Writers Strike 2023?

[genius]

The networks are preparing for a looming strike as negotiations begin next month as the pilot season has completely unraveled. Meanwhile several shows are also facing massive budget cuts in order to get a renewal, most notably CBS’ Blue Bloods and SWAT. Meanwhile the soap opera Young and the Restless fired all of their breakdown writers ahead of the negotiations:

Writers Guild Contract Negotiations to Begin on March 20, as Strike Threat Looms

The WGA will be the first guild to enter negotiations with the major studios, with talks beginning March 20.

variety.com

Pilot Season 2023: Volume Takes Another Dive Amid Solid Broadcast Debuts & Looming Writers Strike

Pilot Season 2023 is hitting another historic low with 13 pilot orders across ABC, CBS and NBC and none at Fox, which is going script-to-series, or the CW.

deadline.com

‘Blue Bloods‘, ’S.W.A.T.’ & ‘East New York’ Did Not Get Early Renewals By CBS – Here Is Why

CBS today renewed three more scripted series, dramas NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas. With recent Season 2 orders for breakout freshmen Fire Country and So Help Me Todd, renewals of comedies Ghosts, The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola and with the FBI franchise, The Equalizer and Young...

deadline.com

'Young and the Restless' Boss Fires Entire Breakdown Writing Staff, Says He'll Do Their Jobs | Exclusive

The move comes just before WGA negotiations, as well as the series celebrating its 50th anniversary

www.thewrap.com

 

[Cool_guy81]

The networks are preparing for a looming strike as negotiations begin next month as the pilot season has completely unraveled. Meanwhile several shows are also facing massive budget cuts in order to get a renewal, most notably CBS’ Blue Bloods and SWAT. Meanwhile the soap opera Young and the Restless fired all of their breakdown writers ahead of the negotiations:

Writers Guild Contract Negotiations to Begin on March 20, as Strike Threat Looms

The WGA will be the first guild to enter negotiations with the major studios, with talks beginning March 20.

variety.com

Pilot Season 2023: Volume Takes Another Dive Amid Solid Broadcast Debuts & Looming Writers Strike

Pilot Season 2023 is hitting another historic low with 13 pilot orders across ABC, CBS and NBC and none at Fox, which is going script-to-series, or the CW.

deadline.com

‘Blue Bloods‘, ’S.W.A.T.’ & ‘East New York’ Did Not Get Early Renewals By CBS – Here Is Why

CBS today renewed three more scripted series, dramas NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas. With recent Season 2 orders for breakout freshmen Fire Country and So Help Me Todd, renewals of comedies Ghosts, The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola and with the FBI franchise, The Equalizer and Young...

deadline.com

'Young and the Restless' Boss Fires Entire Breakdown Writing Staff, Says He'll Do Their Jobs | Exclusive

The move comes just before WGA negotiations, as well as the series celebrating its 50th anniversary

www.thewrap.com

That's interesting I've heard of negotiating salaries for the writers and the stars and contracts during negotiations but never would think they would fire break down writers before a looming strike.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I wonder if TV writers are going to spend more time writing and submitting scripts before the deadline so that if there is a strike, there will be enough available scripts, written before the strike, to proceed with a full 2023/24 TV season.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I never heard of "Break Down Writers" before this thread.

Could they be unique to soap operas?

Maybe there's a head writer on each soap who puts together the overall plot and Break Down Writers take that general plot and write scripts for individual episodes.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I recall that in the 1980's, there was a writers' strike, but Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" remained in production, but only because Johnny wrote the entire monologue (which was shorter than usual) and all the questions he asked of interview guests himself.

Apparently, by doing so, Johnny was able to circumvent the strike and stay on the air.

I would think that if there's a writers' strike this time, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and James Corden might very well do the same.

 

[Mikey Radio]

I recall that in the 1980's, there was a writers' strike, but Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" remained in production, but only because Johnny wrote the entire monologue (which was shorter than usual) and all the questions he asked of interview guests himself.

Apparently, by doing so, Johnny was able to circumvent the strike and stay on the air.

I would think that if there's a writers' strike this time, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and James Corden might very well do the same.

I remember as a kid being confused as Carson (Tonight show) and Letterman (Late Night) both on NBC kept their monologues as you say, but I remember Letterman saying there'd be no "viewer mail" segment due to the writers' strike. That confused me back then, because as a kid I just ass/u/me'd that the viewer mail segment was host-driven, and that he just opened letters from fans who'd written in and answered their comments or queries on the air. I didn't understand back then why it'd require a writing staff.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I wonder if TV writers are going to spend more time writing and submitting scripts before the deadline so that if there is a strike, there will be enough available scripts, written before the strike, to proceed with a full 2023/24 TV season.

Think about that for just one second, Joseph.

Are labor unions usually concerned about lessening the impact of a vote to strike?

Maybe there's a head writer on each soap who puts together the overall plot and Break Down Writers take that general plot and write scripts for individual episodes.

The job of "breakdown writers" was described in the link provided by genius to TheWrap.com.

I recall that in the 1980's, there was a writers' strike, but Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" remained in production, but only because Johnny wrote the entire monologue (which was shorter than usual) and all the questions he asked of interview guests himself.

Nope. Mr. Carson's show was in re-runs for about 3 months. Carson's production company negotiated its own deal with the writers, separate from NBC, and the program returned earlier than the rest of television. Summary https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/carsons-88-paved-way-tonight-157718/

David Letterman would perform the same feat in the 2007-08 writers' strike.

 

[Gregg.]

Because he had to stall for time, due to a shortened monologue, Letterman used to do a quick feature called "Network Time Killers."

He'd open up the curtain and a guy would be spinning plates on several poles or a woman would be doing acrobatics while keeping a hula hoop turning. The audience would laugh and applaud, and Letterman would let it run a minute or two before closing the curtain. Then he and bandleader Paul Schaffer would comment on what they just saw. It used up four or five minutes altogether, not bad for an hour-long show with no writers.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

I wonder if TV writers are going to spend more time writing and submitting scripts before the deadline so that if there is a strike, there will be enough available scripts, written before the strike, to proceed with a full 2023/24 TV season.

There aren’t enough eyeroll emojis in the world for this one. They’re going to work beyond the terms of the contracts to damage their negotiating leverage?

No need to wonder. That’s a big no.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Think about that for just one second, Joseph.
Are labor unions usually concerned about lessening the impact of a vote to strike?

There aren’t enough eyeroll emojis in the world for this one. They’re going to work beyond the terms of the contracts to damage their negotiating leverage?
No need to wonder. That’s a big no.

To play devil's advocate, Joseph may be likening this to the days when heavy industry like mills and factories would have contract deadlines and a potential strike forthcoming. Those who lived in what's now the rust belt, for instance, could always tell when negotiations or a possible strike was looming, as the piles of coal used to run the factories would be 3 or 4 times taller than normal... In those cases, the company bosses were driving employees to stockpile coal and other supplies to try and lessen the impact of a strike on the company.

Obviously that's quite different vs. the situation surrounding a potential writers' strike.

 

[Cool_guy81]

I never heard of "Break Down Writers" before this thread.

Could they be unique to soap operas?

Maybe there's a head writer on each soap who puts together the overall plot and Break Down Writers take that general plot and write scripts for individual episodes.

I think soap operas always had break down writers as they have so many writers to write for 5 days a week and about 262 episodes a year give or take and then trying to tie it all together with the overall story so they probably have people write for certain characters or something and then tie them into a story.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Obviously that's quite different vs. the situation surrounding a potential writers' strike.

Yes. Most notably that the miners could look forward to overtime pay, ahead of a potential period of strike pay (i.e. peanuts).

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Obviously that's quite different vs. the situation surrounding a potential writers' strike.

Indeed, there’s really no comparison, even if the writers indulge in some creative hyperbole about working conditions.

 

[davideduardo]

My concern and curiosity here concerns whether the writers and union leadership understand how a "bad" strike might push the traditional networks beyond a point of recovery and profitability.

We are already seeing some well rated shows that are still not renewed for the next (2023-24) season due to costs and attempts to renegotiate the contracts with the stars

Two decades ago we saw Friends or CSI with 25 million viewers, while last night's top shows, Law & Orderr: SVU with 4.8 million and Gray's Anatomy with just over 3.5 million same-day views.

So shows are getting on the order of 15% of the Y2K audience levels, while costs are up more than double. At some point, scripted shows on the networks will not be profitable, even when used to attract subscribers to the on-demand services.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

My concern and curiosity here concerns whether the writers and union leadership understand how a "bad" strike might push the traditional networks beyond a point of recovery and profitability.

I was actually surprised to find that FOX Corporation had revenues increase, 2022 on 2021, largely on the back of increased affiliate fees.

I picked FOX because they don't have a movie studio attached - Fox Corp. is basically composed of FOX broadcast, Fox News, Fox Business and FS1/FS2.

I wouldn't think that can last forever.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

in fairness, long before streaming and DVRs, older, more expensive shows that lost some of their luster even if they had a loyal base bit the dust. The numbers are inevitably going to be different when the pool of color wing options has expanded exponentially.

Whether a hypothetical strike tips the scales now or it takes a few more years is kind of irrelevant. The landscape is changing inevitably and there’s no stopping the sea change underway.

 

[Don CT]

My concern and curiosity here concerns whether the writers and union leadership understand how a "bad" strike might push the traditional networks beyond a point of recovery and profitability.

We are already seeing some well rated shows that are still not renewed for the next (2023-24) season due to costs and attempts to renegotiate the contracts with the stars

Two decades ago we saw Friends or CSI with 25 million viewers, while last night's top shows, Law & Orderr: SVU with 4.8 million and Gray's Anatomy with just over 3.5 million same-day views.

So shows are getting on the order of 15% of the Y2K audience levels, while costs are up more than double. At some point, scripted shows on the networks will not be profitable, even when used to attract subscribers to the on-demand services.

The best written shows are not on broadcast but cable and streaming. They can get away with far more if they are not on broadcast.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Getting away with more doesn’t inherently mean better. And streamers/cable also have plenty of dreck.

 

[Don CT]

Getting away with more doesn’t inherently mean better. And streamers/cable also have plenty of dreck.

Could Breaking Bad be a good show on CBS?

Or The Sopranos on NBC?

 

[davideduardo]

Could Breaking Bad be a good show on CBS?

Or The Sopranos on NBC?

The only limitation would have been the language and, perhaps, a couple of the grittier scenes. But neither restriction would have changed the story line or made the shows less enjoyable.

I was a fervent viewer of both BITD, and can't otherwise see why they would not have worked on one of the Big 3 or "Big 3 and Middle Sized 1". The only limitation is that those series had 10 to 12 episode seasons, not 22 to 24 shows per year. Same applies today to the Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Tulsa, Kingstown), series that also have fewer episodes than the traditional network offerings.