Craig Birkmaier wrote: > This is not a political agenda Bert. It is reality. These people > are not going to take pay cuts. They will cut supply to keep the > prices up, which is exactly what has happened to prime time TV. Who are "these people" you refer to? The actors? I'm talking about the overpaid actors. If TV production revenues go flat or drop, the actors will only have the choices of taking pay cuts or getting out of the way, Craig. This is very similar to what the US auto industry is up against. In the past, the US buying public was perfectly happy buying up all the obscene SUVs and trucks Detroit could make. Those vehicles were just like the overpaid actors. They brought large profit margins, just the ticket for corporations with myopic vision. And as long as the market bore those prices, Detroit was perfecly justified in cashing in. (Although the corporations should have had a longer view, getting ready for the inevitable gas price increases before it was too late.) Now suddenly, demand dropped to zilch for those vehicles. Detroit can either wither up and die, which might happen regardless, or it can adjust itself to the new realities post haste. TV drama production is having to adjust in the same way, as their ad revenues have suddenly plummeted. You claim "they are not going to take pay cuts." That's the part I find absurd. > Why do the studios put up with this? > > Because the rewards are so high for the projects that succeed, > and they will get most of their investment back - eventually - > with secondary distribution. Yes, and that's exactly how it's supposed to work. As long as the project reaps big rewards, in a time frame the investors deem adequate, it is perfectly fair for the actors to demand as much as the market will bear. When that equation doesn't work out any longer, YOU call the model "broken," whereas I'm saying, it's just due for an adjustment. Just the way things are supposed to work. You seem to fall in this trap many times. Business is supposed to charge what the market will bear, Craig, and that includes the pay actors demand. Of course it seems obscenely high, but if their talent results in huge sales, then it's totally justified. Ditto goes for the guys operating the consoles. As long as the govt isn't propping up their incomes, it's all fair. Bert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.