What Did It Cost???
The writer's strike may finally be coming to an end, but not without severe harm to the local economy first.
The strike, which has lasted over 3 months already, has cost the economy $2 Billion.
Two BILLION!
According to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), estimates are that a $733 million loss has occurred in production spending and another $1.3 billion came from smaller venues, such as caterers, florists, hotels, restaurants, car services, and many others.
The biggest blow can be felt by dramatic television, which had 46 primetime dramas for broadcast and cable TV that were to be filmed in Los Angeles during the strike.
With each show employing approximately 200 employees, that's over 9,000 people unemployed. And considering that each episode costs an average of $3 million to produce, that's resulted in a loss of $138 million per week in production costs for the economy this year.
Thankfully the strike is 99% over now.
But, don't you wanna know….
Where did those $2 billion go????
[Image via WENN.]
If You Are Easily Offended…
We're all a bunch of greedy bitches !
6
you're queer. dont do that
first!
Duh, the 2billion didn't GO anywhere, it just wasn't earned.
These guys have a right to strike for better pay, too.
THANK GOD ITS OVER
1st
1st!
Those shows that they write for are garbage anyway. I don't watch them and I know of no one who watches them.
They need new writers anyway.
Plus, if you don't like what you're getting paid, GET A NEW JOB !!!!
Whiners !
OH NOEZ WE'RE ONLY MAKING 200K A YEAR FOR WRITING STUFF THAT ISNT EVEN GOOD!! LETS ASK FOR MORE MONEY AND PUT OUT EVEN LOWER QUALITY STUFF!!!1!!1!!
asses
u bitch about your tax dollars wasted on brittney, what about this???? bs!
1st
EWWWWWWWWWWW… Star Jones-Reynolds in a mini MINI dress at the Grammys. Oh, the horror!!!!!!!!!!
Yuck. Big Gay Al is gonna be PISSED. Oh, yeah….. glad the writer's strike is 99% over.
probably to the corporate monsters the writers were fighting all along.
It's no wonder we're in a fucking recession. T
he only good thing is that the striking is over & I can go back to watching my favorite shows.
Is that all?
The writers are selfish, greedy bastards. There had to have been a better way. They had no care for all of the people they affected with the strike and the 9,000 people that lost their jobs.
BIG WHOOP! I DON'T THINK ANYONE NOTICED A DIFFERENCE!!!
wtf
What do you mean, where did it go? It didn't go anywhere. It's not money that was subtracted, it just wasn't added.
YOUr so stupid Perez!!! Lol……:)
those 2 BillIoN dollars didn't go anywhere, that money just wasn't expent …. geezzzee.. didn't u take economics in high school??!!!
good thing the strike is over!
……………………………..
The $2 billion went OUT of the pockets of all the other employees that lost their jobs as a result. I think this was a good thing - get people away from their televisions for once. Maybe, I dunno, get out and EXERCISE?
Proof that Unions no longer work for America. What a waste.
perez, you're not just UGLY with that rainbow hair but your a full out IDIOT. the 2 billion didn't 'go' anywhere, it was lost because in the time the WG went on strike 2 billion could have been earned. I can't people YOU'RE reporting on this….
Re: Barb –
I am so in agreement with you, 100% I'm keeping my fingers crossed that those that chose to strike will be weeded out and the we get a whole new batch of writers who have being waiting and hoping for a break .
Screw them! Try a career in the real estate industry. Fucking Mortgage Brokers got greedy and ruined it for all of us! People losing their homes!!Welcome to my world!!
"cost the economy"? What an accurate depicition of the strike. It cost the economy. Get a life.
If writers and actors make millions of dollars, should we really pity them? Even if it's not millions, but hundreds of thousands… What about the poor, homeless americans who live in squalour in the south? Why aren't you fighting for attention to THEIR cause? Instead of urging people to end the fucking writers strike. Please.
just $2 billion??? still cheaper than iraq
THANK YOU GREEDY WRITERS!!
They all look like a bunch of assholes, especially those bitches in front.
talk about pulling a number out of their ass.
by the way how's Hillary doing?
Im mad at how they cost all those people their jobs.
200k a year? jesus christ….greedy muthafuckers
OK Kids..this is what's referred to as TRICKLE DOWN economics..you know, what they always laughed at Ronald Reagan about. Where is this money? IN THE BANK ACCOUNTS OF THE CORPORATIONS..they didn't LOSE money..they may not have MADE money, but they didn't lose any. Who lost? EVERY WORKING STIFF. Good job, writers…good job.
thanks you LAZY STONED FUCKS
Fuck them. I feel sorry for the people UNDER them, lighting techs, makeup artists, etc. These are predominately college educated people, with money in the bank. Amy's got it right- do something else besides watch TV, maybe TRAVEL and educate yourself?
Really, what the writers did was just drama.
They could've settled all that crap out in court without striking and using us as bargaining chips.
To the writers,
I hope you choke on the extra cash. As it is, you assholes have been churning out mostly shit for the last few years. You aren't worth what you're being paid. I think your work should be allowed to go to non-union writers. That's where all the upcoming original/creative stuff is, anyway.
To the actors who "supported" them,
You're all a bunch of overpaid pussies. "Artists" in a union. What a joke. Union members don't have their own individual high-powered agents & attorneys hammering out multi-million-dollar-deals, while other actors get scale.
From now on, I'm going to do everything I can to take some of that money away.
I'll wait for movies to come out on DVD rentals. That's where a lot of them belong, anyway. They sure aren't worth ticket price.
If I do have to catch a movie at the theatre, I'll try for early bird shows.
I'll go out of my way to NOT buy brands that air commercials during TV shows/series with "union" writers/actors.
Finally, I'll buy any brand of products/merchandise NOT being pimped by celebrities & their shows (red carpet occasions, paparazzi posing, product placements, etc…).
My share of that $2 billion is going into savings.
Hey, as long as those 15 layers of management at Disney, Viviendi, and Fox can still afford chauffeurs, cocaine, hookers, and golden parachutes, I'm happy. It's all about the quality, baby.
FUCK ALL YOU RICH WHITE MOTHERFUCKERS! YOUR MUTUAL FUNDS ARE GONNA BE LEFT ON 0000.00 SOON!!! RECESSION RECESSION!!!
2 billion dollars. I'm sure that 95% of that bullshit figure went to overpaid actors and actresses who "star" in 4th rate television programming. I. Don't. Care.
Good thing the strike is over so many people can return to work (including my boyfriend, a freelance, 3D post-production animator who lost a lot of work due to the strike). Shows that aren't in production (no matter how crappy they are) don't need post production workers like freelance artists, who have no Union at all. Lucky writers!
Glad the strike is over so people can get back to work. BUT I'm in such a dilemma, though because now I have to decide if I really want to watch TV now since it's been kinda nice not watching. I really miss Pushing Daisies and I'll go back to watching that, but everything else kinda doesn't interest me any more. Maybe the writers strike was a good thing for me.
The writers had a right to strike; the producers didn't want to give them residuals for new media.
And it's not over yet, SAG's contract is up in June, so they might strike as well over the same issues.
Since so many actors were in angreement with their strike, I think studios should have taken a portion of the actors' salaries and given it to the writers..
so what? THE WAR IN IRAQ COSTS US $275 MILLION A DAY! AND AROUND 700,000-800,000 LIVES ALTOGHETHER! get with it perez. i know it's a gossip blog but you could focus your efforts more on stuff that really matters rather than making it your mission to out closeted celebs.
Depression: Round Two. Do you see it coming?!
what do writers do when they are preparing for a strike?
Do they work to rule: what does that mean - no commas? no spellcheck?
You need to take an economics class. Of course, I pretty much think all Democrats need to take an economics class, but that's for a different time. The $$ is in several places most likely. Since the money did not get earned some could still be in the bank. Some could have gone to alternate plans to try to compensate for the strike, such as the cost of developing more crappy "reality" shows. There may even have been some refund paid to advertisers who did not get to advertise during original broadcasts….I have no idea if that happens, but it certainly could. There are all kinds of other places the money could "go" but I'm bored now and hated economics class.
writers are severely underpaid as compared to the actors and producers. the studios reap all the benefits.
What a bunch of dicks.
tell all the rich ass actors who supported them to give up some of their over paid salary. Funny how people are whining over money when there are people starving in this country…….fuck!
It didn't evaporate ’cause it didn't get fabricated!
WGA does not even pay liveable salary to the people they employ, how can they be believable in representing writers
i agree that 50% of shows suck, more like 75% suck. why do they need writers for the grammys or oscars? their jokes all suck and monologues are so boring at these shows! plus they can't even put in good jokes w/ out being rude. i only like lost, prison break, 24, and housewives in terms of dramas + terminator.
well, nearly a billion of it stayed in the banks of the Studios the writers thought they were 'hurting' with this strike. All it will do is make their 1Q profits look massive and raise the stock prices (a big part of their compensation packages-FYI)
The other $1.3 billion merely fucked over people who did nothing other than help bring the writer's vision to the screen with little reward.
sarcasm/ Sounds lke it worked. /sarcasm
Re: shearer – I write and I can tell you that's how it should me. I risk exactly NOTHING by writing scripts in my off time. I expect that when I sell a story I'll get a nice check but not 'fuck you' money. I am fine with that. Everyone knows writing is a stepping stone to bigger things.
A studio risks BILLIONS when they buy up a script and put it on TV or in theaters. Why shouldn't producers/studios get a bigger cut when it's their money that's being risked?
A writer is being paid no matter what. They get money up front even if it pulls a 'hottie or the nottie' type meltdown. The writers on that piece of shit film were paid $250K the film grossed $25K. Should the producers ask the writers to give back some of the money since their gamble didn't pay off and oh, 'it's the writers creation!!" Would that sound fair to you? Hey, only the writer made money in that case.
Doesn't sound like they have such a bad deal now does it?
Reality show prizes?
is that vincent d'onofrio from law and order next to that red sign?
LA's economy generates $1.3 billion a day. losing 2 is nothing. check your facts and give your readers some context instead of feeding them baseless information they will mindlessly repeat to their equally vapid friends.