ithildin | A Few More Strike Related Thoughts

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As I was walking home, I was thinking about the '88 strike. Ugh! But what we have now, that we didn't have in '88 was hundreds of boutique channels. We didn't have a channel like BBC America. Now, should the strike be a prolonged one, they might be one of the few sources of new scripted TV there is. SciFi will probably have new stuff as well, at least in the B movie department. Which led me to wondering: will we see the big networks buying rights to air shows from the UK or Canada? And what about US shows that are made in Canada? I wonder what the small print on different contracts is as far as those productions being able to hire Canadian writers? And last, but not least, if this is a long strike, and goes as long as the '88 one, we could conceivably see the writers come back only to have the actors walk out in June. Dang!

An Hour Later: According to Deadline Hollywood, a Federal mediator has intervened.

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As a viewer I think it would be terrible to lose my shows (for Heroes to air a fast ending to a short season) but I can't imagine the mediator won't err on the side of the studio and I'm hoping that the writers stick to their guns.

It really is a long term issue - in my mind - n terms of how they are rewarded for their work in perpetuity.

The mediator is there to at least get everyone in the room and talking. They can't make either side do anything it doesn't want to. I would assume the Governor put in the request for a mediator. I don't know that, I'm just guessing, but it would make sense. A lot of TV/Film production has been lost to Canada and other countries, and there's a real worry here in CA about the long term economic impact of a prolonged strike. Especially in SoCal.

there's a real worry here in CA about the long term economic impact of a prolonged strike. Especially in SoCal.

That makes perfect sense and is really, really understandable. If people aren't working/earning they aren't spending. BUT there is a drive from corporations to own product in perpetuity. Simon & Schuster tried to do this to their back catalog earlier this year and the authors guild went nuts, certain contracts with the BBC are so drafted. And so it's the creative talent behind camera that gets shafted *sigh* I really wish we didn't live in an age of golden parachutes (that's a nod to the departing head of Merril Lynch and his wacking huge retirement bonus) and where the rewards for good work were more even.

I'm paraphriasing various blogs I lurked on last night - it seems that the mediator was called into town three weeks or so ago... either meetings didn't happen or... well there is some rumour circulating over rows about chairs and seating but that might have been a whole other instance.

There's an interesting article about Canadian TV production which will come up if you google. I think Canada and the UK may actually benefit - medium term - if the strike holds.