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« Panns' Ponderings
Writer’s Block
I have a question.
As December 5th approaches (the date, I believe, when Supernatural will shut down production), I’m getting worried.
I’m worried that there is going to be a lot of people out of jobs very soon, and not just on the Supernatural set.
I’m worried that shows that have a loyal audience but struggle for numbers may face a very uncertain future.
I’m worried that, very soon, the networks are going to try to sell me on a lot of reality TV shows and game shows, as if they are a viable alternative to scripted TV.
Please don’t get me wrong. This is not a bash against reality TV or game shows. I’m an avid American Idol fan, and have been since the beginning, but I don’t see them as a replacement for well-written comedies or dramas.
So, to my question. I usually hide in the Supernatural blogs, but I’m trying to venture out of my comfort zone to find out if anyone knows of any coordinated e-mail or letter writing campaign going on out there?
It’s just because I’m thinking that if not, maybe some of our resident writers could create a draft of a letter that we could either print and send, or e-mail in to the networks. It could be something to let them know that we support our programs, and will continue to watch them during and after the writers strike. That we are not interested in watching reality TV “substitutes”. That we are interested in knowing that both sides are engaging in good faith negotiations to try and end this strike. And finally, that we are concerned for all whose livelihoods are threatened by a continuing strike.
I’d be happy to create a blog with the text of a letter and the e-mail addresses of the networks. Or any other stakeholder in this conflict. Something where we can just cut and paste it into an e-mail, insert the name of the program that you are supporting, and send it off.
What do you all think? It this worth trying? I just feel that I need to attempt something. I keep thinking about what Cindy said regarding the children of the Supernatural crew having a happy holiday.
Please let me know what you think, and thank you for your time.
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Dec 3, 2007 11:29 PM
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Hi Panns. Couldn't tell you. I live in a vacuum. But I'm sure Mary's in the know and can give good advice (along with a bunch of others that I'm not aware of). I was just planning to take the opportunity to skip out on t.v. altogether & follow through on my vow to buy zero DVD's until this deal gets done. Kind of a pity too, because I had a boatload of DVD gift ideas. I came so close to splurge spending $200 for the Stargate SG-1 collection (for my brother of course, reserving viewing rights), and then I remembered that no DVDs means NO DVDS. 
P.S. I refuse to rent either.
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Edited by demonkoosh at 12/03/2007 9:22 PM
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Dec 4, 2007 12:21 AM
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I'm sorry you can't get any DVDs, Koosh, but I admire your resolve!
I'm thinking I'm going to have a lot more book time in the next while. (And blog time too!) 
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Dec 4, 2007 12:28 AM
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Hello Ms Panns -
Unfortunately, the events of last week between the strike negotiators did not go as well as we had hoped. It is disheartening to think that we are possibly going to loose more than just one or two episodes of our favorite shows this season. However, we have to keep the faith.
When things began, our dear Professor posted a wonderful blog detailing information and thoughts of what the fans could do. I'd just like to remind you and everyone else of a few points.
For information on the strike, from the WGA perspective, you can check the site http://www.unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
There's a link on the site that will take you to http://speechlesswithoutwriters.com/ It's a series of short videos to show exactly how important writers are to what we see on screen.
There's also a wonderful site http://www.fans4writers.com/ that is also truly informative.
Both the fans4writers and the unitedhollywood sites feature the pencil campaign. Alot like the nut campaign used by Jericho fans last summer, this is created to send pencils to the powers that be, showing support for the writers.
Also, on the Professor's LJ blog, you can find copies of her letters to the networks. I'll be honest, I used them as a template and drafted my own letters and sent them off - specifically for Supernatural, however other shows as well. You can find her posting HERE.
Sorry this has gotten long ... I hope you don't mind ... but lastly I just want to add my two cents regarding reality shows. In the coming weeks, the networks are going to begin overwhelming us with more and more of them as the scripted shows begin to run out.
I realize that there are many who like reality shows, although I'm not one of them. However, if these cheap and easy to produce shows gain in numbers and popularity it will be an indication to the networks that the American TV viewer is willing to watch anything just because it's there. Avoiding these shows is the best way to show the networks that we aren't interested - that we prefer a quality scripted drama or comedy.
I can't speak for anyone else, but in my house, my television will be dark before a reality program will be watched. And that's just fact.
Meanwhile, Netflix has a whole listing of seasons of quality television that I'm more than willing to re-watch. Then there's my season one and two sets of Supernatural dvds.
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Dec 4, 2007 12:40 AM
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Hey Panns, I believe Mary & some other fans have sent letters to the production companies. I think Mary posted a blog about that a couple of weeks ago. Also, some fans at LJ were asking other fans to buy boxes of pencils which will then be sent to the production companies. I haven't heard of anything else.
Since I'm not really affected by the strike (except for not being able to see new episodes of SN!) I haven't had to find other things to do to pass the time. Even so, I'm still hoping that everything will be resolved sooner rather than later especially with the holidays coming.
Thanks!
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Dec 4, 2007 12:42 AM
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I'm thinking I'm going to have a lot more book time in the next while. (And blog time too!)
Yes, but what will you blog about?
This is Mary's Strike Blog.
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Dec 4, 2007 3:09 AM
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I'm worried that there is going to be a lot of people out of jobs very soon...
And finally, that we are concerned for all whose livelihoods are threatened by a continuing strike.
This is the thing that's bothering me most about the strike-otherwise, I, like you, am perfectly capable of ignoring it until it goes away; however it goes away. I am stockpiling books that I have always wanted to read, but kept putting off until I had more time. I read a blog here the other day by a writer(his name is on the blog, sorry I can't rememeber it, though) but it was excellent and it made a lot of sense. This is the way I feel:
The people with all the money should think of the ones who don't have as much and act accordingly. If an agreement isn't reached before the holidays, then the people with all the money(and they know who they are) should be ashamed of themselves. This is just my opinion, and this may be all I ever have to say about the strike.
I think your idea is a great idea because I haven't sent letters to anyone, yet, as I am ALWAYS short on time. Your thought on the e-mail would help me out a lot-it's a great idea, Panns!
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Dec 4, 2007 9:41 AM
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Thank you for the great information, Cindy. And never worry about going long. I don’t think you can have too much of a good thing. 
If anyone hasn’t checked out the link to BardicVoice’s letters in Cindy’s comment, please do. They are very well written, and you can find the addresses to the different networks as well. I’ll try to see if I can find e-mail addresses as well in case someone might not have the time to write in.
And thanks for the info on the pencil campaign, Liesl and Cindy. I’ll look for the link to that as well.
Mos, I will be blogging about Supernatural, of course.
And I encourage everyone to read or re-read Mary’s strike blog. It has a lot of good information.
I know that in my little world, I may be upset at the thought of losing some episodes of Supernatural, but there are a lot of people impacted by this strike, and if we as the viewers voice our support for our scripted shows maybe we can help encourage strike resolution.
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Dec 4, 2007 9:45 AM
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I went back and checked; just a couple of pages back-the blog is by gollysunshine and it's on an e-mail from a writer named Hank Steinberg-sorry about the mix-up. I just re-read it and I hope he's right.
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Dec 4, 2007 9:56 AM
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Panns: Sorry, I'm having writer's block this morning! So I have nothing different to add, but thanks for bringing this to our attention...and thanks to Keeper and Mos for pointing us in the direction of Mary's blog.
Mos, I will be blogging about Supernatural, of course.
Good answer! We can always find something about SN to talk about...like the hunters mentioned in Season 1 that we have yet to meet...or other such randomness...
ETA - Congrats on the big red star!!!!
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Dec 4, 2007 10:58 AM
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Hi Panns,
You ain't a kiddin' when you say there's going to be nothing on but reality and game shows if the strike keeps up- with all due respect to people who watch reality and game shows, I'd rather stick hot needles in my eyes than sit through that crap! I've got a nice, big stack of unread books that I think I'm going to be cracking open pretty soon here.
I knew Cindy and Mary would have all the links, so I'll just add this one from Gollysunshine that Arafel mentioned in her post- it's very informative from an insider's perspective. Please give it a read.
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Dec 4, 2007 1:16 PM
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Hi Arafel!
This is the thing that's bothering me most about the strike
I’m with you there. I’m the type who stays in the movie theater to watch all the credits because all these people worked hard on this movie, and someone should be around to read their names. (I’m sure the employees at the local movie theaters must just love that!)
These people may not be on the screen every week, or showing up to the conventions, but they are a part of our Supernatural (or insert the name of your favorite show here) family. Without them, we wouldn’t have a show to watch.
Thanks for the info on the blog!
Ocean, of course we can always find something SN to talk about!
Congrats on the big red star!!!!
Thanks! Hopefully if people check this out, they’ll see the links and be inspired to get involved! (and after this I need to go look for those e-mails so that it is easy to get involved!)
Met, you said it! I’m stockpiling my books right now, and I think I’ll be asking for Barns and Noble gift cards for Christmas. Thanks for adding the link.
This blog is turning into a place for links, which is great. I think it’s important to be educated about the strike, and if you are passionate about your shows, active in supporting them as well.
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Dec 4, 2007 2:12 PM
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List of E-mail Addresses
A&E
If you go here - http://www.aetv.com/
Scroll to the bottom and click on “Contact Us”. This brings up a form that you can fill in.
ABC
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html?lid=ABCCOMGlobalFooter&lpos=CONTACT
If you go here, there is a form that you can fill out and send in. I’m not sure if that’s for the website, or the network, but I’m sure you could put a request to forward it on to the appropriate person.
ABC Family
You can go here if you have a question or a comment about a program.
http://abcfamily.go.com/abcfamily/path/section_Global/page_Contactus
CBS
Go here http://www.cbs.com/ , scroll down to the bottom and click on “Feedback”
The CW
Their e-mail is feedback@CWTV.com
FOX
Email is - askfox@fox.com
Note: this is for the FOX Broadcasting Company's U.S. primetime schedule.
OTHER FOX MAILING ADDRESSES:
OTHER 20TH CENTURY FOX COMPANY ADDRESSES:
20TH CENTURY FOX (Theatricals):
Website Address: http://www.foxmovies.com
E-mail Address: foxmovies@fox.com
Paper Mail Address:
20TH CENTURY FOX THEATRICALS
P.O. BOX 900
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90213-0900
20TH HOME VIDEO:
Website address: http://www.foxhome.com
E-mail Address: foxmovies@fox.com
Paper Mail Address:
20TH CENTURY FOX HOME VIDEO
P.O. BOX 900
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90213-0900
20TH TELEVISION (Production Company):
Website address: http://www.foxhome.com
Lifetime
I went through the website, and found this - http://www.mylifetime.com/feedback/form.php?area_id=1§ion_id=1
Which gives you a chance to feedback on programs. You may also want to try starting from here - http://www.mylifetime.com/feedback/index.php if you want to be more specific to your show.
NBC
Go to here - http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/
Select your show from a drop-down list and you will have the opportunity to send them a message.
TNT
They say that you can contact them here - tnt@turner.com
USA
If you go here - http://www.usanetwork.com/feedback/#Contact
Scroll to the bottom and you will have a chance to fill in a comment form.
Well, I hope this helps. If there is a network that you don’t see, please let me know and I’ll look it up!
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Dec 4, 2007 2:59 PM
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Hey, panns and all - I'm glad to see that all the contact information, links, and ideas have been refreshed here, and under a red star, no less!
I would encourage people to write (politely but pointedly!) both to email and to letter addresses. Something important to note is that not all the networks are sitting at the negotiation table: the CW, for example, is not a part of the event, but both of its parents - CBS and Warner - are among the big six. The other major kickers are NBC, Disney (now the parent of ABC), Fox, and Sony. Addresses for the majors, together with a list of who-all is responsible for which shows, are available at bringtvback.
For ideas on how to participate - ideas which are constantly evolving, I recommend fans4writers.
I'll probably be doing another letter, this one to the AMPTP. You can hit them at:
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
15503 Ventura Boulevard
Encino, CA 91436
You can leave a message for the AMPTP on their website form here, if you don't mind giving them contact info over the net.
I've done pencils2mediamoguls in the name of my favorite show. When you do, you have the opportunity to include a message.
If you want to help folk in the industry more directly, consider becoming a member of the Actors Fund. The Actors Fund supports not only actors, but also the below-the-line crew folk now out of work as a result of the strike.
We do what we can, and hope for the best.
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Dec 4, 2007 9:13 PM
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Thank you, Mary, for the information and the additional links.
We do what we can, and hope for the best.
I second that!
Couple more email addresses
Warner Bros. Studios
This link will let you contact customer service. You can select “Questions or comments on the CW network or it’s shows” as a “This is regarding” option.
http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/main/help/customer_service.jsp
Sony Pictures Television
Unfortunately, the email addresses that they have here:
http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/sonypicturesfaq.html#9
Do not seem to include one for giving them feedback. The address that bringtvback has (and see Mary’s link for all the addresses) is:
Michael Lynton
Chairman/CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment
10202 West Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
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Dec 5, 2007 2:06 AM
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