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Those who know me will know that I am a huge fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I'd been trying to get tickets for the last two years, and finally, last June I think it was, I was successful in nabbing two tickets for January 31st, 2008.

But then came the Writers' Strike, and I've been angsting back and forth about attending - kinda like this:



In the end, I did a Jewish thing. I went, but felt REALLY guilty about it.

I spoke to the people on the picket line about the strike, and what we can do to help.



Here's an interesting piece of data. When you buy the Daily Show on iTunes for $1.99, Viacom gets $1.45.
The writers', on the other hand, get a big fat ZERO.

Bear Stearns wrote recently that "the impact of accepting the writers' proposal is largely negligible - less than 1% of annual earnings per share for the media companies.

Here's an explanation of the issues involved by the striking Daily Show writers - it's worth watching to remind yourself of why we miss these guys so much.



Help the Daily Show writers by calling Viacom executives and tell them to come back to the table and give the writers a fair share of the content they've created.

Numbers:

Sumner Redstone (Owner, Viacom) 212 975 4321
Phillipe Dauman (CEO, Viacom) 212 258 6000

You can also go to http://www.strikeswag.com to buy a t-shirt. Profits go to the WGA Union Solidarity Fund.

Now can I just have a brief fangirl moment?



You're not allowed to take any photos in the studio, but this was in the holding room outside. I was really psyched because Rob Riggle was the "reporter" in last night's show - he and John Oliver are my favorite of the current reporters. They also have a stand-up guy to warm up the crowd before the taping - last night it was Paul Mecurio, who was both extremely funny and extremely raunchy. After listening to him I understood why you aren't welcome at a Daily Show taping unless you're 18.

Jon Stewart answered a few questions before the taping and spoke briefly afterwards. He's funny off the cuff, as you might expect. I'd seen him do his stand-up routine two years ago, and laughed so hard my face hurt - it was right after Scooter Libby was indicted and he did this hilarious riff about how a guy named "Scooter" might do in prison.

Anyway, I still feel conflicted about having gone, but was told by one of the striking writers that I'm not a scab - I'd only be a scab if I wrote for the Daily Show (in my dreams, maybe) and went back to work.
I do plan to try to get tickets again for when the strike is over - I hope that the studios give the writers their fair share SOON!

In this new media universe, what does it mean to be a writer?

Is blogging writing? Is my web video monologue writing? Is an ad-libbed variety show with pre-planned guests writing?  

As the Writers Guild of America strike continues, writers around the country are asking these questions. Yesterday, Ed Champion went to WGA President Michael Winship to ask what was writing and what wasn't writing on Jon Stewart's Daily Show. His answer was complex:

"Well, the rules are pretty specific about things that he can and cannot do. He cannot write questions in advance for interviews, for example. He cannot write the monologues, as I said. He cannot write any kind of sketch material for the show...But if he has a guest on the air whose book he has read and he asks questions off the top of his head, that is not struck work."

The whole strike depends on the definition of "writing." There's no standard industry price to pay a writer for a blog post, a web video, or a podcast. As these forms multiply, it's becoming harder and harder for writers to get a fair-wage for these new products.

Don't take these questions for granted. Should Jon Stewart's show be on the air without writers?