The strike is over!!
If you haven't already figured it out, the Writers' Strike, which started more than 100 days ago, has been resolved, just in time for the Oscars. But what exactly did the Writers Guild of America receive for ending the strike and is it what they wanted?
Writers began their strike approximately on Nov. 5, after negotiations on the contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came to a halt. The Guild wanted the DVD formula of the contract extended to include Internet downloads.
Now after almost 100-days, the strike is over.
But the really exciting news is the fact that all of our shows will be returning shortly. Most will be coming back in April, but CBS will be bringing back shows at the end of March.The strike ended on Tuesday, Feb. 12 after the WGA voted on whether or not to put down the picket line. In Beverly Hills and New York, the writers balloted to vote. Out of the 10,500 members of the WGA, only a little more than 4,000 members voted on the strike. Out of this number, more than 3,000 voted to drop the picket line.
After this vote it was announced that writers should be expected to return to work the next day; most started Tuesday night.
The deal proposed by the AMPTP was for the writers to receive payments for online viewing by the audiences. The writers will receive initial payments for the first two minutes of a program watched online. For additional minutes they will receive a slightly smaller fee.
For dramas, it is set at $618 for the first two minutes and then $309 for each additional minute. Comedies and daytime shows are set at $309 for the first two minutes and then $155 for each additional minute.
These rights will be in effect for 13 weeks on free streaming video and 26 weeks for paid downloads.
But the really exciting news is the fact that all of our shows will be returning shortly. Most will be coming back in April, but CBS will be bringing back shows at the end of March.
The writers seem to have received a pretty good deal. They all agreed to the contract and maybe we can avoid any more picket lines.
Now all we have to worry about is the Screen Actors Guild contract that expires in four months on June 30.
Comments
Christie Wagner commented, on February 24, 2008 at 11:08 p.m.:
Wow, that is alot of money! I guess coming from my situation it seems like it. I appreciate their point... I don't own a TV and only watch two shows regularly and i do so , on-line. i had assumed that they were already paid for their job, and that had included all airings of episodes.
Are we going to have to start paying to watch episodes online as well? One of my biggest frustrations with TV is that i had to pay for the cable to bring the signal, and then i had to sit through the commercials to watch the show, i was already paying the cable company to deliver! so i really felt like i was paying twice. I mean seriously, why would anyone PAY to see a commercial? Now i watch only my two shows online, and i don't mind the ocassional ad. The advertising pays for the show to be aired(streamed) and i watch the ad, occasionally becoming a customer. Now, if i was paying for my internet, soley for the purpose of watching my shows on line.... i would probably be irritated, lol :)
thanks for posting the article. it is great to know that our favorites will be back, and that the great writers of them are being paid - as they should!