Striking members of the Writers Guild of America set up an energetic picket line in front of the entrance to a NewFront presentation for NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock on Tuesday afternoon.
The picketers chanted “no contract, no content” and “no contract, no TV” and carried signs.
Some of the messages on the signs were clearly thought up by professional writers. “This isn’t a late-night joke. We want a contract,” read one sign. “Without writers, we would …,” another said.
The event took place on Fifth Avenue, about 10 blocks from NBCU’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza headquarters, where late-night shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Saturday Night Live would be getting produced if writers weren’t striking.
The picketers were interviewed by local news reporters and talked about the threat to the jobs posted by artificial intelligence and proposed work rules that could make it difficult for writers to earn a living. One noted that the strike came as a surprise with many writers expecting an agreement, rather than a phone call that a strike had been called.
The crowd of picketing writers did not appear to keep people from attending the Peacock event. During the presentation, there was no mention of the labor situation. No talent appeared at the event and the Tonight Show, Late Night and SNL were mentioned only briefly among programs that can be watched the next day on Peacock.
NBCU had no comment on the picketers, but some executives expressed hope the dispute would be solved quickly and business could get back to normal before upfront negotiations start.
