TVSquad

Isn't it ironic? I can't stop writing about the writers' strike. A friend of mine sends me updates from the leaders of the WGA, sometimes as much as several times a day, and I soak it all in. Said friend is a member of the WGA West, and we are both watching news about the strike and the on-again/off-again negotiations with baited breath.
Dare I say that this may be THE biggest story of the year for television? Especially because the course of TV for 2008 is going to be largely determined by the long-term effects of this strike.After the 1988 strike, some shows never rebounded from the loss in viewers they took during the strike. This time, thanks to YouTube, DVDs, the Internet, the X-Box 360, the Wii, iTunes, Nintendo (I could go on and on and on), a lot of people have tons to do besides watch television. Not to mention just plain old books and magazines.

Things are going to get stickier for the studios sooner than later. the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) President Alan Rosenberg has pledged SAG's full support. in a December 16, 2007 letter to the WGA, "for as long as it takes" [emph. his]. Combine this support with the fact that the LA Times is reporting that writers are turning to venture capitalists to do web entertainment production, and the writers and actors may just combine forces and cut out the studios altogether. I don't know that that will work for the big screen, but for the small screen, the future might start really happening now.

---