Writers were in the right

About a month ago, a TV fan asked me if the striking writers "are thinking about the viewers/fans' thoughts and concerns at all?"

To which my too-brief response was that that's a question that should have been asked of the studios and producers.

The strike didn't seem fair to viewers who are so invested in the shows they love. But consider how unfair all of this was to the writers who create those shows.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that a newspaper writer is on the side of the TV writers. But not just because of a feeling of solidarity.

A big part of what this fight was about was revenue from shows seen online. Even if consumers were paying to see those shows, writers received nothing.

At the risk of hugely oversimplifying matters, the heads of the media conglomerates on one side of this battle told stockholders they stand to make piles of money from online distribution, but they didn't want to share one penny of that with writers.

The writers got concessions, but they didn't "win." Under terms of the proposed contract, producers and networks won't have to pay writers during a 17- to 24-day period when their work first goes online. Even if the studios are getting paid by consumers, they still consider it a "promotional" period.

Writers will get a maximum $1,200 fee for streamed programs in the deal's first two years and then get a percentage of a distributor's gross in the third year.

At least it establishes that writers will get paid for online distribution.

As WGA leadership said in an e-mail sent to members, the "ongoing struggle against seven, multinational media conglomerates, no matter how successful, is exhausting, taking an enormous personal toll on our members and countless others. As such, we believe that continuing to strike now will not bring sufficient gains to outweigh the potential risks and that the time has come to accept this contract and settle the strike."

WE'RE NOT OUT of the woods yet. The actors' contract expires in June.

Hopefully, the (apparent) WGA settlement will set a pattern the actors will follow.

WHAT'S NEXT? If, as expected, members of the Writers Guild of America vote to accept the tentative contract proposal — the votes should be counted today — the 14-week walkout will be over. And TV shows can go back into production.

Some will. Some won't. Some, like "Journeyman," haven't just run out of episodes, they've been canceled.

(There are some out there still beating the drum for that ratings failure, but they ought to be playing a funeral dirge.)