Writer and comedian Adam Conover said Tuesday on CNN’s “News Central” that entertainment companies could afford to meet the demands of striking writers given Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s $250 million salary.
Co-host Sara Sidner said, “Host of ‘Adam Ruins Everything,’ Adam Conover Since you’re known for ruining everything, is this your fault?”
Conover replied, “I mean, I’m off the clock right now. We’re on strike, so I’m not ruining anything for the time being, except maybe the profits of the companies.”
He added, “The studios and the streamers have tried to turn television writing from a career into a gig job. Writer pay has fallen by 23% over the past 10 years, even though the company profits have gone up by 50%. They’re spending more money than ever on making these shows. They’re making more profits from them than ever. But writers are making less money. They’re employing us for less time. And if you look at the proposals that they rejected that caused us to go on strike, they’re proposals that would have protected writers, that would have made sure that we’re not just employed by the day, but by the week and by the month that we can build a stable life in Los Angeles or New York where we live.”
Sidner asked, “What do you say to those that run this industry that say, look, times are changing, We are not making as much money as we once did. This is not the golden era of television, although some of us would argue the shows are great. What do you say to them?”
Conover said, “So I point out the fact that David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent company of the network I’m talking to you on right now, was paid $250 million last year, a quarter of a billion dollars. That’s about the same level as what 10,000 writers are asking him to pay all of us collectively. All right. So I would say if you’re being paid $250 million, Ted Sarandos made about $50 million last year. These companies are making enormous amounts of money.
He added, “Their profits are going up. It’s ridiculous for them to plead poverty when the writers who are making their shows, some of them are not able to pay their rent or their mortgages. I literally know writers who have had to go on assistance because they have not been able to make their year. If you look at these companies, they’re making more money than ever. It’s the people who make the shows for them that are making less.”
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