Overview

TV on Strike examines the 2007 upheaval in the entertainment industry by telling the inside story of the hundred-day writers’ strike that crippled Hollywood. The television industry’s uneasy transition to the digital age was the driving force behind the most significant labour dispute of the twenty-first century. The strike put a spotlight on how the advent of new-media distribution platforms is reshaping the traditional business models that have governed the entertainment business for decades. The uncertainty that sent writers out into the streets of Los Angeles and New York with picket signs laid bare the depth of the divide, after years of industry consolidation, between the handful of media barons who rule Hollywood and the writers whose works support the industry. With both sides afraid of losing millions in future profits, a critical communication breakdown spurred a brief but fierce fight with repercussions that continue today. The saga of the Writers Guild of America strike is told here as seen through the eyes of key players on both sides of the negotiating table and of the foot soldiers who shocked even themselves with the strength of their resolve to fight for their rights in the face of an ambiguous future.

Full Product Details

9780815610083

Table of Contents

Reviews

Every day Cynthia shows us how smart and well informed she is with her reporting. What we didn't know is just how compelling a storyteller she is! If you are in the entertainment industry or aspire to be this book is a MUST READ page turner. The players come to life and the events of the writers' strike provide the prism for Cynthia's explanation of how the entire entertainment eco-system really works. In the lightning fast constantly changing entertainment universe this book helps us to understand why and how it is all happening. Bravo Cynthia!--Warren Littlefield, TV producer and former president of NBC Entertainment The author has offered a detailed, thorough and unbiased report and analysis of the themes and events that pushed the entertainment industry into an unwanted but unavoidable labor dispute which will have ramifications on the industry for decades.--Robert Broder, Chuck Lorre Productions executive Television and Popular Culture

Every day Cynthia shows us how smart and well-informed she is with her reporting. What we didn't know is just how compelling a storyteller she is! If you are in the entertainment industry or aspire to be, this book is a MUST READ page turner.-- ""Warren Littlefield, TV producer and former president of NBC Entertainment"" Littleton gives a detailed, lively account of the three-month strike, providing valuable context about the parties and their complex interests.-- ""Choice"" Profiles of key players in the strike provide an emotional resonance and drama to the story....This well-researched book is for followers of the entertainment industry and students of media studies or labor history.-- ""Library Journal"" Readers interested in a detailed, objective conveyance of the myriad people, circumstances, and interests involved in the WGA strike of 2007 should find plenty of material to satisfy themselves.-- ""Journal of American Culture"" A detailed, thorough, and unbiased report and analysis of the themes and events that pushed the entertainment industry into an unwanted but unavoidable labor dispute which will have ramifications on the industry for decades.-- ""Robert Broder, Chuck Lorre Productions executive Television and Popular Culture""

"A detailed, thorough, and unbiased report and analysis of the themes and events that pushed the entertainment industry into an unwanted but unavoidable labor dispute which will have ramifications on the industry for decades.-- ""Robert Broder, Chuck Lorre Productions executive Television and Popular Culture"" Every day Cynthia shows us how smart and well informed she is with her reporting. What we didn't know is just how compelling a storyteller she is! If you are in the entertainment industry or aspire to be this book is a MUST READ page turner. The players come to life and the events of the writers' strike provide the prism for Cynthia's explanation of how the entire entertainment eco-system really works. In the lightning fast constantly changing entertainment universe this book helps us to understand why and how it is all happening. Bravo Cynthia!-- ""Warren Littlefield, TV producer and former president of NBC Entertainment"""

Author Information

Cynthia Littleton is deputy editor at Variety and coauthor of Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN.

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