This morning marks the deadline for a potential ONN writers strike, as well as a serious blow to our right to uninterrupted comedy broadcasting. As of this morning, failed negations between the Writers Guide of America-East and The Onion, Inc. still leaves ONN writers, as WGA says, “the only scripted live action television show now in production where the writers did not work under a WGA agreement.†Without a contract, the writers are working without the promise of benefits, Guild pay or a sufficient term of employment for the show’s second season, scheduled to premiere in September.
The WGA reportedly sent out an email last week calling for support from writers for The Onion’s online and TV content, asking that contributors past and present add their names to a statement of support. The Comic’s Comic reports that unless both parties could agree on a contract, writers were considering a work stoppage beginning today. This move would potentially force us to turn back to the actual news, which has been a real nightmare carnival of despair as of late.