Here's a
link with a bit more info about the "mystery" of "Financial Core."
I don't know what to think about the writer's strike, honestly. I know everyone who's anyone says "I support them totally" and perhaps that's because the writers are 100% right and the evil corporations are ... well ... evil corporations. However, I'm not a big fan of today's unions. (Yes, I agree they were desperately needed when they began but now I find most of them political and corrupt, with a few noteable exceptions.) I also don't like the idea of unions forcing actors and/or writers to join them simply so they can WORK because the unions have forced clauses stating only union members can be hired. Yes, again, originally I'm sure that was because the companies would just "accidentally" choose only non-union members to hire out of retaliation but eventually the unions have too much power and as much corruption as the entities against which they fight. (It's the old "absolute power corrupts absolutely" saw.) I guess I'm just not a good union soldier.
Having said that, I *do* believe in fair pay for fair work and would be interested to see how this all works out since I don't know any of the details. For instance, although I loathe the thought of big corporations and armies of mini-Frons' dictating what I see on my shows, I also don't begrudge those big corporations a profit. I'd like to see a happy medium somewhere but people tend to get entrenched in their positions, quit listening and then destroy the very genre they are fighting "for."
Also, can someone explain to me whether the "new media" issues start from this point forward or whether writers want that retroactively in their residuals? If retroactive, well, when I design something for someone and they figure a new way to use it, should I automatically get more money or did I sign away my rights for what was then fair pay? If they are negotiating from this time forward, then of course, I think they should be fairly compensated. (Hopefully I don't sound too ignorant, musing aloud about things when I don't know all the detials and just had to look up "financial core." LOL)
There's also a very skeptical side of me that wonders how many of these actors walking the picket lines are doing so simply for political reasons. Yes, there are some like Nancy Lee Grahan who are vehement in their politics so I'd tend to believe she's out there because she believes in the cause, heart and soul. But I also think a lot of daytime actors know their fates are in the hands of those writers so they'd BETTER show support. They also may just want face time. But that's the skeptic in me.
As for how this will help/hurt daytime, well, I don't see any way it CAN'T hurt daytime and, again, the skeptical side of me wonders if corporations like CBS and NBC WANT that. Jeff Zucker has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't see daytime past 2009 for NBC. I've often wondered if Brian Frons' micro(mis)management is simply trying to drag ABC shows down enough to the point where he can slash them for something more profitable. Chat shows and game shows are much cheaper to produce. Moreover, I think the man has a genuine contempt for the daytime genre. He took SoapNet, a network ostensibly all about daytime soaps and essentially gutted it so he could cram it full of cheap residual teen dramas. He cancelled any of their original programming (Lisa/Ty's show, Wally's "One Day" and the other 1/2-hour daytime soap program) and instead has started showing REAAAAALLLLY old movies. I'm sure he's cut their costs dramatically and thus ensured his job safety by "thinking outside the box" (I mean, how outside do you have to get to think "I'll program a soap channel with ANYTHING but soaps").
Oh well, that's my ramble. I don't trust the corporations and don't trust the unions. I just wish daytime won't be destroyed by all this.