DVD market, including electronic sell-through, must be paid under the existing home video formula”.
Let’s see how this plot unfolds.
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