Reviews by Matt

Last week, whether you noticed or not, the writers of Hollywood went on strike. That means that no new scripts for movies or television will be written until the studios and the Writers Guild of America reach an agreement. As of Tuesday night, no agreement has been reached and no further talks are scheduled for the immediate future.

What the writers want, as with most strikes, is more money. Truth be told, the amount they are asking for is relatively small.
Way back when VHS tapes were in their infancy, the writers took a pay cut to allow the studios to help build the market. In the past 20 plus years, the pay has remained the same. That means that for every DVD sold at $19.99, the writers get four cents. In the age of the Internet, the writers are also paid four cents for downloads from stores like Amazon and iTunes. They get absolutely no money for their work is for the episodes shown on the web.

All the major networks have entire episodes of certain shows that can be viewed online. They post advertisements and get revenue for it. The writers get nothing even though it is their work that is being shown.

So what exactly do the writers want? They want the original contract honored; giving them eight cents for every DVD sold. They want more per download and residuals for the online episodes. That is all they want and at least from my standpoint it seems reasonable.

There is an issue that no one seems to be looking at; the effect a prolonged strike would have on the viewing public. In 1988 the WGA went on strike for 22 weeks and the studios lost $55 million. That is not my problem. I think the studios make way too much for doing nothing anyway.

My problem is lies with what could happen should this last as long as the previous strike. How are the viewers going to respond to a long, drawn out span with no new scripted television?

Dozens of shows are going into reruns soon. Most will not make it that far into 2008 and many more will not return once the strike is over. If the strike continues longer then three months no new pilots will be filmed meaning that there will be no new television for the fall 2008 season. Infact there would be no brand new shows until January of 2009. You read that right; 2009.Who knows how many viewers will not return if that happens.

Television is an escape for millions of people. I know that I look forward to watching TV when I get home from school every day. It is a time to relax, put your feet up and zone out for however long you want.
Soon that release will not be there. It will be all reality shows and reruns. Nothing new until the studios and the writers can reach an agreement. That leaves us, the viewing public, with a void. We are the ones who are feeling the effect of this strike, not the writers and certainly not the studios.

Millions could feel betrayed if they lose their primetime dramas and comedies. It is nice to come home and watch Michael Scott from “The Office” be the complete dope of a boss. Watch Grissom solve the case on “CSI”. Watch House be a jerk while he solves the most complex medical mysteries. Watch those with special powers on “Heroes” discover just what they can do and save the world. All of these are escapes from reality. It is a reality that every day looks bleaker without new television.

That is what is really at stake. Not only could millions be lost in revenue during the strike, but also billions are at stake if the viewers decide not to return. Our trust has been tested and our patience is running out. If the studios want us to watch what they air and the writers want us to watch what they write, they had better figure this out before it is too late.