Writers’ Union: Members In Reality TV Overworked and Underpaid

The average reality television writer and producer is losing $30,000 annually due to “stolen” overtime, the Writers Guild of America East reported. In a Guild survey of more than 300 reality TV workers, 84 percent reported working more than 40 hours per week nearly every week, while nearly half of respondents said their time cards “never” accurately reflected the hours they worked. “While reality TV is no doubt lucrative for networks and production companies, the men and women doing the actual work are finding they can barely cling to the middle class,” said Lowell Peterson, executive director of WGA East.