The writers’ strike is causing chaos for TV Stations. The Writers Guild of America starting striking on November 5, 2007. The writers’ strike was caused when writers were angry about not receiving compensation for their creations being sold and watched on the Internet. The Strike is going on in many different states, but we hear the most about New York. TV shows and movies are suffering from this strike. Which means the TV companies are suffering a lot. They are losing millions of dollars from lack of shows and advertisements being played. The Writers had a pretty good reason to start the strike, many types of people and the TV stations are suffering and there are some potential solutions out there.

Why did the Writers go on Strike? Well, there are a few different reasons. The main one being that they wanted money for their shows being sold and played on the Internet. In addition to their annual 200,000 dollar salary, which is already quite a lot of money. Another reason is that the writers first tried to change their contracts to include the fact that they would get money for the distribution of their creations, but companies refused. This was what most likely initiated the writers’ strike. The writers wanted the fact that they will get compensation to be in their contracts. Writers also wanted more ownership for what they what they wrote and wanted a share of what the companies got for the episodes that the writers wrote. The businesses, like FOX 5, CW, NBC, that put on shows get more money then the writers and creators of the show, which without them there would be not show. The businesses had many of chances to compromise with the writers, but they did not and now they’re losing millions of dollars and the companies who are putting on the TV shows are losing hundreds of fans.

The writers’ strike has had many effects on many different people and companies. Fans are very upset and angry that there are no more episodes of their favorite shows. They are watching many re-runs, they’re shows are being cut short, causing more commercials and some shows have been cancelled or put on hold. Shows like Grey’s Anatomy has been put on hold with a short season. A new show CW introduced the year, Reaper, will only have 13 episodes instead of a full season. Some big events are also being cancelled, like the NBC’s 65th annual golden globes awards. Many people have stop liking that certain shows. Many more reality shows are coming on to TV stations, like CW premiered a show called Crowned. Fans are very important to the TV business. The more you lose, they less money you make. Fans are what hold the TV show together, without them what is the use of having a TV if nobody watches it?

Actors are also being affected. Without the shows going on what are they going to do? Acting on the shows is their job. Actors are turning to temp jobs to make more money. They are losing more jobs are shows become cancelled and are replaced by reality TV shows or just re-runs of that show. The actors have lost most of their annual income, which is quite high or rather used to be. Actors get paid thousands of dollars form acting in the show, but now they are getting paid a few thousand less. This strike doesn’t really hurt their annual income now, but how knows how long this will go on for? If it goes on for more months or maybe even a whole year the actors will lose more and more money. Actors may not be very affected by the Writers’ strike, and the may even support the strike, but they are still affected in some way.

Companies are probably the ones who are being affected the most by the Writers’ strike. The Fans are just missing their favorite show, they can find new favorite shows, and the actors they can find different jobs, but the companies, TV is their business. Every time they lose a fan or cancel a show they lose money, every time they lose an actor they have to replace him or cancel the show, without writers they cannot put the shows on. When a company cancels a show, like they cancelled the heroes spin off, they have to come up with a new show, usually reality shows, it may not take a lot to come up with an idea, but do get it ready and to shoot it takes awhile. Well, in that amount of time they lose, maybe thousands or millions of dollars. The companies could lose 9 billion dollars or more as a result of this strike. So far they’ve lost millions. One decision and you lose 9 billion dollars. Companies have learned to not overlook the writers. They had many chances to avoid the strike and just agree with the writers to negotiate their contracts or come up with a compromise, but they ignored the writers. Well, what goes around comes around and the fact that they lost millions shows that.

Writers have had to be effected by all of this. Even though they’re the ones who started the strike. They lost most of their yearly salary of 200,000, and they been striking since November 5, 2007. So far they have lost 106 million dollars from the lost benefits and salary just from striking since November. Imagine how much money it would cost them if they keep strike for another 2 months then that would probably double. They’ve been striking for quite a long time, and they have got to be tired. If they get what they want, money for their creations being sold and played on the Internet, the money they make from that will probably make up for the money they lost. That is if it happens, which it will most likely happen, because the companies need the writers. There are no shows with out Writers.

Talk shows have not been affected very much without writers. Considering that they came back without writers and have been successful so far without them. For example David Letterman came back. They might have lost some fans, but they are surviving just fine. The even helped the companies who put on the shows for them earn some money they have lost because of over shows. Talk shows have not really been affected, but they certainly are helping the companies.

Isn’t it amazing how one little thing, one little decision can effect not just them, but a whole bunch of other people? It really makes you have to think, how do your decisions affect other people?

There are many different potential solutions to this problem. If writer and companies could just come up with a compromise it would make everyone a least happy in someway. Writers may be a bit disappointed because they did not get everything they were on strike for, but at least they will get some. They have to be happy for that little bit they will get. Companies may not be happy because they are losing money they made from the distribution of the shows, or them being played on the Internet, but it cannot be as much money as they are losing not putting on that many shows. Fans will get the most out of it though. They get to see some of their favorite shows return with new episodes, and their fandom just might grow. Which might promise them a new season. For example, if Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, run on CW11, on every Thursday at 9 pm, gets more fans there is a good chance it will get a new season. If was almost canceled this year, so if the fandom grows it will make a lot of Supernatural fans happy. There are really no bad things that would come out of a compromise for fans. Another solution is for companies to just give the writers what they want. Not likely, but the companies might give in if they lose enough money. Or maybe the writers will give in if they become tired of being on strike. Many good things could come. A solution would probably make everyone happy at this point, fans, writers, and companies alike.

The writers’ strike will hopefully end soon. The writers can go back to writing and be happy that they managed to get some of what they were fighting for. Companies will be happy to have their writers back, and making a lot of money once again, even if they had to sacrifice some of their money. Fans will be ecstatic to have their shows back. The TV network would become peaceful, at least a more peaceful and everything will go back to how it was before. The exception of the memories, which will always be remembered by all who were effected the greatest.