In response to the article “Getting writers what they deserve”
In response to the article “Getting writers what they deserve” by Nikki Jagerman in the Nov. 14 issue of the Lariat; Miss Jagerman, surely you cannot justify the loss of jobs as “just what television needed”?
It is estimated close to 11 percent of the 240,000 jobs in Southern California’s entertainment industry alone will be lost within the next month. A further 100,000 support jobs – those outside the industry – are in jeopardy with an extended strike. The 12,000 writers affected by the strike are a moot point. Their jobs can be counted as lost. A five month strike could cost Los Angeles $8 billion coupled with more job loss. These figures are still not taking into account other markets such as New York, all of which are destined to lose as well. Is this the “much-needed enema” needed? Lost jobs, lost income, and lost revenue? Think about it. What do you think every Jack and Jill who wants to become a writer is doing right now? Writing up their pilots. Writing their made-for-T.V. films. Preparing for the strike’s end, when the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (please fact check, as it isn’t the WGA v Producers, it’s WGA v AMPTP, who represents producers, studios and executives) starts looking for fresh material to win back audiences. What do you think they’re going to snap up? Bidding wars will ensue for scripts that would never have received a second glance in the past. This isn’t an enema for the industry, my dear; this is insurance that the waterways will be clogged for some time.