Whole lotta mail on the WGA Strike. Here are some of them, including some questions. This first query came from Brian Trester and also from a couple of other folks…
Why are not writers for the news services and TV news covered? You know like CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC and the like. I know Katie Couric can't even say "Iraq," let alone write a story about it.
News writers at some (not all) networks are covered by the WGA but under a separate contract with many different terms…or rather, they should be covered by a contract. As if my Guild didn't have enough to think about, news writers at some shops have been working under expired contracts for some time and are now talking about a strike vote. The group that seems likely to walk out soon would consist of the news writers working at CBS…so Ms. Couric may soon be speechless.
The next message is from someone who signs themselves "TW George"…
How much impact does public opinion of the strike have on what goes on at the negotiating table? Will a negative view of the strike by the public encourage the WGA to settle more quickly and/or embolden the Producers/Studios? Would the opposite be true if the public continues to hold a positive view of the strike?
This is just my sense of things but I don't think general public opinion has much impact on the negotiations insofar as the WGA is concerned…and I don't think it matters much to the Producers unless it begins to manifest itself in boycotts and declining audience. Even then, I don't think people will stop watching a network or going to a studio's movies because of the suppliers' behavior in this strike. They might because the absence of WGA writers has resulted in too many reruns or badly-written shows.
On the other hand, it would certainly be nice to feel we had the public behind us and they weren't blaming us for the fact that they aren't getting new episodes of Jay and Dave for a while. And I do think most people understand that. They understand that if you're given a choice of taking a rotten deal or walking, you have no choice but to go for a stroll.
The one thing that I think may matter is public opinion in and around show business — the sentiments of the other workers at the studio, the caterers, the suppliers, etc. I remember during the latter days of the '88 strike, a lot of writers I knew were troubled to hear what the strike was doing to their co-workers — production assistants, casting directors, office crew, etc. This time though, the Guild is so "together" (a 90.3% strike vote, let's remember) and the Producers' position seems so intractable and unreasonable, that I think we're a long way from that. This is my fifth WGA strike and I've never seen "the town" so firmly behind us.
Here's one from Richard Leung…
I am honestly surprised at all the silly emails you seem to be getting, the gist of which seem to be that screenwriters ought to be serfs earning minimum wage. I have no connection to the industry at all, but from what I know, screenwriters are severely underpaid and underappreciated. And that includes those happy few who are making two or three million per script. I think you are apologizing too much for the big earners in your profession. How come the actors and directors are allowed to make 10 or 20 mil per film, but not the guy who actually writes the thing?
That's a money thing that flows from a presumed audience habit. They go to see stars and not to see writers. If you're a distributor out selling the new Will Ferrell movie, you're going to get a certain amount of advance bookings, sight unseen, just on the strength of his stardom. If you're shopping a movie written by Sam Yutzman, it's not going to make your job as simple. So Ferrell has a lot more clout to demand top dollar.
I actually think writers moan too much about lack of respect. Some of us don't deserve a lot of respect and some of us don't seem to recognize it when we get it. My feeling is that if you're a writer and you feel you aren't getting sufficient respect, you may need to write something better.
From Jack Bagley…
I 100% agree with your stance on residuals. In publishing, they're royalties, and we earn them every time one of our books is purchased.
I have two sci-fi novels out there and, while they never hit the New York Times bestseller list, they did okay. And as you pointed out, every time someone buys one of my novels, I get a check.
I wouldn't want it any other way, and I know you wouldn't either. Those who ask such questions simply don't understand the difference between creative work and…well, whatever they do for a living.
From Steve Billnitzer…
For what it's worth, my group was assigned to the Colfax entrance at CBS Radford, the truck entrance. We had more than a few Teamsters who honored the picked line and refused to cross, but they all, or nearly all, merely waited around the corner till we left at 5 p.m. and then finished their deliveries anyway. As in your location, the only grumbling was the upset over the news that the DVD residual issue was reported as off the table, but that was considerable. Most marchers I talked to said they planned to contact the Guild and demand it be put back in.
Show runners on our 20-to-30 marcher corner included Steve Pepoon and Phil Rosenthal (I don't think I could recognize any drama writers), and we had sign-carrying SAG support from Justine Bateman and Jon Cryer, who was there the entire time. An interesting start to my first and hopefully only WGA work stoppage.
One odd thing that occurred to me on my line was that I was talking with a friend as we marched and I started to tell an anecdote about the '88 strike. Suddenly, everyone ahead of us and behind reacted and said, "You've struck before?" All the picketers around us were on their first-ever picket line and they were very interested. I am hardly an old-timer but I spent about twenty minutes answering questions and telling stories. I felt pretty good about that because, as I may have mentioned, there was this fear that the Guild has so many members who've joined since the last strike and might not understand what it's all about. But these people knew and were eager to learn more.
Lastly, someone named Mark asks…
Do you understand why the Leno and Letterman shows are doing reruns? Can't they simply drop the monologues and the comedy bits segments? To fill the time, book an extra guest or two for the host to chat with, let the music performer do couple extra songs, or have the house band do a number. Or are Leno and Letterman also members of the WGA?
Both are WGA members and as far as I know, loyal ones. Jay Leno was out on the picket line at NBC this morning.
I think the answer to your question is that these guys don't want to go on without writers. They could probably do their shows in a narrow sense by arguing that what they come up with is ad-lib and not written…but I think they like to think of that kind of thing as writing, and also know they'd be violating the spirit of the strike if not letter. I further suspect that the writers contribute more to those shows — that is, to more portions of those shows — than you think.
I'll post more of these later today. Or tomorrow. Or some time.