Comedy Central Laughing All the Way To the Bank

With the WGA and AFTRA standing in line right behind them.

The news coming from the Laugh Net this week has been heartening to non-fiction 'staffers' across the dial. On Monday (8/25), the WGA East came to terms with the prodco of Comedy Central's Daily Show to represent 14 writers. Then on Wednesday, AFTRA announced that Comedy Central came to terms on a new contract for its members that will raise minimims at the network across the board.

Maybe, just maybe, now that one of basic cable's big guns has decided to pay their talent and creatives a fair wage the others won't be too far behind.

Maybe.

Now if there was just a way to get the rest of the creative staff, the "producing team" if you will, to be represented at the bargaining table. With the broadcast and cable nets routinely violating minimum wage and work rules on non-fiction programs, the WGA stepped in to help Producer/Writers at America's Next Top Model, the results of which are yet to be seen. For the rest of the non-fiction world, the ungodly hours and working conditions will continue to be a plague unless someone steps up to the plate.

Here's where a strong Producers Guild of America would be helpful.

Unfortunately, since the PGA membership incudes both workers and EP/owners, they cannot be a collective bargaining union like the WGA, DGA, AFTRA, and SAG. Until such a union comes about, the PGA needs to look at ways to get the nets, studios, and prodcos to recognize some sort of standard in wage and work rules for non-fictioners.

Current PGA President, Marshall Herskovits, addressed this issue in a recent article in Produced By magazine. The PGA East Documentary Committee and PGA West Docu/Reality Committee are looking at ways help.

As Co-Chair of the PGA East Doc Committee, I can tell you we are dead serious about doing something for the Producers Team. In the coming weeks and months, we plan on bringing the 'best and brightest' together to discuss what strategies are available to the non-union workers.

Hopefully, by mid 2007, the PGA will be well on its way to bringing the situation under control. Perhaps something as simple as policing its own EP/owners as an example for the rest of the industry to follow. But will that be enough, or even reasonable to ask?

Maybe.