b1f81b64   
   From: nebusj-@-rpi-.edu   
      
   allbell@ctc.net writes:   
      
   >I don't know what the details are, but my understanding is that, even   
   >though Conan's NBC salary might be suspended, he and other people   
   >listed as writers still get a fair amount of money (under the old   
   >contract) whenever a rerun shows.   
      
   >Because Conan actually owns part of the show, he probably gets a lot   
   >more from airings of reruns than the other writers get.   
      
   	I believe that you're right about residuals due the writers   
   and that Conan probably has a greater share due to having more roles.   
   For that matter, we've already heard about how he earns a kerspillion   
   dollars a year and his extravagances amount to buying the occasional   
   Ford Taurus *with* air conditioning.  It's tempting to guess that he's   
   already earned as much money as he'll need for the rest of his life,   
   which certainly makes magnanimity easier.   
      
      
   >Regardless, I think that this makes Conan looks amazingly good, but I   
   >think we should withhold judgment on the other hosts, because it's   
   >hard to know what their circumstances are.   
      
   	We should, yes, and most people do feel they're doing the best   
   they can in the circumstances.  As a matter of public relations, though,   
   image and style do count.  So while David Letterman may be making the   
   larger personal sacrifice -- as I understand it he, through Worldwide   
   Pants, is paying the production staffs for Late Show and Late Late Show,   
   and while Worldwide Pants is not David Letterman it's still the money   
   he receives and distributes -- Conan's looks better as it sounds like   
   it's a more directly generous act.   
      
      
   >Example: Conan might know that he can get reimbursed from Lorne   
   >Michaels if the strike goes on too long. Or maybe Leno is planning to   
   >pay his people, too, but is still working out the details with the   
   >accountants. (Example: maybe, for some reason or another, Conan   
   >controls the payroll records and Leno doesn't.) Or maybe Leno is   
   >actually doing some wonderful, amazing thing with all of his money and   
   >can't pay the workers this month because it would mean cutting off   
   >money from orphanages in Africa, or something.   
      
   	True.  And Leno did come around to paying staff salaries, as   
   I think everybody probably knew he would deep-down.  People may argue   
   his qualities as a talk show host or comedian, but he's always cast a   
   reputation as a nice guy -- almost as prevalent a reputation as the   
   one he has for being a hard worker -- and it seemed weirdly out of   
   character that he *wouldn't* support the production staff.   
      
   	My assuming-the-best-of-everyone interpretation is that he   
   likely figured NBC could be talked out of its insistence that it   
   should stop paying the production staff [1] and was taken by surprise   
   when layoff notices went out.  But it is going to take effort to look   
   like a good guy again.   
      
   	[1] I understand and sympathize with NBC's desire not to pay   
   production staff when they're not actually making a show, but, c'mon   
   guys, this is what you take out strike insurance for.  Or perhaps the   
   fact the strike has been forseen in every essential detail for   
   something like 160 million years now made it impossible to take out   
   strike insurance.  Support the non-striking staff and you come across   
   as guys to root for.   
      
   --   
   								Joseph Nebus   
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)