WGA STRIKE COVERAGE: Sides Talk Tuesday, But Numbers Don't Add Up
TV Industry Remains Pessimistic Despite Talks Continuing
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/4/2007 6:59:00 PM
The Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers returned to the bargaining table Tuesday, but even that did little to quell the sense of pessimism in the television industry during week five of the strike.
While the fact that both sides are talking again and offering proposals would seem to indicate some reason for optimism, there are major discrepancies in what is being offered.
After the AMPTP put forth at least a partial proposal last week that it said would give the writers an additional $130 million over three years, WGA negotiating committee chairman John Bowman said in a letter to guild members that the number was closer to $32 million.
In the same letter, Bowman claimed that the latest WGA proposal would cost the AMPTP companies $151 million over the same time period.
Despite the apparent mathematical challenges, the post-meeting rhetoric Tuesday night was decidedly cordial.
Bowman’s letter also said, “We greet their public willingness to make such an offer with real interest.”
The AMPTP issued a response late Tuesday, saying, "We will spend the evening studying what the WGA had to say today, and we look forward to returning to the bargaining table tomorrow."
Among the topics currently being debated is compensation for streaming content online. The AMPTP suggested a flat-rate compensation model, while the WGA put forth a proposal with payment tied to the number of streams each piece of content generates.
For full coverage of the strike, click here.
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Funny, rumor has it that the writers are so fat & lazy they have hired workers from the Home Depot to picket for them so they won't get blisters on their tootsies! Work a picket line from 9-5??? Come on! Get your butts out there and brave the elements 24/7, that's how a picket line works! Of course, they can still write from their desks at home, whereas the rest of the industry cannot, how fair is that?
Jeff Bridges - 12/5/2007 10:15:00 PM EST -
As a writer I support the WGA fully, however on the flip-side of that, I'm also a loyal consumer. And the strike completely decimated the story-line for Heroes which was forced to end and entire half of a year early. I find myself torn between my bitterness toward the WGA for attacking something so close to me, and my understanding as an artist. Something has to be decided quickly or other new classics may be irrevocably altered in ways not meant to have ever come to pass.
Philip Couillard - 12/5/2007 7:03:00 AM EST
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