Schools Need ‘Friends’

I understand we live in a capitalistic society, but when do we say enough is enough? The “Friends” stars will now be earning $750,000 per episode, plus syndication (“Last-Minute Deal Locks in ‘Friends’ for Fall,” May 15), for a total of $20 million per year (times six, that’s $120 million!). While our teachers, nurses, etc. are earning less than $50,000 per year. Even an average doctor earns $100,000 to $150,000 per year. It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Can a TV show be worth so much more than the people who are teaching our children and healing others? I don’t get it.

JANE WILKENS

Monrovia

Does Brian Lowry work for NBC or for a newspaper? His article on the “Friends” deal begins by characterizing the stars of the highest-rated comedy on television as the “enemies” of the network and then proceeds to make their well-earned payday seem like highway robbery.

Evidently NBC and Warner Bros. are making some tiny profit from the show or they wouldn’t have agreed to the stars’ demands.

CHARLIE RYAN

Los Angeles

Let the show go off the air. It is well past its prime.

I have a great suggestion for NBC. Take the money that you would have used to pay for the salaries of Jennifer, Matthew, Matt, Courteney, David and Lisa and make a donation to the Los Angeles Unified School District to buy books, pay teacher bonuses and fix broken windows or substandard classrooms.

ANDREW B. HURVITZ

Studio City

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