Real-World labor issues too much for MTV

March 18, 2004 | PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Real-world labor issues apparently were too much for the producers of a popular MTV reality show.

Bunim/Murray Productions said Tuesday it had given up plans to tape the 15th season of "The Real World" in Philadelphia. Taping had been set to begin in three weeks.

The production company had angered labor unions by hiring a nonunion company to renovate the former Seamen's Church Institute in Old City, where it planned to have seven strangers live together and have their lives videotaped. Members of the building trades unions picketed outside the building.

A Bunim/Murray spokeswoman declined to comment beyond the one-sentence statement issued Tuesday: "After considerable evaluation, we are disappointed to announce that Bunim/Murray productions has decided not to shoot 'The Real World' in Philadelphia."

It was unclear whether MTV would choose another city or delay its shooting schedule. A spokeswoman for the New York cable network declined to comment Wednesday and referred questions to Bunim/Murray in Van Nuys, Calif.

"I've got kids looking at me like I killed Santa Claus," Pat Gillespie, president of the powerful Building Trades Council, said Wednesday. "Look, they come into our town and make a decision to avoid union workers. Whether they were prepared for what would happen, it was a conscious decision that they made."

Too funny. Guess "The Real World" couldn't stand exposure to the real world. I'd have loved to see a bunch of self-absorbed young kids totally isolated from reality have to deal with crossing a picket line of union construction people every day. I'd have watched!

Reminds me of when they filmed "Real World" in Boston. A bunch of college-aged kids living in Boston, and not one of them is actually a college student? None of them worked at a college? None of them even went into a college? That's almost literally impossible in Boston. Real World my ass.

I was born in Philly and except for my time in the USAF, I've lived either in the city or the surrounding area my whole life.

Don't much care about the Real World. I think in the 15 years they said it's been on, I've maybe seen 10 minutes of it. That being said, the Three Amigos, Gilliespie, John Dougherty (Head of local 98) and John Street, the idiot mayor, just cost the city between 8-10 million bucks from MTV. Yeah, they really showed MTV that Philly is a real union town and no TV show is going to push them around. F the money they cost the city, you don't come into Philly and tell the union what to do. The union was even getting their noses into stuff that L&I normally does. They picketed the building and MTV was afraid that the union was going to harass the camera crews and the kids staying together. So MTV said, C'ya don't wanna B'ya.

Well, ole John and some other admin officials told MTV to come back and they could work something out. MTV told them, thanks, but no thanks. Good for MTV.

And that my friends, is why Philly is a second rate city,and will always be a second rate, dropping to third rate city. Gary Cobb, ex-Eagles LB and current local radio and TV personality calls the city Negadelphia. Who wants to do business in the city when you have to put up with these clowns?

And that is really a shame, because Philly, the city, minus the union clowns and idiot mayor is actually a pretty cool place.

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