| TV Writers' CasesThe Writers' Class Action Age Discrimination Cases | ||
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Media Coverage |
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Past Their Prime Time; Older TV Writers Find Hollywood Has Written Them Off
San Diego Union Tribune By Robert Laurence Summary: Whatever the reasons, Hollywood's older TV writers feel they've been elbowed out of the business, and they're hitting back. Some 300 of them are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit charging the networks, production studios and major talent agencies with "ageism" -- favoring youthful writers over older ones. The root of the issue is the industry's obsession with youth. Advertisers are convinced that, although older people have more money to spend, young viewers are more easily swayed by their pitches. Older people, they think, have already decided what brands of toothpaste or shampoo they prefer, and whether they like Coke or Pepsi. Commercials don't move them, the theory goes, so they are irrelevant to the ad business. Thus, the viewers who matter most in Nielsen ratings are those aged 18-49; anyone 50 or over hardly counts. And network executives and producers believe young writers are best able to write shows that appeal to young viewers. Paul Sprenger, the writers' attorney and a specialist in class-action employment discrimination cases, calls their situation "one of the most blatant examples of discrimination I've ever seen. These guys are making $300,000 or $400,000 a year, then after 40 they're down to zero. They can't dye their hair any more, it doesn't work." |
