David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. It’s hard to write fresh writers-strike-related headlines, let me tell you
Only 2% have actually been following the strike. 44% say they’ve been watching less TV while 25% say they’ve been watching shows they ordinarily wouldn’t. 16% say they’re bored more these days, while 9% say they’re having more sex and 4% say they’re fighting with their spouse more.
So the strike has actually benefited 9% of the population.
Meanwhile, Writers Guild of America president Patric Verrone was on the Fox Business Channel today, and he kind of answered some questions, while others he just resorted to the usual boilerplate.
On whether the end deal will make up for the money lost during the strike:
“We’re on strike here for the future, particularly new media. And, what we earn back or what we’ve lost in earnings over the past few weeks – sure, you can weigh that pound for pound, dollar for dollar against the cost of the strike – but because we’re striking for the future, because we’ve got the entire wave of writers, actors and directors being paid in new media on the line, it’s incalculable.”
On whether a deal between the Directors’ Guild and producers will put pressure on the WGA:
“We’ve been just as anxious as you to hear news from the Directors’ Guild talks. We hope they make a good deal, and when they close their deal and it does become public, we’ll take a look at it very, very carefully but our strike doesn’t end until a deal is made with the writers.”
“The deal we make has more influence not only on writers but on actors down the road so there has to be a settlement that ends all of this for everyone. We’re the ones out on strike right now. We’re the ones who have to go to work before anyone does.”
On the WGA’s decision to approve the NAACP Awards:
“It’s a wedge. It’s a way to create competitive pressure. The purpose of all of this is to get a contract – to get a good contract – and by making the decisions that we’re making, we’re hoping that, strategically, the conglomerates come back to the table.”
On whether the Oscars will go on:
“I hope so. I want to have a chance to win my Oscar pool in my office too. But at this point, we need to make a deal with the conglomerates.”
And Variety’s Brian Lowry takes a mid-strike pulse-check of the industry, and makes a couple of observations that we’ve made here, as recently as yesterday (of course, Lowry is a trained professional, so when he says it, you’re to take it seriously, whereas when I say it, it’s just the gibbering of a chimp trying to fill blog space):
“Inevitably, the writers will rue many aspects of this work stoppage, which of necessity forces networks to keep throwing unscripted concepts against the wall, and some of those (such as NBC’s “American Gladiators”) will stick. Not many of these series will possess the staying power of “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” -- which the 1988 strike birthed -- but writers bitching about a lack of staffing jobs before will almost surely return to find fewer of them. …
“The truth, though, is that an over-reliance on reality by the major networks represents a one-way ticket to deflating parity with basic cable, eradicating the advertising premiums that separate NBC and CBS from A&E and GSN.”
Finally, here’s the Official Countdown to Armageddon, the count of how many original episodes of scripted series remain. This month will see the final original episodes of “Criminal Minds,” “Without a Trace,” “Chuck,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Ugly Betty,” “Boston Legal,” “Private Practice,” “ER,” “Big Shots,” “Moonlight” and “Ghost Whisperer.”
That, alone, is 11 hours or TV that will have to be replaced by the likes of “Celebrity Hoedown,” “Extreme Makeover: Entertainment Industry Edition,” “Celebrity Panhandling,” “Are You Stingier Than an AMPTP Member?” and “Celebrity Hobo Makeover.”
Comments
I wanna be part of that elite 9%. Where do I sign up?
Posted by: Suzy Q | January 16, 2008 3:54 PM