Writers Threaten Strike at ‘Frontline,’ ‘NOVA’ and Other PBS Shows

As a longtime connoisseur of the small screen, I find myself following with great interest the ongoing negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and PBS stations over fair compensation for writers. Having spent countless hours immersed in the rich tapestry of storytelling that these shows provide, it’s disheartening to see such a stalemate.


The writers for shows like “Frontline,” “NOVA,” and “American Experience” have decided to go on strike if a new contract isn’t agreed upon by Thursday night.

Since late September, the Writers Guild of America has been negotiating with three Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations: WGBH in Boston, Thirteen in New York, and PBS SoCal in Los Angeles. The aim of the union is to secure more favorable conditions, including fair residuals for streaming, on behalf of the 94 writers within their negotiating group.

In case an agreement isn’t finalized, the union might initiate a work stoppage as early as this Friday. Such a strike would temporarily halt production on various PBS programs, including Ken Burns Specials, “American Masters,” “Donkey Hodie,” and “Odd Squad.

The labor union aims to broaden its authority to encompass animated PBS series like “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”, “Molly of Denali” and “Pinkalicious & Peterrific”. Writers on these productions have promised not to work during a potential strike.

As a supporter, I’d much rather see Writers Guild members at PBS concluding the week with a just and fair contract instead of going on strike. However, they are prepared to take whatever actions are required to reach a deal that accurately reflects their working environment and addresses their completely reasonable requests.

Representatives from the three PBS affiliate stations declined to comment on Monday.

In April, the Writers Guild of America managed to secure a strike authorization vote from 35 writers working on “Sesame Street”. Just three days after, they reached a five-year contract agreement. This contract extended union protection to cover writing in animated segments within the show and also enhanced streaming royalties.

The writers working on these programs weren’t impacted by the five-month strike that occurred last year, since they operate under distinct agreements with the primary movie and television studios.

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2024-11-19 00:47