Wga Strike: Make The Call!

[Dew k. Mosi]

Meh, all the calls won't matter. As long as reality TV pulls in good enough rating to justify the commercials, companies will not pull ads and the studios won't budge.

Incorrect. Insiders who shop at my comic shop, have already told us that producers are working out an offer as the advertisers have already cut back nearly 25% with threat of cutting more.

 

[BigBad]

You know I hope this strike can at least last a year

Word

 

[BigBad]

Incorrect

Proof please? Insiders at a comic shop are not a reliable source

 

[Dew k. Mosi]

Proof please? Insiders at a comic shop are not a reliable source

It is insider information, therefore, I have no proof, but what reason do they have to lie?

 

[hammy]

Proof please? Insiders at a comic shop are not a reliable source

Oh no you didn't. ^^

 

[BigBad]

It is insider information, therefore, I have no proof, but what reason do they have to lie?

Well they could be anyone, and what reason does anyone have to lie? It seems highly unlikly some comic shop customers would hold the secrets to the biggest event in US movie/tv in however many years. I'd still say phonecalls do nothing, who would actually be that petty as to not buy a product that's advertised? The advertising companies arent suppoting the studios, they're just trying to make their money. I hope this strike goes on for as long as possible.

 

[Dew k. Mosi]

Well they could be anyone, and what reason does anyone have to lie? It seems highly unlikly some comic shop customers would hold the secrets to the biggest event in US movie/tv in however many years. I'd still say phonecalls do nothing, who would actually be that petty as to not buy a product that's advertised? The advertising companies arent suppoting the studios, they're just trying to make their money. I hope this strike goes on for as long as possible.

My comic shop is located in Studio City, California. Our customers are celebrities, producers, studio execs, creators from both Marvel and DC, media figures and union representives. Yeah, I think they may have some insider knowledge, and the point is that the advertisers are NOT making their money. They paid X amount of for advertising on a FULL 22 (or 24 depending on the show) episodes of Heroes, House, Smallville etc. NOT for half a season. Viewership drops at rerun time, and advertisers know it. So they are getting screwed and want to pull out their money. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

 

[BigBad]

My comic shop is located in Studio City, California. Our customers are celebrities, producers, studio execs, creators from both Marvel and DC, media figures and union representives. Yeah, I think they may have some insider knowledge, and the point is that the advertisers are NOT making their money. They paid X amount of for advertising on a FULL 22 (or 24 depending on the show) episodes of Heroes, House, Smallville etc. NOT for half a season. Viewership drops at rerun time, and advertisers know it. So they are getting screwed and want to pull out their money. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

I've been on the net enough to not trust the fabled 'insider' knowledge until I see proof. If someone was leaking info in a comic shop it would be common knowledge by now - I mean if they're gonna leak it to some comic shop employees why not leak it to the press or to some internet sites, other people etc. I doulbt they were giving you the exclusive scoop lol.

 

[hammy]

I hope this strike goes on for as long as possible.

Why?

 

[Dew k. Mosi]

I've been on the net enough to not trust the fabled 'insider' knowledge until I see proof. If someone was leaking info in a comic shop it would be common knowledge by now - I mean if they're gonna leak it to some comic shop employees why not leak it to the press or to some internet sites, other people etc. I doulbt they were giving you the exclusive scoop lol.

who said it was exclusive? They're talking about it on the lines as well, and in the NBC/Universal building where I work for a writing studio. Yeah, everyone is lying to me, because I am THAT important that convincing me of a falsehood is a big deal.

 

[BigBad]

who said it was exclusive? They're talking about it on the lines as well, and in the NBC/Universal building where I work for a writing studio. Yeah, everyone is lying to me, because I am THAT important that convincing me of a falsehood is a big deal.

Getting the big gun rolly eyes out are you? Thats a nice sign of your immaturity...I would agree with you though, you're not THAT important. Either are the calls to the advertisers. When their target audience is so large a few calls which dont hold any real weight or legitimacy will bother them very slightly if atall.

 

[BigBad]

Why?

It's interesting

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I've been on the net enough to not trust the fabled 'insider' knowledge until I see proof. If someone was leaking info in a comic shop it would be common knowledge by now - I mean if they're gonna leak it to some comic shop employees why not leak it to the press or to some internet sites, other people etc. I doulbt they were giving you the exclusive scoop lol.

I wouldn't even call it insider information, I used to work in TV advertising and the rates are dependant on the number of eyeballs watching. It's pretty basic to understand, no new episodes, people won't be watching, therefore rates drop and the studios don't get money, studios know where the problem lies and they know how to stop it.

 

[Dew k. Mosi]

Getting the big gun rolly eyes out are you? Thats a sure sign of desperation and is showing your immaturity...I would agree with you though, you're arent THAT important. Either are the calls to the advertisers. When their target audience is so large a few calls which dont hold any real weight or legitimacy will bother them very slightly if atall.

Look, the fact of the matter is, whether or not, YOU think it means something is unimportant. You don't want to call, don't call. But those of us who DO want to, and are the lowest man on the totem pole, powerless for the most part, are neither wasting our time, nor throwing pebbles at a Sherman Tank. It is doing SOMETHING and sometimes just the act of getting off one's backside has an effect. I know what I know. I've been told what I've been told. Because of the area I live in, and the people I am surrounded by, I have faith that my information is solid. So, in closing, and this will be a closing because I have to get ready for a meeting, your opinions are valid, but are no more valid than anyone else's, because I may not be important, but I am informed, whereas you are simply supposing.

 

[BigBad]

I wouldn't even call it insider information, I used to work in TV advertising and the rates are dependant on the number of eyeballs watching. It's pretty basic to understand, no new episodes, people won't be watching, therefore rates drop and the studios don't get money, studios know where the problem lies and they know how to stop it.

I didnt initially refere to it as 'insider' information that was Dew.K.Moshi.

 

[BigBad]

Look, the fact of the matter is, whether or not, YOU think it means something is unimportant. You don't want to call, don't call. But those of us who DO want to, and are the lowest man on the totem pole, powerless for the most part, are neither wasting our time, nor throwing pebbles at a Sherman Tank. It is doing SOMETHING and sometimes just the act of getting off one's backside has an effect. I know what I know. I've been told what I've been told. Because of the area I live in, and the people I am surrounded by, I have faith that my information is solid. So, in closing, and this will be a closing because I have to get ready for a meeting, your opinions are valid, but are no more valid than anyone else's, because I may not be important, but I am informed, whereas you are simply supposing.

You are supposing that my 'opinions' and I myself am not informed, in effect becoming exactly what you labelled me. If I was to say I have 'insider' information that these phone calls are doing nothing and will have no effect on advertisers am I now informed? Call all you want but big companies like these will not worry over a few calls from people such as yourself who have a biased viewpoint in this whole thing.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Getting the big gun rolly eyes out are you? Thats a nice sign of your immaturity...I would agree with you though, you're not THAT important. Either are the calls to the advertisers. When their target audience is so large a few calls which dont hold any real weight or legitimacy will bother them very slightly if atall.

Are you kidding? Advertisers are paranoid about offending their audience, there's usually very specific set of guidelines about what type of shows their product can be on and they have no problem calling an agency if they see their advertisement on a show they don't approve of.

 

[hammy]

You are supposing that my 'opinions' and I myself am not informed, in effect becoming exactly what you labelled me. If I was to say I have 'insider' information that these phone calls are doing nothing and will have no effect on advertisers am I now informed? Call all you want but big companies like these will not worry over a few calls from people such as yourself who have a biased viewpoint in this whole thing.

I remember reading a while back that there is a formula companies use (they somehow figured this out) that for every phone call or letter they get, the sentiments actually represent something like 874 people. I don't remember the exact figure, but it was surprisingly high like that. They figure the others just didn't bother to call or write but they have the same concerns that the one letter writer had. So while a few individual letters may seem unimportant, if they actually represent that many people, those few carry a lot of weight.

 

[Alexia Dark]

I would, but it's probably way too much long distance, and my phone doesn't have that feature at the moment. And from the sounds of it, no one even actually receives the message anyway.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

Neither do I. You have an entire workforce striking so basically the top 5-10% of the group can get what amounts to a bigger bonus. They use the whole "benefit of the little man" schpiel to drum up support from the bleeding hearts, yet the real "little men" like the grips, lighting people, caterers, etc. are getting screwed here because they cant work.

No offense, but you really don't know what the hell you're talking about.

What this is about is the advancement of technology and how the studio's hogging up the money they're getting from it. For example, NBC puts a lot of material on iTunes for people to buy. You know how much they got from that? 2.5 million. And the writers aren't seeing a cent.

It's not about bonuses, it's about getting the writers getting four cents per download of material written by them. They're also running so that the actors and directors can get their share as well.

So, yeah, read up on what something is really about before talking. Thank you and good day.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

No thanks. those writers should get their asses back to writing.

 

[Mysterio]

It's really a doubleedged sword, when rates drop that means not as many people are watching your show, so your message isn't reaching as big of an audience and for a lot of those television commercials, reach is the biggest goal. It won't necessarily create more demand because no one wants to advertise on a show that no one's watching. Reruns have lower rates, but less demand because there aren't as many people watching reruns.

there will always be someone willing to buy ad time. lowering the rates most definitely expands access. the tv shows might not have the reach as they once did, but it brings an extra market to potential advertisers, both national and local.

 

[C.F. Kane]

Meh, all the calls won't matter. As long as reality TV pulls in good enough rating to justify the commercials, companies will not pull ads and the studios won't budge.

In that case, we should all stop watching reality TV. Which we should have done years ago anyway.

 

[bell110]

How do writers get paid? Buy the percentage of the profits or a flat fee? I don't see why the writers should get more just because of evolving technology.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

How do writers get paid? Buy the percentage of the profits or a flat fee? I don't see why the writers should get more just because of evolving technology.

I'm not sure how the initial pay for writers is, but what the writers are looking for is a higher percentage of the residuals, right now they get a certain percentage for reruns of their show and 4 cents when a DVD is sold. What they want is 8 cents for DVDs and a percentage of the revenue generated from online viewing. The last time the writers contract were under review both DVDs and online viewing didn't exist, now they do and studios are makes a boatload of cash on those two medium while writers get nothing. The same goes for actors, the screen actors guild contract isn't up until next year though. The writers are paving the way so they get a piece of the pie (a relatively small pie at that), why shouldn't the writers of the Office get a little bit of the $14 million NBC made off selling that show on iTunes last year (7.1 million downloads at $2 each)