Like any TV junkie, I?m a little bummed that the writer?s strike is keeping some of my favorite shows off the air. Selfishly speaking, however, there?s a big upside for me with this writer?s strike, so I?m more than happy to wait as long as it takes for them to negotiate this out.
At the heart of the issue is what to do about Web money. Meaning, if any TV/Movies, etc. are delivered online, how much should the writer?s get paid? They want their fair share, and the studios pretty much don?t Like any TV junkie, I?m a little bummed that the writer?s strike is keeping some of my favorite shows off the air. Selfishly speaking, however, there?s a big upside for me with this writer?s strike, so I?m more than happy to wait as long as it takes for them to negotiate this out.
At the heart of the issue is what to do about Web money. Meaning, if any TV/Movies, etc. are delivered online, how much should the writer?s get paid? They want their fair share, and the studios pretty much don?t want to pay anything, or if they do, just peanuts. They argue that the Web is too new to be able to accurately compute what amount of revenue programming will produce–and by extension, what writers should get–and are therefore not paying at all.
Essentially, the studios want to figure out how they can keep the biggest slice for themselves. The writers want the same.
Thing is, if all goes well for me writing-wise, as I expect it will, some day down the line?and hopefully sooner rather than later?my time will come to cash in. Finders Keepers has potential for many mediums, as do the various other projects I?ve got in the pipeline. By the time my projects are coming up for Web delivery, I want to be protected.
So however long this writer strike takes, it takes. I miss my TV, but there?s a real issue at stake here. Not only do I support my fellow writers?who deserve to be compensated fairly?but one day Ill be on the negotiating end of things, and the more the writers work out today, the better off I?ll be tomorrow.
