Just sour grapes?

I’m trying to muster up sympathy for the television writers who might or might not go on strike because of a dispute over the myriad ways in which their work is being distributed (Internet, DVDs, etc.), for which their current contract doesn’t include any compensation.

Where I’m stuck, though, as someone who has worked in the B2B side of things for more than eight years, is the fact that I’ve watched as editors' workloads have increased beyond writing for print to include writing original content for the Web, writing for podcasts, Webcasts, speaking at seminars, planning two-day conferences and more, and yet, I don’t see the compensation levels for those additional responsibilities growing, and in fact, I see the staffs of most publications shrinking since I’ve entered the biz.

James Poniewozik wrote an interesting piece for Time’s Web site a few days ago that was the impetus for me thinking about this. The WGA wants its members to be compensated for the extra distribution channels in which the same content is being used. But what I say is this: How do we in the B2B space get fairly compensated or better balanced workloads for the extra work we do in order to take advantage of the ever-changing content distribution models?

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Posted by Nikki Golden on Friday, November 2, 2007 @ 9:15 AM
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Comments:
Nikki,

I had the same reaction when I heard about the strike. TV writers are probably well paid as it is. But then, why shouldn't they, as content producers get a decent-sized slice of the pie? Should everything go to the producers? (You could also make a case that others involved in production should get a percentage -- crew, etc.)

Maybe the main problem with business press vs. TV is that the TV industry seems to be making lots of money from DVD sales and sponsored online video, while the B2B press is still struggling to get revenue from non-print products. Part of that is doubtless the B2B business model, which usually dictates that our audience doesn't pay for content of any kind (vs. DVD sales, where the money comes mostly from consumers).

Also, it's already an established practice for TV and movie writers to get paid residuals for secondary uses like reruns/syndication of series, video, etc. That's a model that hasn't taken hold in publishing.

Here's a story from Editor & Publisher about why Washington Post Radio failed. The story mentions that the Post reporters and other staffers were being asked to take on new duties without compensation or even notice about said duties (in this case, a violation of their union agreement -- so the newsroom, like the TV industry, is running on a model different from B2B media's).

I read about the story via a post on the ASBPE discussion forum titled "Where do we get the tools we need to do our jobs?" (ASBPE members can access the forum.)

Martha Spizziri
Web Editor and Boston/New England chapter VP, ASBPE
# posted by Blogger Martha Spizziri : November 7, 2007 at 11:17 AM
 
Wow, are you listening in on our lunch conversations? You've hit this topic dead on. Now, what to do about it...hmmmm. Haven't figured that one out yet.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : January 13, 2008 at 7:56 PM
 
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