November 19, 2008 by WW.

We’re collectively in hysterics at the antics of the Fool Off the Hill (OK, it’s a little obscure, but it’s our new name for HER), whose reaction to the just announced IATSE-AMPTP deal is the following astonishing nonsense: 

Talk about a conveniently timed announcement intended to undermine SAG’s federal mediator-ordered formal talks with the AMPTP tomorrow. It’s also conveniently timed to undercut the WGA’s news today that it’s going after Big Media for reneging on making those New Media payments contained in the new contract. But labor sources tell me they suspect this is a phoney baloney announcement because there’s not even any revelation of terms in the news release.

Never mind that the “convenient timing” is because the negotiations have been going on this week and have just concluded. Apparently the Fool Off the Hill can’t read any better than she can report. This is the part of the press release she apparently couldn’t understand.

The IATSE-AMPTP agreement is consistent with the five other major agreements AMPTP has already negotiated this year, and it includes meaningful economic gains and groundbreaking new media rights. …

Terms and conditions of the tentative agreement are in line with industry standards as established by other labor negotiations in 2008, and with applicable modifications for the particular needs of IATSE members. The IA received the unanimous support of the negotiating committee to recommend ratification of the tentative agreement by the membership.

Now maybe it would have been better to put percentages and a little more detail in the release, but it looks like the IATSE committee figured with the economy in crater mode, it’s better to have a deal with raises than not.

Posted in Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | No Comments »

November 19, 2008 by WW.

Just a few hours before the first SAG/AMPTP session since July, this announcement came from IATSE. The key line is, “The IATSE-AMPTP agreement is consistent with the five other major agreements AMPTP has already negotiated this year.”

Joint IATSE-AMPTP Statement

IATSE and AMPTP Agree on New Three-Year Contract

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 — The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) tentatively agreed today to the terms of a new three-year IATSE contract.  Terms apply to about 35,000 IA members represented by the West Coast studio Locals and New York-based Locals 52 and 161.

“This was a tough negotiation during tough economic times but both sides worked hard and negotiated reasonably to come to this agreement,” IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said.  “This new agreement both protects members and allows new media to evolve.”

In response to the agreement, AMPTP issued the following statement:

“The AMPTP is pleased to announce its sixth major labor agreement of 2008, this time with IATSE.  The IATSE-AMPTP agreement is consistent with the five other major agreements AMPTP has already negotiated this year, and it includes meaningful economic gains and groundbreaking new media rights.  Taken together, these six new labor agreements will keep our industry at work, allow producers to experiment with new media, and give everyone in our industry a stake in the success of new and emerging markets.”

Terms and conditions of the tentative agreement are in line with industry standards as established by other labor negotiations in 2008, and with applicable modifications for the particular needs of IATSE members.  The IA received the unanimous support of the negotiating committee to recommend ratification of the tentative agreement by the membership.

The IATSE is an International Union that represents members employed in the stagecraft, motion picture and television production, and trade shows industries throughout the United States, its Territories, and Canada.

Posted in Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | No Comments »

November 19, 2008 by Editor.

OK, so this is more AFTRA’s worry than SAG’s, but the bottom line is the same. And, by the way, we think one part of the story is wrong - our note on that is at the bottom.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and
Guns N’ Roses released their biggest hits on vinyl records and
compact discs, but on Thursday, their new albums will debut
online on MySpace.
Users of MySpace, the world’s largest social network on the
Internet, will be able to listen for free to “Electric
Arguments,” the new album by McCartney’s side-project group The
Fireman, and “Chinese Democracy,” the long-delayed album by
hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, before the songs are in stores
and at online shops like Amazon.com.
Members of News Corp-owned MySpace will be able to
play the songs on the bands’ MySpace pages, but they will not
be able to download them onto their computers.
Geffen Records plans to exclusively release “Chinese
Democracy” on Nov. 23 in the United States at consumer
electronics chain Best Buy Co Inc. Most of its tracks
have already shown up in various forms, including pirated
versions on the Internet.
“Electric Arguments” is due to be released on Nov. 25. Fans
can also order songs from that album, but not songs from
“Chinese Democracy”, through MySpace Music.
MySpace Music is a joint venture with Vivendi’s
Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music
Group

Here’s the part that’s wrong. The companies have to know that there are plenty of audio recorders and capture programs that will record the songs as they’re played on a computer. Even if it’s technically not a download, we think the file sharing/piracy problem isn’t solved by this kind of release - it’s probably made worse.

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November 18, 2008 by Editor.

In a post late last night, Andrew Salomon of Backstage offered his interpretation of this week’s scheduled non-negotiation session between the union and SAG. Salomon says it might lead to a strike authorization vote, presumably because he expects the union committee to get frustrated when it shows up in Sherman Oaks only to discover that while the federal mediator has persuaded the two sides to meet, he hasn’t persuaded the producers to move off their “last, best and final” offer. 

It’s important to remember, as Salomon apparently does, that Membership First still controls the TV-Theatrical negotiating committee, even though it no longer controls the SAG National board room - and, of course, the National Board has given the committee the authority to call for a strike authorization vote.

So, where does that leave us?

Conventional wisdom is that a strike authorization vote could easily fail. It takes 75% to pass, and, as we heard on the management-friendly CNBC this morning, it certainly takes an unusual employee (or group) to come in and ask for a big raise in this environment. The Hollywood activist/radical faction may be that “unusual” group, but it’s not clear that the rest of the union will follow their lead - after all, the recent election results can be read as a repudiation of Membership First tactics.

That, presumably, is where the National Board authorized “educational campaign” would come in - trying to persuade the membership to back a authorization at least as a negotiating tool. The hypotheticals that stem from this get complicated, and we’re not going to go there…yet.

We’re not expecting great news from Thursday’s session. But we’d be delighted to be surprised.

Posted in SAG Politics, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 10 Comments »

November 17, 2008 by WW.

With some nutty rumors floating around about the Commercials Contract proposals and new information available, another session has been added:

Joint AFTRA/SAG Commercials Contracts Wages & Working
Conditions Meeting to be held in New York:
Additional Date Added for Booz Allen Hamilton Study Presentation

An additional joint Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Wages and Working Conditions meeting has been scheduled to present and discuss the Booz Allen Hamilton Study. All members who work the Commercials Contracts are invited to attend and participate. Participation will be limited only by fire rules. Come early and bring your membership card.

NEW YORK
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
SAG Leon Janney Boardroom
360 Madison Ave (14th floor)

If you cannot attend, make sure your voice is heard. You may submit proposal recommendations by email at commercialswandw@aftra.com or commercialswandw@sag.org. The Joint Wages and Working Conditions Committee will review all recommendations.

On-site Suggestion Box - Boxes will be placed in the AFTRA Offices located at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard (9th floor) and 260 Madison Avenue (7th floor) in New York and at the SAG committee office at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard (1st floor) in Los Angeles and 360 Madison Avenue (12th floor) in New York. Feel free to drop-in your contract-related thoughts and concerns. Please note that the last day for suggestions is Friday December 5, 2008.

Posted in Commercials Contract | Print | No Comments »

November 15, 2008 by Editor.

For the first time in more than four months, the AMPTP and SAG are to meet on the subject of the stalled TV-Theatrical contract.  The meeting was arranged by federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez, who has already held two private meetings with each side.

The meeting hasn’t been confirmed by either SAG or the producers, and isn’t described as a negotiations session. The Los Angeles Times calls it a joint meeting with the mediator.  Variety points out that the AMPTP is still saying its last, best and final offer is the one it has already put on the table.  

The Hollywood Reporter gets around to the story…

Posted in Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 3 Comments »

November 14, 2008 by Editor.

This is buried in a Variety puff piece on Hulu, the NBC-Fox venture.  Google may have paid $1.65 billion for YouTube, but can’t seem to figure out how to make money on the deal. Hulu seems to have a better business model, but hasn’t really arrived…yet. The boldface emphasis is ours.

YouTube has created channels for different branded product, but they can tough to find. The site’s democratic presentation — and sheer volume of content — diminish its value as an ad vehicle. Hulu and YouTube both have demographics on their side, however. Viewers tend to skew younger than on TV, which has been aging up to 50 and beyond. The majority of Hulu viewers, Kilar points out, fall into the ad-friendly 18-49 demo.,

EMarketer recently projected that advertisers will spend $505 million on video ads this year, with the number climbing to $5.8 billion in 2013. That’s far short of the $70 billion TV video ad market, but advertisers are expected to follow younger viewers online.

 

Posted in Commercials Contract, Media Business, Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 3 Comments »

November 14, 2008 by Editor.

From Variety, something we missed yesterday but something we should all note:

Four WGA West staffers were arrested for alleged trespassing Thursday while leafleting at Hollywood & Highland mall to protest “American Idol” not being under WGA jurisdiction.

The arrestees included WGA West assistant exec director Jeff Hermansonalong with guild organizers Trish Albert, Laura Watson, and Terence Long while they passed out leaflets that asserted, “FremantleMedia refuses to treat its writers fairly.”

The WGA West said the quartet was taken into custody as part of a citizen’s arrest. They were then booked on misdemeanor charges at the Los Angeles Police Department and later released after posting bond.

“We will continue to exercise our First Amendment rights despite the heavy-handed treatment we received,” Hermanson said. “The public has a right to know that the top-rated show on television does not provide their writers with basic necessities like health care.”

WGA General Counsel Tony Segall said the guild was also considering legal action against the operators of the Hollywood & Highland for false arrest.

The WGA held a month-long campaign in five cities this summer to organize reality shows by targeting allegedly unfair working conditions on “American Idol.”

FremantleMedia execs have said the allegations, which include denial of overtime pay and meal breaks, are without merit. The execs have also said the WGA’s jurisdiction demand is unreasonable because Fremantle doesn’t use writers on all shows — an assertion disputed by the guild. 

Posted in Union Politics, Media Business | Print | 2 Comments »

November 13, 2008 by WW.

No sources. No hint of what makes him go for the line. But Dave McNary writes in Varietythat TV-Theatrical negotiations could resume next week.  The article follows today’s session between federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez and the AMPTP. The producers have said SAG already has the “last, best and final” offer on the table. The economy has only gone south since the offer was made.

Here’s all McNary offers:

No date’s been set yet for the resumption of SAG contract negotiations, which broke off July 16 after 42 sessions. Neither side had any comment Thursday.If SAG and the AMPTP meet again, the earliest possible date would be next Thursday. The AMPTP restarted negotiations for three days this week with the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees about the West Coast contract covering 18 locals; those talks are scheduled to resume Monday through Wednesday.It remains unclear if SAG and the AMPTP can reach a deal. SAG’s negotiators have contended they have to achieve sweeter terms than the other Hollywood guilds, while the congloms have insisted repeatedly that they won’t revise their final offer, especially amid a souring economy.  

Posted in Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 21 Comments »

November 13, 2008 by Editor.

For a group that’s hired an agency to help with communications, the Allens sure are sending some mixed messages. The latest on the SAG website, announcing an “Important Caucus” is today’s case in point. 

All paid-up SAG members who work the Television Contract are invited to an important caucus Tuesday, November 18, 2008 to discuss the New Media streaming of TV series made prior to July 1974.

A very special invitation to members who worked on shows produced in the 1950s (such as Maverick), 60s (such as Bewitched) and the 70s (such as The Brady Bunch).

Come early and bring your membership card.

Participation is limited only by the fire rules.

Topic: The AMPTP proposal to pay no residuals for the New Media streaming of television programs produced prior to the advent of residuals in perpetuity.

When: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Where: James Cagney Board Room
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

OK, so we’re limiting this to (pick one)
1. Members who work TV-Theatrical.
2. Members who used to work TV-Theatrical.
3. Anyone who has a SAG card.
4. We’re not sure.

Are the Allens really endorsing qualified attendance and is it a step towards qualified voting? Or is just another example of our communicators not communicating well?

Posted in Exhibit A - TV Theatrical | Print | 1 Comment »