Writers union feeling the heat - leaders are admonished to

[katty]

more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-strike12dec12,0,5281951.story?coll=la-home-center
Writers union feeling the heat

Leaders are admonished to refocus on the key issue: Web revenue. Talks with directors could play a role.

By Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
December 12, 2007

The Writers Guild of America is under new and mounting pressure from its ranks to get back to the bargaining table.

A number of union members are unhappy that the negotiations with the major Hollywood studios that broke off Friday night were sidetracked by issues secondary to the one the writers see as central: how they will be paid when their work shows up on the Internet.

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Six weeks into a costly strike, they're pressing union leaders to get the talks back on track -- and fast -- fearful that the Directors Guild of America might open its own contract negotiations with the Hollywood studios as early as next week.

That could undermine the writers' leverage, because the directors might not make all the demands that the writers have made. The writers don't want another union to set their agenda.

Among the writers urging fresh talks are some of the guild's most powerful members, those responsible for the day-to-day operations of popular TV shows, which are quickly running out of original episodes.

[TheWraith]

1. The LA Times might as well be owned by the producers' guild.

Just saying, take anything they write with an eye towards propaganda, directed at both the general public and fomenting rebellion inside the WGA.

[katty]

2. well, it's not and in Hollywoodland both sides 'feed' the media

what they want in the news next day-the classic PR war.

[TheWraith]

3. Except the producers have all the money, power, and connections. NT

[katty]

4. not necessarily-there are very high end writer/producers

in this town, they're millionaires and have power - problem is most of the WGA membership does not work (therefore they would not be receiving residuals on work they 'have not done' via any media), the top writer and/or producers are ones that are getting all the work most of the time. Only 2% of actor members of the Screen Actors Guild members actually work throughout the year or work at all.

[TheWraith]

5. Okay, show me the list of millionaire screenwriters.

I'm willing to bet you it's a hell of a lot shorter than the list of millionaire studio moguls and producers.

Screenwriters don't make a lot of money in Hollywood. Those who do are the rare exceptions.

[katty]

6. I live and work here, if you want to get a list just

do your own research, IMDB.com or other searches for "millionaires" - writer/producers, "show runners" (the official title) that work on all the top films and tv shows. I did not say there were MORE of them (writer/producers) than the company/studio owners - I said there were more than just a few, basically. Do you have a need to pick a fight about this? I don't.

[TheWraith]

8. Then don't pick a fight.

The fact remains that while there are a handful of rich WGA members, the studios and producers control VASTLY more money and media than the union does, and the LA Times is known for slanting stories in a way favorable to the producers', including ignoring coverage of the WGA pickets.

[L0oniX]

7. Who cares about ABC CBS NBC and FOX? Fuck them and fuck their shows. It's all garbage anyway.