Writers Strike Talks Hit A Wall
What's at issue here is a principle -- how this all works vs. a specific dollar amount. And that precedent is why for both sides this is a very high-stakes game, said Harley Shaiken, a labor relations expert at the University of California-Berkeley. No, he's not speaking of some high-faluting political situation or even how to sell used cars. The subject matter at hand is the nasty strike between the Hollywood writers and the studios and networks.
Shaikens' statement comes after the talks between the two sides broke down -- again. According to Forbes.com, the latest effort between the sides halted after eight days at the negotiating table on Friday evening, almost five weeks after writers (television and movie) walked off their jobs. At the center of the strike? Issues of new media compensation (residuals off shows being broadcast over the internet). The news of the "communication breakdown" is not all that surprising, but does indicate that writers and studios are still far apart, and that we shouldn't look for an end to the strike any time soon.
The latest proposal written by the WGA featured a tiered payment formula tied to how many times a show is watched. A TV show would nab $632 the first 100,000 views in the first year. That rate would increase each 100,000 views. Once it reached a certain level, the writers would receive a residual based on 2.5% of the distributor's revenue.
After the latest stalemate in the talks, the networks and studios said they were "puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA (Writers Guild of America) negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to this strike." In their defense, the Writers Guild stated they were "ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high."
At this rate, it looks as if the entertainment world will see an increase in reality TV shows. Get ready for "Gus: The life of a hot dog vendor" to hit the airwaves soon.