As the Writers’ Guild of America strike heads into its third week, the effects are finally being felt. Although some programs have banked several scripts in anticipation of the strike, a large number of shows did not. The result is several shows running out of new episodes and lapsing into reruns. For students buried under assignments, papers and midterms, the newest episode of The Office or Grey’s Anatomy is often an oasis. With this sanctuary seemingly gone, it’s time to take a stand.
The success or failure of a television show is determined by ratings. Ratings set ad prices, which in turn are the largest part of network incomes. For example, The Office is regularly viewed by over 8 million people, which means the ad spots on the show are priced for being viewed by that many people. If audiences were to simply tune out, the networks would be forced to negotiate or face a tremendous hit in the wallet.
The argument presented here is inherently capitalist. The Christmas season will soon be upon us. The season is rife with consumerism, but ultimately showcases a facet of modern life: choice. Television viewers are consuming entertainment, ideally with a new installment every week. If new installments are unavailable, audiences have shown they will flock to whatever program is still airing new episodes.
The Christmas television season annually features a mixture of the same old holiday specials we see every year–Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas–along with new holiday-themed episodes of weekly shows. The ongoing strike has meant that several holiday episodes of various programs will not be made, meaning that the NBC holiday line-up will feature the same old specials they show every year along with reruns of the holiday episodes from various programs. The result: no new Office Christmas episode this year, among other scheduled specials.
The networks are preparing for the strike’s long haul, NBC has commissioned a special Celebrity Apprentice series to replace The Office and 30 Rock in Jan., and audiences should also prepare for life without their favourite shows. The simplest thing to do is tune out. When networks see that ratings have tanked and the audiences that so raptly viewed their weekly programming have taken to reading books, attending sporting events or theatre and otherwise occupied themselves, they’ll see the error of their ways. You usually can’t make television without writers, but you definitely can’t make television without an audience. So, as the Writers’ Guild of America has requested its writers to follow the mantra of “Pencils Down,” the television viewers of the continent should fight for their favourite shows the only way they can: “Remotes Down!”