TV Writers May Gain a Little, but Showrunners Lost a Lot in Strike
Television writers may gain as much as $1,600 in residuals per show from the proposed agreement between the Writers Guild of America and the studios. The average TV showrunner, who typically makes about $40,000 an episode, may have lost at least $280,000 from the strike because of a 22-episode season that will be cut back to between 12 and 15 episodes, Daily Variety reports.
‘SNL,’ ‘Office’ Likely Among First Shows to Return
“Saturday Night Live” and “The Office” will be among the first shows to air new episodes after the Writers Guild of America strike ends, Daily Variety reports. “Saturday Night Live” may air a new episode as soon as Feb. 23, while “The Office” may return to air as soon as five weeks after writers resume work, the newspaper says.
WGA Strike Cost SoCal $2 Billion, Four Times the ’88 Strike
The 3-month-old Writers Guild of America strike cost the Southern California economy about $2 billion, four times as much as the 1988 writers strike, the Hollywood Reporter says, citing the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. The region lost $733 million in production spending and $1.3 billion in indirect revenue to businesses such as caterers, florists, restaurants and hotels, the newspaper says, citing the LAEDC. The 1988 strike lasted five months.
Chernin, Iger Input Key to WGA Strike Settlement, Verrone Says
Writers Guild of America West President Patric Verrone said direct involvement by News Corp. President Peter Chernin, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves in contract negotiations was key to the tentative agreement struck over the weekend, Daily Variety reports. The execs’ input also will be vital to avoiding a similar work stoppage from the Screen Actors Guild, whose contract expires June 30. The WGA and studios spent “three months getting nowhere” last year because the studio heads weren’t involved in the talks, the newspaper says, citing Verrone.
‘Office’, ’30 Rock’ Winners at WGA Awards
NBC’s “The Office” and “30 Rock” were among television’s award winners at a Writers Guild of America ceremony in New York that was scaled back Saturday because of a pending vote on ending the strike, Daily Variety reports. AMC’s “Mad Men,” and HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” also were winners, the newspaper says.
—Danny King