NaBloPoMo #10: Writers’ strike
November 10, 2007
Most of you probably heard about breakdown in talks between Hollywood writers and producers. But how many of you know what the strike is really about?
It’s about fair payment for the work of the writers. Their work continues to pay off for studios, for producers, for advertisers, well after the original airing. But the writers make nearly nothing. They currently earn $0.04 per DVD sale. All they’re asking in that regard is to have it doubled–$0.08 per DVD sale. When the average DVD is around $14.99 for a movie and $39.99 for a TV series season, that’s nothing. That’s 0.5% of the price of the average movie on DVD. The studios can certainly afford that.
And they make nothing, nothing for episodes aired over the Internet, or offered for download. Others sure do. Why else would networks make them available online? Advertising dollars. And yet, the writers, the backbones of the show, do not get paid.
Am I upset by the fact that my shows will be out of episodes soon? Sure. But on the other hand, not only is 24 canceled, but the writers deserve their pay. So pay them.
