If these new Nielsen Ratings came back showing that people had stopped watching, then the TV execs would make sure this strike would be over very soon.

I know many of you aren’t happy with the writers’ strike. I know that I’m not too pleased with it. Knowing that shows like “The Office,” “Heroes” and “Grey’s Anatomy” may not have new episodes soon scares me.

What scares me more is that shows like “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” have already begun the reruns. I often go to these shows as my main news source because regular broadcast news scares me.

Judging from how the situation has been developing, it seems like the writers are in for a long winter – and so are we as the rerun express is about to pull into town.

In all this, one of the most forgotten things is that we the viewers have the power to affect this strike, and possibly end it.

Our power is probably the most powerful, and during this current month it is probably at its strongest: We can choose not to watch the television. We can’t go join in the picket lines, but we can put down the remote.

Just like any other strike, our purchasing power is the best weapon in the battle. It is “Sweeps” month for all TV stations. For those of you who don’t know, Sweeps is one of the few times each year when a research company, Nielsen, actually looks into what we’re watching and when we’re watching it – all the things those TV executives care most about.

If these new Nielsen Ratings came back showing that people had stopped watching, then the TV execs would make sure this strike would be over very soon. It wouldn’t last the five months it did the last time this happened.

I know this sounds a little crazy, but trust me on this; it will work out for the better. If we the viewers were to announce that we weren’t watching because of this strike, we could help out the writers immensely.

The writers aren’t even asking for very much, they just want to be paid for every medium their work is shown on.

I highly doubt that any of our favorite shows will be cancelled from the strike; the good ones find ways to stick around. But it seems like we won’t be missing much, so who’s worried?

Giving all stations horrible ratings would lead to a quick and relatively painless strike. It already seems like we are going to have to find other things to do for the next few months. Why not start them a few weeks earlier and read a book, see a play or dust off the ol’ Nintendo 64 – anything other than watching TV.

I encourage all of you to put down the remotes, but if that’s too hard (I’m not even sure I can do it) then I suggest at least refraining from downloading, streaming or watching TV or films on the Internet.

This is, again, what the writers are primarily fighting for: their right to be paid when their work gets put on the ‘Net. I, for one, will not be catching anything else online until this strike is over. It’s not much, but I’m sure the writers appreciate it.

> Comments