NPR: Not Your Average Strike

Not Your Average Strike

Now that film and TV writers have left their keyboards to join the picket lines, we could be looking at a lot of reruns. (If you're a fan of Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, etc., those reruns start tonight.) So we know that our viewing habits may be out of whack for a few days, weeks, months ... who can say? A 1988 strike lasted five months.

The television disruption is just one of several factors that set this strike apart (in addition to the lack of hard hats).

The New York Times reports that, unlike most unions, the Writers Guild of America could face a problem because of the differences in income among members. Writers who make $5 million a year have different expectations from those who might make $50,000. It could be a challenge to hold them together if the strike lasts a long time.

The strike could also affect shows made specifically for the Web, writes Scott Collins of the Los Angeles Times. The writers' strike is all about the Web in one way — writers want a piece of the pie when their stuff is used online. But it could also benefit Internet-only shows if people hungry for original content start looking on YouTube and similar sites. However, Collins has his doubts, asking if any of it is actually worth watching.

Of course, there are similarities to a typical strike. Day to Day, which is based in Southern California, asked some of its contributors to talk about what the strike will mean for them. Annabelle Gurwitch said so far it's mostly been a problem for her son, who didn't get his homework done because she and her husband let his tutor go.

In addition to the tutor, the strike is expected cut into the income of people who work as drivers, caterers and, yes, dog groomers.

6:19 PM ET | 11- 5-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Hah!- poor dog groomers. Sheesh. Honestly, it's true, the stuff on YouTube is of marginal quality, but then again, I haven't watched television in nearly 20 years for that very reason regarding the poor quality of content in that corner as well.

I'm curious though-- does this strike affect radio at all?

Hollywood, if your reading this, I'll write for you at a fraction of the price tag, and probably give you something better than the tripe you've been cranking out lately too..

Sent by erick | 8:22 AM ET | 11-06-2007

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