Writers Hang Media Bigwigs With Their Own Words

Unfortunately for the nation’s media titans, striking TV writers have a lot of free time on their hands now. And the scribes are using that time to make their case – eloquently, passionately and with biting humor — to the American public.

For example, writers for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart usually wield their pens as weapons to deftly make mincemeat of the nation’s politicians. But now that they are on strike, writers for the Emmy-winning show have turned their attention to the uber-boss of Comedy Central’s parent, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone.  

In a hilarious video which had me laughing out loud as I sat at my desk drinking my morning coffee, some of The Daily Show’s writers, including correspondent John Oliver, taped a video where they basically hoist Redstone by his own petard.    

So in addition to walking picket lines on both coasts [The Daily Show writers’ video was actually shot on a picket line on Wall Street], the TV writers are using new Web sites, online videos, magazines and newspapers as bully pulpits to present their arguments against the Hollywood studios.

The Writers Guild of America East, for example, has launched its own blog. And writers for The Late Show with David Letterman have put up their own site, as well.

The WGA is fighting with the studios over payment for content being used on new media, and the video from The Daily Show makes note of Viacom’s and Redstone’s $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube for using the entertainment conglomerate’s content without compensation.

“When you’re not paying him, you owe him $1 billion,” Daily Show writer Jason Ross says in the video. “When he’s not paying you, he’s not paying you.” 

In another video from a WGA member, media bigwigs Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger, Ben Silverman, Les Moonves and Redstone are shown boasting about how much money their companies are making off digital. Yet, the writers claim, the studios don’t want to give them a piece of this pie.

So far, it seems the WGA has had some success getting sympathy from the public. At least two polls have found that the public overwhelmingly supports the union in the strike, according to the union. The Democratic presidential candidates – Clinton, Obama and Edwards – have also thrown in with the writers.

Shawn Ryan, executive producer of FX’s The Shield, wrote a column in TV Guide this week where he articulately described his unwillingness to cross a picket line to participate in the finale of his beloved show.

“You can’t tell me that any episode of television is more important to me than this one, and I am ready to forego all those things in order to strengthen my union,” he wrote.

And Peter Tolan, executive producer and showrunner for FX’s Rescue Me, has been writing a witty blog in the Los Angeles Times offering his views on the strike.

In one blog, a usually cynical Tolan described his reaction to recent WGA picketing.

“When I saw the commitment and passion and unity that was on display on the streets and sidewalks in front of studios around town — when I saw thousands of writers and their supporters flooding Fox Plaza on Friday — I no longer felt uninvolved,” he wrote in the Los Angeles Times.

 “What I felt was pure, unadulterated pride. I’m honored to be a member of the WGA, and I’m ready to join my brothers and sisters in the fight for what’s fair and right,” Tolan wrote.

These are some moving testimonials to the writers’ cause, if you will.

Earlier this week, I interviewed Michael Imperioli, who was part of the cast of The Sopranos. He said he is a WGA member, makes some money writing, and he was walking the Wall Street picket line to show solidarity with the union.

Imperioli talked about the issue of residuals for new-media platforms, but then took note of the human dilemma the strike poses.

“Hopefully, this will be resolved,” he said. “A lot of people [need to] feed families.”

Amen, Michael.