Why aren't ALL TV writers on strike?

[jimbrady]

Like the writers at Fox News I wish would strike, or the writers at ESPN who clearly are writing comedy half the time?

[BCam]

TV news/sports writers have a different contract than those for TV series/Feature Film.

[MacMagus]

The TV news writers that stayed come under a different contract. It's the Writers Guild of America that called the strike, but it's the workers who use the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers contracts who walked.

There's often a sympathy strike by other groups that starts a few weeks after the first strike, so you may yet get your wish about Faux News. I think they just voted down a news writers strike a couple of weeks ago, but there's likely to be another vote before the new year. CBS news writers DID authorize a strike because in addition to the other writers strike, CBS is renegotiating their tv and radio news contracts, but CBS news writers are holding off on walking out until the next round of negotiations stalls.

...also, the vast majority of tv writers are not in a union and you could throw a dart in a random direction in the backstage of any tv production and hit somebody who would (and could) take over in the blink of an eye for anyone who walked out. Every secretary, intern and member of the crew fancies himself a writer/actor/director in the making and people in the entertainment industry aren't particularly interested in ethics when there's an opportunity to add a writing credit to the ol' CV. Since the news isn't going to stop just because the writers are out picketing, there's certainly going to be scabs in every newsroom within moments of any news writers strike.

[guitarist]

Short answer: Broadcast Journalists aren't "TV Writers".

Of course, it's arguable whether or not they're journalists, either.

This strike will cost the industry a fortune. Movie writers don't have a lot of status, but TV writers do, and they crank out thousands of hours of programming, it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. They don't strike very often, but when they do, it's expensive. Expect a lot of reruns.

[RgrF]

TV news writers demanded 100% residual equity on rerun income, news execs countered with sure take 200% if you want.

Now get the hell back to work copying and reworking the local daily or that intern over there will have a new desk.