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I really like this letter that Jennie Tan, the creator of OfficeTally, wrote to Jeff Zucker, the President of NBC.
I wrote one of my own a couple weeks ago.
Dear Mr. Zucker:
I am writing to express my solidarity with the Writers Guild of America in their current strike. This may interest you as four of my favorite television shows currently air on your network: Chuck, 30 Rock, The Office, and Friday Night Lights. I consider myself to be a dedicated television viewer, and I imagine I’m the kind of viewer that NBC likes to have. I never miss an episode. Even after watching an episode live, I will stream it on your website multiple times. In fact, I watched the entire first seasons of 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights on your website this summer. I visit your website frequently to watch deleted scenes of The Office and purchase various Office-related items from the NBC store. I have purchased the first three seasons of The Office on DVD, along with the first season of Friday Night Lights. Basically, I’m the kind of viewer that helps your network make money.
Unfortunately, NBC’s current refusal to negotiate with the WGA is about to cost your network my viewership until the writers receive the compensation they rightfully deserve. I’m an accountant by trade, and I know how important profits are to any company, and particularly to a company in a cut-throat industry like yours. However, I refuse to believe that you are not making money off of live-streaming and digital downloading. Your company would not be engaging in these lines of business if you were not. Furthermore, the internet is not so new that your accountants are unable to project the cash flows you will make off of it in the future.
Additionally, I am very much aware that your industry is nothing without its writers. These are the people who create the entertainment that keep viewers such as myself coming back every week. It is only fair that they receive compensation for the product they have spent hours creating and perfecting for your network. I believe what they are asking for is more than reasonable.
I ask you to please consider the demands of the writers and give them what is fair so we can all get back to doing what we love to do: you can make money, the writers can write, and I can watch. In the meantime, it might interest you to note that I will not be streaming episodes of your shows online, nor will I be downloading them from iTunes or Amazon’s Unbox. I will also refrain from purchasing any NBC television on DVD, and do not plan to watch the reality shows you will undoubtedly use to replace the shows I love so much once they run out of episodes.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Heather B.
I'm not delusional enough to believe that he'll personally read it. I just feel so strongly about this issue, I couldn't remain silent.
Let's hope the AMPTP comes back with something fair sooner rather than later. I'm ready for new words again, and I know I'm not the only one.
I wrote one of my own a couple weeks ago.
Dear Mr. Zucker:
I am writing to express my solidarity with the Writers Guild of America in their current strike. This may interest you as four of my favorite television shows currently air on your network: Chuck, 30 Rock, The Office, and Friday Night Lights. I consider myself to be a dedicated television viewer, and I imagine I’m the kind of viewer that NBC likes to have. I never miss an episode. Even after watching an episode live, I will stream it on your website multiple times. In fact, I watched the entire first seasons of 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights on your website this summer. I visit your website frequently to watch deleted scenes of The Office and purchase various Office-related items from the NBC store. I have purchased the first three seasons of The Office on DVD, along with the first season of Friday Night Lights. Basically, I’m the kind of viewer that helps your network make money.
Unfortunately, NBC’s current refusal to negotiate with the WGA is about to cost your network my viewership until the writers receive the compensation they rightfully deserve. I’m an accountant by trade, and I know how important profits are to any company, and particularly to a company in a cut-throat industry like yours. However, I refuse to believe that you are not making money off of live-streaming and digital downloading. Your company would not be engaging in these lines of business if you were not. Furthermore, the internet is not so new that your accountants are unable to project the cash flows you will make off of it in the future.
Additionally, I am very much aware that your industry is nothing without its writers. These are the people who create the entertainment that keep viewers such as myself coming back every week. It is only fair that they receive compensation for the product they have spent hours creating and perfecting for your network. I believe what they are asking for is more than reasonable.
I ask you to please consider the demands of the writers and give them what is fair so we can all get back to doing what we love to do: you can make money, the writers can write, and I can watch. In the meantime, it might interest you to note that I will not be streaming episodes of your shows online, nor will I be downloading them from iTunes or Amazon’s Unbox. I will also refrain from purchasing any NBC television on DVD, and do not plan to watch the reality shows you will undoubtedly use to replace the shows I love so much once they run out of episodes.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Heather B.
I'm not delusional enough to believe that he'll personally read it. I just feel so strongly about this issue, I couldn't remain silent.
Let's hope the AMPTP comes back with something fair sooner rather than later. I'm ready for new words again, and I know I'm not the only one.
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