The Online Reflector

By Nicki Crisci
Opinion Editor

It’s been 94 days since the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike; do you know where your writers are?

Since Nov. 5, the writers have been causing havoc for TV viewers and moviegoers alike, and they show no signs of stopping. During this strike they have caused hundreds of millions of damage to the industry.
In the Nov. 6 article of the LA Times, it was stated that the last strike, which occurred in 1988, went on for 22 weeks and cost the industry around $500 million. What would the total cost be today?

There are only guesstimates at this point, but it is thought that the industry is set to lose over $220 million each month the strike continues. This amount being lost by the industry, however, pales in comparison to the amount not being gained by the writers, who should be making more money.

The main argument behind the strike, among many other issues, has to do with the electronic media aspect of the writers’ compensation.

Many networks like ABC and FOX allow users to see TV shows they missed on the Internet, but only for online viewing. If someone wants to download the episode to own, they can do so usually on iTunes, and are charged for it. Here, the writers don’t receive any compensation. They only get a small cut for the network video viewing, but not for the purchased episodes.

According to an article on www.TV.com, writers earn 1.2 percent on Internet-streamed residuals. They want their percentage increased to 2.5. The WGA also wants a 20 percent increase on the amount of money it receives from DVD residuals.

These are not the whims of greedy people. This cannot even be called greedy considering the small raise in percentage. These are hard working, important individuals.
The strike brings to light the necessity and hard reliance of writers in everyday American life. Without them, American culture and society is a little thrown off kilter.

Viewers saw firsthand that trusted comedic talk show hosts can’t be funny, politicians can’t debate and award shows of any sort are disasters. The writers are the creative minds behind such events. Bush’s writer is non-union, otherwise even the State of the Union address might not have been possible.

The very fact that people other than the main speaker are needed calls into the question of trust. Who is really the brains or the comedian of these shows or of the political debates? This is something quite disturbing.

If getting the WGA back means giving their members some well-deserved residuals on the work they have created, then they should get their money’s worth.

In this highly-electronic world, where anyone with a computer can upload his or her favorite shows, writers should get their share of the profits. The producers have had their share already, and their greed is getting out of control.

Even celebrities and presidential candidates like Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards have voiced their support on the matter numerous times.

A celebrity or presidential candidate isn’t necessary to aid the cause, but the more support the better, especially for those indirectly involved.

For now, I tip my pen to the picketers and say “strike on.”