TV Strike Thought

"How quickly can network TV get back on track after the writers strike? Estimates from analysts and industry insiders suggest it will take anywhere from four to eight weeks to get scripted dramas and comedies back on the air, meaning that if the strike were resolved by mid-February, the broadcast networks still wouldn't be back to full strength until mid-March or mid-April at the earliest.

That would give them time to have stunning May sweeps, no doubt, but probably would mean that a full season of TV's best (about 22 episodes of each series) is not in the cards."

Nuts And Seeds

"Jericho fans saved that show by mailing tons of nuts to CBS, and now fans of The 4400 want you to try something similar to save that show.

They've set up SaveThe4400.com, where you can sign a petition to save the show and also buy a 1.75 oz bag of sunflower seeds from GiantSeeds.com. Then you send them (of course) to Bonnie Hammer at USA Network headquarters in New York City. I'm sure she'll be happy to get them (cough)."

Be sure to read the full article.



"The daytime soap operas might be losing their bubbles in the weeks ahead as networks resort to episodes not penned by striking writers.

The Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since November 5, has picketed for several days in front of ABC headquarters in New York, primarily to protest its airing of "All My Children" episodes written by non-union members. ABC is the only network to produce all of its soap operas, while "Days of Our Lives" on NBC is produced by Corday Prods. and all of the CBS soaps are produced outside the network, including two by Procter & Gamble and one by Sony."

Daytime Soaps Affected By Strike

"When talks broke down earlier this month between the studios and striking writers, it began to hit home that scribes could be jobless for many months to come. One of those writers finally made the agonizing decision to stop picketing and go back to work.

The writer's show, a daytime soap, had run out of scripts. To this writer, the moral choice lay in keeping the show on the air.

Daytime serials are not in a healthy situation," said the writer, who asked for anonymity, fearing fallout from both sides in the complex and highly charged standoff. "If we can keep shows on the air, I perceive it as something that needs to be done for the future generation of writers."

Although most daytime writers have joined their colleagues on the picket lines, others -- fearing for their jobs or the survival of the soap genre altogether -- have quietly gone back to work. Even those who are still picketing say soap writers' issues are unique."

Jericho: New Fan

"First, let me admit that I did not watch CBS' Jericho beyond the first episode. I had various reasons not to watch it beyond the premiere, one being that I simply can't make time for all TV series in my schedule, even if said series are gems. That out of the way, I just watched the preview for Jericho's second season and let me tell you that it piqued my interest enough to put a note on my calendar to watch the show's season premiere on February 12."



"The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday posted a video message indicating striking writers have now lost more than $151 million in salary and benefits, which is more than what the WGA proposed in its three-year deal to the studios.

The message, posted Friday on the AMPTP Web site and YouTube, claims that WGA leaders are to blame for their members reaching the $151 million milestone (hit shortly after 10 a.m. Friday). The WGA is trying to expand its power, rather than address the issues that matter to its members, including new media, the AMPTP said."

Writing For Peanuts

Rich of Copywrite Ink says,"The writers strike could be the perfect opportunity for Jericho fans to stop taking each other out on the CBS Jericho message boards, and begin to building a fan effort in support of the writers.

Such a move would only increase the exposure of the show before it returns in January by engaging all television fans about something they are passionate about. Fan crossover is somewhat proven to work. For the most part, there has been continuing cross over between the fans of Veronica Mars, Supernatural, and Jericho."

Rich adds, "Besides, Jericho fans may even have the best message if they were so inclined. What’s that?

Stop paying writers peanuts."



"Seven steps to a TV shutdown"

The number one step?

"1. "Rally the 'Jericho' fans--they brought a show back, they can take one out."


I have to agree. Thank Rich.

Jericho:Strike Effects

"Just ask the cast and crew of "Jericho" how much losing momentum could be a killer.

Last season, networks experimented with long mid-season breaks, similar to what SciFi Channel had been doing for years with shows like "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate: Atlantis." Except it happened with disastrous results.

"Heroes" and "Lost" both suffered significant drops in their ratings when they returned after a lengthy mid-season hiatus, and "Jericho" went from being an early season standout to a late-season near-flop, to the point that CBS pulled the plug."



"This November sweeps is like no other sweeps period in memory. There are few of the stunts that the networks famously used in years past to boost ratings of local affiliates for setting ad rates, but there're lots of other issues for media buyers to ponder, and not the least of which is the strike by the Writers Guild of America that began yesterday. ABC is expected to win sweeps because of the high quality of its new and returning shows, and that's not expected to change--primetime shows have been backed up--but it's anyone's guess when it comes to late night, which will see the effect immediately, and daytime, which could be hurting shortly."



"Ultimately, the legacy of a prolonged strike could reduce the audience for network TV at a time when it has already been losing viewers for years to cable, DVDs and the Internet. Numbers from May 2007 show that the combined viewership of the four major broadcast networks - ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox - dropped by 2.5 million from the previous spring.

The last time there was a 22- to 23-week strike [in 1988], the networks lost 10 percent of their audience," says David Bianculli, TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air and tvworthwatching.com. "That's a huge chunk, and they'll lose at least that much now. It's going to be more and more difficult to convince viewers to come back."

TV: Losing Eyeballs

"At a time when TV is shedding viewers to the Web, the last thing the industry needs is to do something that turns more eyeballs away. Yet that’s precisely what a Hollywood writers’ strike is poised to do.

With the writers’ contract with the studios expiring on Oct. 31 and negotiations yielding little more than acrimony, Tinseltown is in a state of high anxiety. The prevailing sentiment had been that the Writers Guild of America would wait to stage a strike until next summer, when the contracts of the actors and directors guild run out, but a November walkout is looking increasingly likely. And though there's rarely an ideal time for a work stoppage, a fall strike would likely exact irreparable damage on network television, which is having trouble maintaining its relevance even with a full stable of writers at work."



If you're a fan of Hawkins see here.

Thanks kystorms.



"We MUST tell Sci-Fi THANK YOU: The Sci-Fi Channel has FINALLY scheduled reruns/repeats of the Dresden Files!! As was pointed out by a fellow fan/campaigner, they "could be testing the waters for whether or not a lot of people are wanting to watch this show."

Unless we have Nielsen boxes (I don't, I don't know about you folks), the only way the Execs at Sci-Fi/NBC will know we're watching is if we TELL them, and let's not forget - the Execs are interested in QUANTITY! We start NOW:"

Helping Dresden Helps Jericho too. More info here.