Pyrrhic Campaigns
As I've said before, I'm completely convinced that studios are screwing the writers - heck, here's another example of what passes for "thinking" in that set, from Michael Eisner:
According to CNET's The Social, in addition to calling the strike "stupid," Eisner said that the studios "make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners," adding that, "They make all these kinds of things, and who's making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple." Eisner then went on to say that, "If I was a union, I'd be striking up wherever he is."
Riiiiight. Should I get a piece of ABC, since I "pay" for the ads by watching them? With that out of the way, I have to say - I don't really agree with this piece at Forbes either, which backs the writers:
When 12,000 Hollywood writers traded pencils for picket signs this week, they took a huge risk. Even riskier: not striking. Losing to the studios now could doom their union as television gives way to the Internet.
I think my wife had the analogy about right when we talked about this last night. I mentioned something about the strike, and she said "Eastern Airlines". Remember them? The pilots struck, because they were being screwed over by the owners. However, the strike managed to be a lose-lose - Eastern just folded.
Now, I don't see the networks "just folding". However, I do see them losing touch with the younger demographic. My daughter, 13, already spends more time on the net than she does in front of the TV - and most of her friends do the same. With the few shows she does make time to watch ready to disappear, that tenuous connection to TV will just snap. Like the Eastern strike, the writers may well be outsmarting themselves - I don't know how much they can afford to lose from the younger, already drifting, demographic.
Sure, they're being screwed. The problem is, the cure may be far worse than the disease.
Comments
Backfiring strike
[Mike Brazinski] November 7, 2007 18:55:51.243
If the strike goes on for a while, our plan is to pick up some DVD season bundles of series we didn't catch during the first run or series we started watching after their first season (Boston Legal Season 1, Monk, maybe Eureka). Its ironic since a larger percentage of DVD sales are in part what the writers for.
Or maybe we'll just download them from iTunes.
[] November 8, 2007 2:59:51.408
A good story is a good story, whether it's told via TV of the Internet. There will always be a place for good writers.
Re:
[] November 8, 2007 12:27:56.524
Re: TV and the Internet
[James T. Savidge] November 8, 2007 12:47:26.278
You wrote:
However, I do see them losing touch with the younger demographic. My daughter, 13, already spends more time on the net than she does in front of the TV - and most of her friends do the same. With the few shows she does make time to watch ready to disappear, that tenuous connection to TV will just snap. Like the Eastern strike, the writers may well be outsmarting themselves - I don't know how much they can afford to lose from the younger, already drifting, demographic.
It is mostly about the Internet and some about DVD sales. Currently the studios want to exclude Internet downloads from the residual system because they say that the downloads are for "promotional purposes".
If mainstream TV goes away, or diminishes to insignificance, the downloads will become their source of income. If they don't take a stand now to get their share of that pie, they may never get a fair slice. (whatever the size of the pie ever ends up being.)
A favorite writer of mine, (who writes for more than just TV,) has been covering what has been going on and has been answering readers questions: Mark Evanier.
If not now, when?