WGA Strike: where do we stand now ?
By fred | December 26, 2007
I think this might be a desperate move on their part, to appear so strong and willing to let the strike expand over months and months to come. Because the reality might be all different, the reality might be is that they are loosing money. As I’ve mentioned before, all networks are now “paying back” advertisers, usually with extra commercial time.
But that’s not what advertisers paid for, and while networks & studios might try to let everyone think that reality TV or games is just as good, just like us TVoholics & viewers, advertisers know better, and they want quality, they want scripted content. Truth is, NBC already “crossed the line” and gave money back to some of their advertisers.
And as Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric - owner of NBC - admitted recently, the strike already had an impact on NBC Universal, and GE had to cut profit projections for the fourth quarter. Some words investors don’t like to hear. Just like people at ABC are probably not liking the recent ratings the network has received…
And while they all try to appear strong and united, ready and willing if necessary to let this thing drag for months, this might be just a big bluff. They might not actually be ready to go with it. Because if advertisers ask for their money back, and if they refuse to send cash in for as long as the strike goes on, the effects of the strike will have a much stronger impact of studios than what they are willing to take.
I’m not saying the strike won’t last, it may very well do so, but should it happen, the ones who will be hurt the most are studios and networks. If 2008 if going to be a dead season with nothing on TV but reality crap or even reruns from cable shows, ratings will drop very, very low. Television and the way its done might be changing shapes more rapidly due to the strike, but even if it does one thing is for sure : quality TV will still need and rely on writers. Networks, maybe not. Maybe other ways of distributing content to the viewers will emerged.
Many viewers will, maybe even have already, go away from TV in those difficult times, never to return. Because tomorrow, TV may not come to our homes through the big networks as it does today. If networks want to still exists in the world of tomorrow, they need not to mess things up. And acting like you don’t care about the ones creating your content in the first place, like you don’t care about your content, which is what people want and come to you for, and like you don’t care about those very people, us viewers, who actually are - one way or another - the source of your incomes, that’s not simply being stupid, but being irresponsible as well !
It’s not surprising they would act that way, as I’ve said in the past they’re morons, and the “fear tactic” probably comes with a “Made in USA” tagged on it. The government act that way, injecting fear into people’s mind so that they don’t care about their loss of liberties, or accept to see billions spent on wars instead of improving their lives and the way things are done within the States first.
Fear is a way to control people, and it is the way the AMPTP hopes to take over the WGA. But I think writers won’t fall for that one, and their strategy to divide and conquer should be a hint that they’re ready to break them down.
That is why they need to sign a deal to let Letterman and Ferguson back on the air with writers, because that will be the most effective thing to do. Sure, it may look like it’s helping CBS, but both shows are likely to go back on the air anyways. The difference is, if only CBS’ shows have writers, fresh content and quality shows, sure it helps CBS. And it also put NBC and others in a much tougher situation, it also shows ABC that if they were to sign a deal and get their series back on while no other network has anything to offer its viewers, they’d be close to being the only watched network, every single night.
So yes, maybe the strike could last for months, with the AMPTP refusing to talk for just as long. But I do not believe they are in as strong a position as they are willing to let people think they are; and if ratings do drop considerably (again people, if you love your shows and want them back : tune out !), if the writers hold on, if us viewers go on “strike” as well (Do NOT watch any reality TV, games or even reruns…), if advertisers ask for their money back and stop sending cash in, they might go back and talk sooner than they think.
I’m thinking that TV and movies are a huge source of money, it’s a billions dollars industries, and it won’t work with writers. They know it, we know it, hopefully shareholders and investors will get a sense of that too, and will make sure those AMPTP morons realize that, too.
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