I’ll admit it; I’m a bit of a TV addict. I can’t decide if the DVR function has made it worse (now I’m watching even more shows) or better (I don’t have to sit at home in fear of missing something). Dramas, Comedies, Reality TV, Game Shows – I don’t discriminate.
For the past several months I have considered myself a “victim” of the Writer’s Strike. I try not to get too involved regarding the legalities – I just want my “non-reality” shows back.
The small businesses and freelancers that rely on these shows to be in production are the real victims. I’m talking about the publicists, electricians, construction workers, make-up artists, costume designers, caterers, accountants, lawyers, and the list goes on. How about the musicians who receive royalties for their song to be played during a show? Who do you think cleans the sets? What about the network interns? Okay, maybe I’m stretching but you get the idea.
BusinessWeek wrote about how small businesses would be affected by the strike in November 2007. Wikipedia goes a step further and breaks down the number of shows affected by each network. You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that millions of dollars have been lost.
The good news is it appears the strike might be over soon. When everything is settled and back to normal they should think about writing a show about what the publicists, costume designers and make-up artists did during the strike. I would watch.