The sketch of Funt and Mundane's TV debut being marred by a technicians' strike was inspired by a real-life strike against CBS by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) which began on 3 November 1972 and lasted until 28 December 1972. The strike was over control of an early computer-based character generator, the Vidifont, and the CMX 600 videotape editing machine. Several programs, including The Price is Right (1972), were adversely affected by the walkout.