Maybe they lke the publicity? (it woudl be just like Fox to enjoy it...)

j/k

One of the things I adore about the BBC news is when they do things like this. Every so often, they put things in a nutshell for their readers to get everyone up to speed with what's happening instead of assuming everyone is current with the particular event of the moment. It's like a 101 summary of what's up. I like it.


Today, there was one, count 'em, one striker at NBC. Poor guy. There was a truckload of them at Disney.

Some of the writers for one of the soaps (I think it was Y&R) have gone back to work.

Bill O'Reilly?

My only issue with the BBC article is that it doesn't go into numbers.

The two that resound with me the most is that:
1) the writers' residual on a sale of a DVD is less than a nickel
and
2) the total combined amount that the writers are asking for is less than the average bonus of one of the major studio CEOs.

I'm not a huge union guy... but c'mon people!

Have you seen the youtube explainer, Why We Fight ?

I never got around to it, but is it correct that it compares the writer's cut to the retail price of DVDs rather than to the profit margin of DVDs?

I think you are correct.

In the music business, artists are paid royalties based on the list price. It's not unheard of - in fact, it's typical.

Yes, it is the reasonable basis for calculating the royalty paid. But in a comparison of what the artist makes versus what the label makes it is profits that is important.

There is a large quantitative difference (if not qualitative) between "writer's make $0.08 on each DVD while the studios make $19.00" and "writer's make $0.08 on each DVD while the studios make $4.75."

I don't know if $4.75 is the right number but I vaguely remember reading somewhere that about 75% of the DVD price goes to overhead. There's also the fact that a studio loses money on an unsold DVD but the writer doesn't.

Not that this makes the writers any more or less on the sight of good and honor. I'm just picky about seeing people use numbers that make sense for the argument being made.