By LAURA JOHNSON
The Current Assistant Editor
A funny thing happened on the way to the back lots of networks like ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS starting 11 days ago. As actors and crewmen alike pulled up to their respective TV-land gates, they were swiftly greeted by steamed-up writers picketing in front of the studios. Rally boards were scribbled with phrases like, “We’re not even writing slogans,” while merciless contenders were shouting one-liners like, “No money, no funny.”
The Writers Guild of America strike, involving over 10,000 writers across the nation, has the ability to affect the highest paid actor to the lowliest of the janitorial staff, along with the “no-time-for-TV-but-I-watch-it-anyway college student.”
Although the strike is not one that will see immediate effects, such as an airline pilot strike might (because it would immediately shut down a vita industry), soon the effects will be seen — or not seen, in a way, as national programming will simply be cancelled.
For many students, a week is scheduled around a certain TV show. Shows like “The Office,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Hero’s” “Desperate Housewives,” “24” and other highly-rated programs are being greatly effected. Just this week, “The Office” aired its last-taped show, and will not be filming anymore as of now.
“Every Thursday, my friends and I get together to watch ‘The Office,’” said junior Megan Carolin. “TV is definitely a reason to hang out, and, without these shows, it will be a lot harder to find a distraction. Although I’m sad that there will be no new episodes, I do however support the strike.”
Senior Lauren McCord, another fan of “The Office,” said she is trying to see things from the writer’s perspective.
“I am disappointed about the whole thing and I am trying to sympathize; however, it is not the end of my life,” she said. “When I was in London for a year, the train station workers went on a strike three times. Now that was something that truly affected my daily life.”
For the writers, the qualm is that when shows that they have penned end up on the Internet or on iTunes, they are not seeing paid residuals (which is not the case when shows they’ve work on are aired on television).
From the studios’ perspectives, they feel that the online medium of television programming streaming is too new to be able to properly assess the amount of money that a writer’s work would be worth.
Damon Lindelof, who is the co-creator and writer for “Lost,” said in an op-ed column for the New York Times that if the strike lasts for three months or longer, programming will not resume until 2009.
“I will probably be dragged through the streets and burned in effigy if fans have to wait another year for “Lost” to come back. And, who could blame them?” Lindelof said.
As a whole, students said they would be sad about their favorite programs being turned off, but they agree that if it will be better for writers in the long run, then hopefully it will all be worth it.
Junior Deniz Mustafoglu, a fan of “Grey’s Anatomy,” said that she felt the whole strike situation was rather sad.
“I understand their complaint,” he said. “But the whole watching-TV-shows-on-the-Internet [thing] is kind of like downloading music — no matter what, it still is going to happen.”
Senior Topher Runyon, who regularly watches “Grey’s” and “Ugly Betty,” said that he is upset because “Grey’s” is just getting good.
“It’s just a big downer to the fans,” Runyon said. “They are leaving us all just hanging with no resolution in sight, and that’s not really fair. I am trying to sympathize with the writers and I understand why they are doing it, but eventually I want to know what will happen to the people on my show.”
Although some students may not even be aware of the strike yet, as it has only been going on for 11 days, soon, if this action continues, American television will cease to exist as they know it.
Even if this does mean slightly skinnier students for a while because they won’t have a time to sit down in front of the tube , sooner or later, students will find something else with which to occupy their time. Only time will tell the fate of the television industry.
11-15-2007