Comments on: Latest Strike News: November 9

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:59:00 +0000

Maybe you just wanted to delay the pain, Eva! It does mean re-runs.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:59:00 +0000

Maybe you just wanted to delay the pain, Eva! It does mean re-runs.

By: Eva G.

Eva G. — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:33:19 +0000

OMG!!! Robert does this strike mean MAD TV will be re-runs? The Show just premiered their 13th season last Friday, and if the strike is going to last a few months, then that means no MAD TV until 2008? SNL too, right? What am I supposed to record on Saturday night? I know… how could this just hit me today, right?

By: Eva G.

Eva G. — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:33:19 +0000

By: Strictly Cynical

Strictly Cynical — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:04:33 +0000

The studios are indeed in this for the long haul – but for all the wrong reasons. Refusing to pay the talent means you don’t get the talent. And they’ve seen what happens when they try to cheap out: their ratings drop.

They try to blame it on the net – but the real reason they’re failing is they’re putting on less of the good product, and audiences have a choice.

The people capable of providing that good product are the WGA writers, and the professional actors. That’s why AFTRA and the other performers’ unions are so heavily supporting the WGA, and the DGA – which comes next.

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:19:43 +0000

David,

I agree with you. The writers [and the on-air talent supporting them] seem to be behaving in a “maximum PR pressure early wins the strike” mode. Maybe that’s inevitable based on the dynamics of the situation, but I don’t think it’s likely to prove useful.

I think the studios are in this for the long haul and that most of the activity at this point ends up being just noise. The WGA needs to be planning for months of activity not days or weeks if they want to be successful.

By: Strictly Cynical

Strictly Cynical — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:04:33 +0000

The studios are indeed in this for the long haul – but for all the wrong reasons. Refusing to pay the talent means you don't get the talent. And they've seen what happens when they try to cheap out: their ratings drop.

They try to blame it on the net – but the real reason they're failing is they're putting on less of the good product, and audiences have a choice.

The people capable of providing that good product are the WGA writers, and the professional actors. That's why AFTRA and the other performers' unions are so heavily supporting the WGA, and the DGA – which comes next.

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:19:43 +0000

David,

I agree with you. The writers [and the on-air talent supporting them] seem to be behaving in a "maximum PR pressure early wins the strike" mode. Maybe that's inevitable based on the dynamics of the situation, but I don't think it's likely to prove useful.

I think the studios are in this for the long haul and that most of the activity at this point ends up being just noise. The WGA needs to be planning for months of activity not days or weeks if they want to be successful.

By: David

David — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:11:20 +0000

The link to the LA Times article is where I lose all sympathy for the writers. If you want to stop work and strike, that’s fine. But intentionally disrupting the shooting of a show and preventing other people from working who aren’t on strike is vile. Just be patient. The shows will run out of scripts in few weeks and then nobody will be working.

By: David

David — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:11:20 +0000

The link to the LA Times article is where I lose all sympathy for the writers. If you want to stop work and strike, that's fine. But intentionally disrupting the shooting of a show and preventing other people from working who aren't on strike is vile. Just be patient. The shows will run out of scripts in few weeks and then nobody will be working.