The Smelly Cheese

I like my TV shows. I have a blog... thus I am some sort of a "writer." So, it's no surprise that I am going to empathize and support the people that "bring me the funny," on my entertainment box of choice.

If you don't know what the Writers Guild of America is striking for here's a simplified version: Most TV shows and films are currently available in "new media" formats (which means on the internet or your phone). The networks and studios that own these entertainment properties aren't giving any of these "new media" profits to the people that actually make the product. Naturally, the people that make the product want to get some of the action. The networks and studios or "the Man," would like the writers and the viewing public to believe that there is no profit in "new media," thus they can't give anyone a cut of the pie.

For more detailed information on why you'll be seeing a ton of reruns and reality programming over the next few months please visit http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/ or http://www.wga.org/.

Basically the studios and networks have no viable argument other than pure greed. I just watched an episode of 30 Rock at nbc.com for free. Well, it was "free" for me to watch it as long as I was willing to sit through three separate "limited interruptions" by Honda. That's three 30-second advertisements in a 22 minute show. Sounds kinda like the regular TV/commercial format huh? Ah, but NBC considers the episode I just watched to be a "promotion," for the regular broadcast version. Yeah. Unless NBC is letting Honda use it's corporate bandwidth out of the kindness of their hearts, I'd say that NBC got some cabbage from somebody at Honda. Do the writers that wrote the episode see any of said cabbage? Nada, zilch, bubkiss. Therein lies the rub.

Hopefully this strike nonsense won't go on for long and Stephen Colbert will be invading my living room with all new insincere fake newsery. But in the meantime I'd just like to remind any corporate suit associated with a TV network or movie studio that people are not altogether idiotic. iTunes doesn't let people download TV shows for free and neither does any other "new media" outlet that has emerged since. If there is no money to be made on the internet maybe I should talk to Comcast about the $42.95 they're charging me.