The Innocent Bystanders of the Writer's Strike
by Brian Tallerico

Advertisers

Television advertising is a complicated beast and it's about to get more complicated. Imagine the strike goes on for months. The rate that an advertiser is willing to pay CBS, for example, for a specific timeslot is going to be nearly impossible to determine because the ratings are going to get skewed during the strike. As the reality shows come out to replace programs that are dark because of the strike, all of the network's ratings are going to get thrown off and it is going to make the advertising picture really fuzzy. Imagine one of these replacement reality shows like The CW's Crowned or NBC's Clash of the Choirs (no, we didn't make either of those up) are huge hits. Can NBC or The CW then demand more money in that time slot when the scripted programming returns? And, even worse, what if, as expected, television viewing numbers plummet when the networks run out of all the scripted programming in the can. Advertisers have already struggled with how to reach their audience in a world of downloads and DVRs but they'll really struggle when no one's even interested in doing that any more. People might actually read a book. Can Pepsi advertise in the pages of the new Stephen King book? They might want to consider trying. It could soon be the closest thing to scripted entertainment out there.

People Who Don't Watch Reality TV

Fan of Jack Bauer on 24? You're out of luck. Love Michael Scott and the gang on The Office? We hope absence makes your heart grow fonder. Both of those shows are the first major casualties of the scripted programming season. There are no more episodes of The Office in the can and 24 has been indefinitely delayed because Fox didn't want to risk a season cut into pieces by the strike. It's now unlikely that we'll see the return of Jack before next summer. And what about all those show with continuing plotlines that are now up in the air? Curious about where Grey's Anatomy was going this season? In love with the development of Pushing Daisies? You better have a great internal "previously on" in your head because it could be a while before those plot threads return to TV. New shows are finally getting there time in the spotlight but even The Sarah Connor Chronicles will run dry eventually and we'll be left with nothing but reality TV.

YOU

You don't think the strike effects you other than a few shifts in your entertainment? So, you'll have to read a few more books and magazines and get used to a world that might consist of only Jackass movies and reality shows? It gets worse than that. Much worse. Think about how many people are out of a job in Hollywood right now and then think about all the money not going into the economy of California because of the strike. One estimate pins the number lost every day that the writers remain on strike at around $80 million. When the writers go on strike, everyone in Hollywood loses a paycheck. It's an industry that puts millions back into the economy on a daily basis and without that cash flow we could all feel the impact real soon. The businesses in California will feel it first, but the cost of the writer's strike could be passed along to you in the form of higher prices to try and offset money not earned by an out-of-work Hollywood. It's not a stretch to think that if this writer's strike goes on for too long the money lost by the California economy could affect all of our bottom lines. With $80 million a day being lost by the economy of California, major companies there could see incredibly depressed holiday shopping profits and raise their prices in an attempt to turn it around. Even companies directly involved with the strike like caterers and suppliers that might be the same supply company your job works with might raise prices to offset what they didn't make in the last quarter of this year. That could even affect your company's bottom line. When you think about the ripple effect financially, in a weird way, you might be paying to watch Clash of the Choirs. For all our sakes, let's hope the strike ends as soon as possible.