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could well give Letterman a well-deserved (not just for his fair labor practices, but because he's funnier) win over Leno et al.
(FWIW--Because TDS/Colbert are produced by Viacom/Comedy Central rather than an independent production company, an independent deal there is basically impossible.)
by profmatt on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:26:03 PM PDT
I'm sure it is, but I do think this interim deal proves that a deal-can-be-done without waiting another X-weeks (or months). Plus, as much as I love TDS & Colbert, those shows coming back will only prolong the strike. I blame both sides at this point, but I do believe that key people folding to the pressure to go on the air gives hope to the studios that they can continue their part in dragging this out.
"This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected." - Barack Obama (3.18.08)
by lapis on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:29:47 PM PDT
[ Parent ]
the difference. Letterman and Ferguson are produced by Worldwide Pants, Inc. (Letterman's independent production company), which then sells/leases the product back to CBS. The writers, et al., work for and are under contract to Worldwide Pants, not CBS.
There's no such intermediary company for TDS/Colbert. The contract has to be directly with CBS/Viacom/Comedy Central. Given that they're one of the big players, the odds of them splintering are very low.
by profmatt on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:33:02 PM PDT
but Colbert and Stewart and Leno do not have to cross the picket line. They are choosing to do so after the first of the year.
by lapis on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:41:21 PM PDT
a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. In addition to writers, there are a lot of other people who are employed by the shows who are out of work with little or no safety net there unless they come back to work--tech people, makeup folks, wardrobe folks, etc.
During the last WGA strike, late night hosts came back in a similar timeframe, but did as little "written" material as possible--infamously, Letterman once spent 10 minutes of his show getting a professional straight razor shave on TV, and noting "this is what you're going to keep on getting." The goal is to keep people employed while illustrating the value of writers, which I think Colbert and Stewart can and will do. Also, if Letterman starts stomping all over Leno, even though Leno's also "new," it'll be illustrative of the power of writers to bring in revenue to the studios, which is the lanaguage that needs to be spoken.
by profmatt on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:46:48 PM PDT
Also, if Letterman starts stomping all over Leno, even though Leno's also "new," it'll be illustrative of the power of writers to bring in revenue to the studios, which is the lanaguage that needs to be spoken.
I would love to see that happen. But your argument about damned-either-way is true of all strikes. When a group goes on strike, others are always, always also hurt in the process. That's the reason strikes are used as leverage in the first place. In the case of nurses, it's the patients who are hurt; with airline workers, it's others at the company and passengers, etc. While Colbert et al. may be trying to ease the pain of a few in the short-term, the net effect is to extend the strike for everyone.
by lapis on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:54:06 PM PDT
I believe that nurses are always careful that patients are NOT hurt by their strikes. That would be directly contrary to the essential mission of nurses.
by DBunn on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:18:51 PM PDT
The WGA is, and has been, ready and willing to negotiate.
The AMPTP walked away and has refused to act in good faith.
by sukeyna on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 02:37:13 PM PDT
wide narrow
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