Don’t worry, this is not a listing of my favorite 36 shows. It is rather a small reflection on something a professional television writer pointed out the other day: there are only 36 scripted television shows scheduled next year across the major television networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox). This is a major drop off and it highlights just how precarious working in arts has become.
There simply are not as many jobs as there used to be. The refusal of major corporations to invest in anything other than instant hits, the move away from scripted shows to reality shows (still scripted, to be sure, but cheaper to make for a variety of reasons), the complete mishandling of the advent of streaming, etc. etc. There is no one reason, but at the end of the day, making a job in any kind of arts is extremely precarious. I don’t have complete answers, but I think the combination of predatory Wall Street and near monopolies is exacerbating the problem.
There are fewer places to sell art. The number of serious publishers with reach has decreased, and while streaming may make it look like there are more buyers, the fact is that the services are owned by the same people that own networks. Add in the death of cable (though we are moving more toward a cable like model in streaming), and there is simply not enough market for people to sell into. Wall Street focus on quarterly profits exacerbates the issue, as it does in many other industries, forces executives to make short term decisions. Growing a show like Cheers would likely be impossible to today.
My point, and I do have one, is that the problem in the arts is the problem in the economy. Everywhere we turn, our choices are limited, both as consumers and as people selling our labor. Wall Street and Private Equity have completely abandoned the idea of a timeframe longer than a quarter. Power, because of monopolies or near monopolies, is widely unequal between firms and employees. Fixing television, books, the arts require the same solutions as fixing the overall economy — monopoly busting, reforming Wall Street, tighter regulations of tech firms, etc. The problem is not the market for arts; the problem is the market. And unless we solve that problem, we will be faced with a declining, homogenous, boring culture.
Weekly Word Count
A couple script pages.
Yes, script pages. It was suggested to me that now that I think I have the plot bugs worked out that I turn this into a script. I write scripts quickly and thus can get plot-based feedback faster and then transition the feedback to the novel. Worth a try, and sometimes a different form or project can help shake loose an existing project.
And in the meantime, I am going to continue fleshing out the Pratchett homage, give me mind something else to focus on.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
I look forward to seeing your Pratchett homage. I agree with all you have written. It seems like a lousy time to try and make ones way in this economy. Monopolies and Citizens United are killing us.