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Dave Letterman’s production company just issued a statement confirming my scoop from yesterday, Dave Opens Own Wallet To Pay His Staff:
“Next week’s tapings of The Late Show and the Late Late Show have been cancelled and we will continue to make a week-by-week determination about future tapings. However, it is important to Dave that our staff members have some degree of support during this uncertain time. Therefore, Worldwide Pants, which independently produces both shows, will continue to pay the non-writing staff of the shows – fully compensating lower-salaried employees, and providing a substantial portion of salaries for those at the higher end — at least through the end of the year. Of course, we all want to get back to work as soon as possible, and it remains our hope that both sides in this dispute will make progress toward that end. In the meantime, we will continue monitoring this situation closely as we make decisions regarding our future production schedule.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Dave is a mensch.
You can file this following thought under “Not Gonna Happen,” but I thought I’d offer it up anyway:
We writers feels so strongly about our position that we are willing to strike, to forsake our pay, to make a sacrifice for what we believe is right in order to secure a better future for writers.
Would the leaders of the networks and the studios — the CEOs and presidents of those corporate divisions — be willing to do the same? Would Les Moonves and Barry Meyer and Alan Horn and Bob Iger and Peter Chernin and all the rest of the studio leaders sacrifice their paychecks because they believe so strongly in their side of this situation? Perhaps the stockholders of the conglomerates should insist that the paychecks of these industry moguls be withheld until they stop “their strike” — that is, their refusal to return to negotiations.
My bet is if Les and Barry and Alan and Bob and Peter and the rest were going to lose their salaries every day the strike goes on, they’d be back at the table pronto.
I can dream…
I for one, am glad as hell I don’t work for Mr. Letterman. I would have started crying as soon as I heard the news and THAT would be embarrassing.
That’s real top shelf action!
No one is going to be running over his integrity with a bulldozer.
Great for Dave to do. Don’t forget Jay, too! Jay’s been and continues to be vocal and on the picket line throughout the strike. Dave owns his show. NBC/GE owns the Tonight Show. So, if Tonight Show staff members are laid off, NBC/GE is the one not paying for them. Please spread the word that Dave and Jay are the good guys, and NBC/GE is the bad guy.
Tom –
Great idea
Also,
Picketers should carry signs with photos of each mogul and their annual income
Also signs with each studios annual revenue
Writers could carry signs of their own successful film/tv with its accrued revenue and then show what they earned from residuals
So much word, Tom. So much word.
And David Letterman has justified years of staying up until 1:30 on a school night to watch his show.
People don’t realize that while the writers of the late night shows are striking, the repeats are running and they they are getting their residuals which are quite hefty. So they are being a little bit 2 faced about this whole situation and as an employee of a late night show, I am grateful for the comensation whatever it is because this whole situation stinks.
Really, S.J? Residuals for late night reruns are “quite hefty?” Really? If you have seen the pay, which I doubt you have, then you know how small the residuals are for these writing jobs for the top few shows which are rare and very tough to keep. Yet you decide to call us 2-faced because of benefits we had to fight for in order to survive and live in smaller homes than you while providing material for the show that creates your job? Really?
How the hell are the writers two-faced? Are they claiming to not get any residuals? That’s ridiculous. Are the studio and network employees who have steady income going to volunteer to form an “adopt-a-writer” program to cover us between jobs? No? Okay then, in that case I think we need to stand up for ourselves and our survival. Nobody else is going to, you know?
So Dave pays people through the new year, looks like a hero, then comes back after the new year, although he really doesn’t want to…just like the last strike. Nice pr move there…get some good will built up while Ellen takes the heat. He’s got someone good advising him, that’s for sure.
We’re saying “Great Dave” while Variety reports that Dave and Jay’s people are secretly meeting with Conan and Jimmy’s people to decide which one will betray us first and go back on the air and when the others will join.
Pricks.
Oh I don’t think the writers are cackling to the bank with those monster residuals SJ. Why is it that people cannot see this is a working issue? This is larger than any group. The writers need our solidarity. They’re fighting huge corporations as most of us do these days if we want any kind of deal and if we have any hope to get big companies’ attention, perhaps we need to endure a bit of pain. Didn’t your mom ever tell you if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all?