Actually, although all reality shows are written, they are not covered by the WGA. A little over a year and a half ago, 1,200 reality show writers signed cards stating their desire to join the Guild, and the WGA has been trying to get them in as members ever since. Many of them have truly awful working conditions—no health coverage, no pension, extremely long working hours (16-hour days), no bathroom breaks, etc. Some of them have been lied to, short-changed on their pay and fired if they got sick. Some of these writers are Guild members who turned to reality show writing when "scripted" show writing dried up. The Guild supported 12 writers of the reality show America's Next Top Model when they went on strike around that time. After weeks of picketing and rallies, the producers replaced the writers. Despite this setback, the reality show people continue to want to join the Guild. If you've been following the articles in the press, you're getting a few reporters' takes on how things will go. The truth is that the people who run the major primetime shows—this includes the four major networks and HBO, Showtime, some of Comedy Central and a few other cable shows—are all writers and WGA members. That's the showrunners, the creators and the executive producers. The WGA strike rules (see link below) are very clear about what they can and cannot do:The Rules prohibit hyphenates (members who are employed in dual capacities) from performing any writing services...Link to strike rules: http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2493 This means that people like Letterman, Leno, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher (among others), all of whom are Guild members, will not be able to write any material for their shows. This also means that David Shore will not be writing anything for House. Here's the pertinent bit from the strike rules:Hyphenates (i.e. members employed in dual capacities such as writer-director, writer-producer, etc.) may not perform any writing services, including “(a) through (h)” services, for a struck company. The MBA defines “(a) through (h)” as follows: (a) Cutting for time (b) Bridging material necessitated by cutting for time (c) Changes in technical or stage directions (d) Assignment of lines to other existing characters occasioned by cast changes (e) Changes necessary to obtain continuity acceptance or legal clearance (f) Casual minor adjustments in dialogue or narration made prior to or during the period of principal photography (g) Such changes in the course of production as are made necessary by unforeseen contingencies (e.g., the elements, accidents to performers, etc.) (h) Instructions, directions, or suggestions, whether oral or written, made to a writer regarding story or screenplayWhat this means, essentially, is that any House script that is not absolutely final and ready to shoot cannot be tweaked in any way by a Guild member, even if that person has his/her other hat on.
The Writers Guild Of America and legendary United Artists Films have reached a mutually beneficial independent agreement. While the details are not being disclosed in this announcement, the comprehensive agreement addresses the issues important to writers, including New Media. As a result of this agreement, Writers Guild members will be able to work with United Artists while the strike against other companies continues. The agreement is unique to United Artists Films and does not involve Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), a shareholder of United Artists Entertainment. “United Artists has lived up to its name. UA and the Writers Guild came together and negotiated seriously. The end result is that we have a deal that will put people back to work,” said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West. “This agreement is important, unique, and makes good business sense for United Artists. In keeping with the philosophy of its original founders, artists who sought to create a studio in which artists and their creative visions could flourish, we are pleased to have reached an agreement with the WGA,” said UA co-owner and CEO Paula Wagner.
