Writer Strike in Hollywood

January 7, 2008 Chrissy

They say history has a way of repeating itself, yet we never seem to listen to this warning do we?  This saying often appears to be a foreshadowing which can apply to just about anything in society.  In this case, I am choosing to show the connection between the current Hollywood writer strike and the former writer strike of 1988. 

In 1988, the writers in Hollywood decided to pick up their signs and protest outside the network company buildings that employed them.  The strike lasted five and a half months; the shows became so painful for the viewers to watch because their favorite shows had lost their flare that made them interesting.  Because of this, the networks lost about ten percent of their viewers, which has never been regained.  More and more families began turning off their televisions with disgust because the shows appeared to have no depth and a loss of intriguing storyline.  In result of the viewers turning off their television sets, the networks lost an estimated $500 million.  So why would the producers want to walk down that road again?

This seems to be the same case in the current strike in Hollywood.  In the strike of 1988 the issue was money, and today’s strike issue is also about money.  The producers are making money from DVD sales and Internet sales, so obviously the writers want a chunk of that money too.  The center of Hollywood seems to be built up by money.  The current strike has lasted for about ten weeks now, and neither side appears to backing down.  While this feud continues, no new shows are being made and the networks are beginning to rely heavily on reality shows which require no scripting or less compared to other shows. 

It’s not just the writers who are being affected now, it is also affecting the A list celebrities who are afraid to cross the picket lines in fear of having their reputations ripped apart by the media.  The celebrities are trying to keep their opinions on the down low as of right now.  They know the power of the media and they do not want to appear as narcissistic and self-absorbed.  The upcoming Oscar Award Show is going to be interesting to watch, given that this year there are promises of appearances by writers on protest, which will be a first for the red carpet.  The celebrities who have been nominated or invited are questionable on whether or not they will make an appearance or show up at all for the event.  In my opinion the celebrities who have been nominated should go for it, because they were nominated for their successful roles, they earned it. 

To me, the resolution seems quite simple and the result is inevitable, just give the writers their share of the money.  The current strike is at the half way mark from the 1988 strike, and it is estimated that this strike will lose much more money than the former one ever did.  Do the producers really want to repeat the old path?  I don’t think they really want to.  According to Sheldon Liber, “It’s not about anyone being happy…it’s about finding a number that makes both sides equally unhappy.”

Questions:

1.  Do you think the Golden Globes will be cancelled, rescheduled, or will they continue anyways?

2.  Do you agree with why the writers are striking?

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2 Comments Add your own

• 1. Michael  |  January 7, 2008 at 7:57 pm

  Chrissy,

  That Sheldon Liber quote sums up a perfect compromise, after all no one should be happy in a good compromise. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially as the traditional methods of distribution give way to the world’s best distibution channel, the internet. You should check out today’s feature at TheIssue.com which poses the question: will the strike be the beginning of the end of the current state of media?

  Cheers,

  Mike
  The Issue | http://www.TheIssue.com

• 2. Amy  |  January 8, 2008 at 6:43 pm

  I definitely agree with your opinion about the writers strike. I think the producers and people in charge should try to come up with a compromise. Although I think that both parties are being extremely greedy. We aren’t talking about hundreds of thousands; we are talking about millions of dollars! I know the writers are frustrated…but so are the viewers! If they continue to strike and people stop watching television then they won’t have any job to strike for because everyone is so fed up with their striking! While searching through recent news I found this article concerning the Golden Globe Awards, which has just been canceled because of the writers strike. I think that the writers and executives in charge of the paychecks should come to an agreement because people are going to start getting pretty angry when all of their favorite shows don’t return in the next couple of weeks.

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