So I haven’t really been paying too much attention to this writers’ strike thing up to this point, but I guess I really should be. For one, a bunch of shows I like to watch are affected. The premiere of 24 has been indefinitely delayed because FOX wants the season to air uninterrupted. Family Guy has one finished episode, and a whole bunch of unfinished ones; since Seth MacFarlane is walking a picket line in LA, there’s a good chance they’ll stay that way for a while. The next season of Lost is only half finished. Jon Stewart announced on last Thursday’s Daily Show that they wouldn’t be on the air this week. I’m sure the list goes on.

Now the second reason I should care. A big part of why the writers are striking has to do with “new media” a.k.a. the internet. With all kinds of content showing up on line (paid and free) there’s some money involved. The writers don’t feel like they’re getting any benefit from this new stuff and they want their share. This is the kind of discussion I find interesting.

The problem is I don’t know which side I come down on. On the one hand, I understand why the writers might want a piece of the new media pie, and I would even say they are probably entitled to their cut. However, I think they may be grossly overestimating how much money studios and producers are actually making, especially with many networks now offering shows online for free with minimal to no commercials. At the same time, NBC was one instance of a network seemingly doing well selling the shows you can watch for free on TV. Then they go get greedy and pull away from what seemed to be a successful partnership with Apple selling shows on iTunes and what are they making now? C’mon people – get it figured out and stop punishing your audience by keeping their favorite shows off the air.