msnbc.msn.com — NBC Universal has refused to pay for or credit the writers for the BSG webisodes, claiming they are promotional material. So the BSG Executive Producer decided to stop making them. In response, NBC Universal has seized the webisodes and filed charges of unfair labor practices against the Writers Guild of America,
Oct 18, 2006 View in Crawl 4
reederOct 18, 2006
s**t, I'm suprised NBC hasn't added a laugh track to the show yet.
malfourmedOct 18, 2006
FYI Ron Moore took pains to credit all involved in the production of the webisodes here:<a class="user" href="http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/09/#a001251">http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/09/#a001251</a>The WGA West position on webisodes and similiar materials is documented here (PDF):<a class="user" href="http://www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/news_and_events/press_release/principles.pdf">http://www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/news_and_events/press_release/principles.pdf</a>
zenmojoOct 18, 2006
And people think guilds are corrupt. Sorry, corporations are corrupt, guilds are empowering. The writers are the show. They could kill off every main character and still write an incredible show. NBC needs to get with the damn program and empty them pockets.
malfourmedOct 18, 2006
"I don't get why they're not paying them. What would they be out if they did?"It's all about driving a wedge between what the writers (and others) get, and what the studios keep, a gap that will get substantially wider as the net/phones/ipods etc take off as distribution channels; as I soapbox at greater length here:<a class="user" href="http://www.worldinprogress.org/wip/archives/2006/10/credits_and_res.html">http://www.worldinprogress.org/wip/archives/2006/10/credits_and_res.html</a>
charlieincoOct 19, 2006
Um.First, "rights". "Rights fight." What do they teach you kids in school nowadays?Second, as far as the suits f**king things up, well, that's their job: they're paid to get as much as they can for the corporation. Third, Ron Moore's no virgin: he's negotiating, the NBC folks are negotiating. But nobody wants to screw things up, because that's killing the goose laying the golden eggs.
zedikerOct 19, 2006
that explains why sci-fi has become a basin of s**t recently. The only good show on sci-fi is BSG... the rest is just utter tripe and crappy action movies they try to pass off as sci-fi movies... SPECIAL NOTICE TO NBC: Action movies with aliens, wizards, or 'crazy s**t' are not Sci-Fi movies.QUESTION TO NBC: What the F%&@ does wrestling have to do with Sci-Fi?
baddoxOct 20, 2006Submitter
Yeah, CharlieInCO, I blew it on missing the "r," but you really outdid me with your little ditty. "Right" is only a verb if you're doing it to a wrong.
exslashdotterOct 20, 2006
I say frack 'em all!
misssheriffSep 22, 2009
What is considered promotional material?