Be sure to cancel your regularly scheduled recordings :)

My comment to the AMPTP:
I am just officially submitting my intention to stop watching online episodes of television shows, visiting show websites or watching any other programing that, in two weeks, may replace any network shows I usually watch. I watch quite a lot of shows regularly and frequently view “new media” content. However, in the coming weeks my TV will be OFF for The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, Pushing Daisies, Desperate Housewives, Samantha Who, Back to You and Ugly Betty until the strike is over. I know it’s not much, but I’m just want the AMPTP to know that there are people who care and that myself and millions of other viewers will be using our power as consumers to help turn the tide.

I agree that the letters would have more meaning if they were all individually written, but I bet there are some people who just don’t have the time to write their own. If there was a form letter, then the people who wouldn’t send one because of time would. It would just up the volume of letters. And I doubt the studio heads are reading them all beginning to end anyways :) Volume is what is going to make an impact, i think.

I’m writing in support of the WGA strike. End the strike and give the writers a fair deal. Writers deserve the extra 4 cents the industry promised them 20 years ago. You need the writers and they’re not backing down any time soon. Settle. Settle and get The Office back on the air. In the meantime I’m certainly happy to watch my DVDs and various youtube fan videos for my Office fix. I can wait till you come to your senses. The fans will wait. Don’t think for a second we’re gonna turn on the people that have brought us so much laughter and entertainment. Give the writers what they deserve. It’s really your only option.

The writers do own what they write, and that’s how their compensation is measured.

To use the McD’s example, a burger flipper is paid based on the number of hours worked. A writer is paid based on the number of times their writing is used. Say McD’s decided that certain hours worked were new and experimental (maybe those hours are spend making a new burger for test marketing), and the burger flipper will not be paid for those hours.

That’s what is happening to the writers when they aren’t paid for Internet and other new media use of their writing.

And I’d like to point out that the outcome of this strike affects all the other unions about to renegotiate their deals. It’s easy to point at the rich and make fun, but it’s the people who are struggling to get by who really need the rich and well-known to fight for them.

A silent boycott of online content won’t help. A loud one may help. Let’s flood the AMPTP Contact site!

To the person who was interested in a sort of ‘form letter’ — it’s probably more effective if people use their own words. Tell the AMPTP what you’re going to do and what you think they’re doing wrong with regard to the writers.

Also, it’s great to have fansites like this so we don’t have to patronize NBC.com

The WGA has created a video to explain their side. Very informative.

Tanster, thank you for keeping us updated on this.
I am a long-time poster on the NBC Office message board, but have decided not to visit the entire NBC site until this is resolved.