Why Hollywood writers are striking and the immediate impact

[Omaha Steve]

https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-film-tv-streaming-29940516d1a0650cd87021d104ddb8a1

By ANDREW DALTON May 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The union representing 11,500 writers of film, television and other entertainment forms are now on strike. It’s the first writers’ strike — and the first Hollywood strike of any kind — in 15 years. Here’s a look at the storylines the fight has spawned.

WHY ARE THE WRITERS STRIKING?

Streaming and its ripple effects are at the center of the dispute. The guild says that even as series budgets have increased, writers’ share of that money has consistently shrunk.

Streaming services’ use of smaller staffs — known in the industry as “mini rooms” — for shorter stints has made sustained income harder to come by, the guild says. And the number of writers working at guild minimums has gone from about a third to about half in the past decade.

“On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks,” the guild said in a March report.

FULL story at link above.