Many of you are familiar with the work of WIVB - TV, News Channel 4. Journalists at the station have asked for support in their struggle for a fair contract. Quality journalism remains an important aspect of our democratic society, thus we feel that journalists should be adequately compensated. We are posting an appeal that was sent to us by the folks at WIVB-TV, and at the end of the appeal, there is information about a rally being held this Thursday, 9/23, at 12:00 noon at 2077 Elmwood, where the WIVB station is located.
An Appeal to Maintain Quality Standards in Western NY
As the anchors and reporters of WIVB-TV, Channel 4, we are proud to work for Buffalo’s number one local news station. We work hard every day to gather and deliver the news that matters to our community. We are members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA, AFL-CIO), and we need your support in our struggle to get a fair contract that ensures quality journalism.
We are the top Buffalo news station precisely because of our ability to attract and retain the top journalists in our market. We want to ensure that the stories we produce in the future are based on meticulous investigative reporting and production. The owners of WIVB-TV − Rhode Island-based LIN Media − want to make drastic changes in the way news is reported and to the wages and working conditions of its employees. LIN wants to decide how stories are produced without input from professional journalists. In addition, they want to cut some employees’ pay by as much as 30% and to deny pay increases over the life of the contract, even though they are doing very well financially.
Our last collective bargaining agreement with WIVB-TV expired on September 30, 2008. We negotiated with management in a good faith effort to reach a new agreement until December 2009, when management declared an impasse, ceased bargaining with us and simply implemented their last contract proposal. They have already raised the cost of our health insurance and stopped contributing to our retirement accounts.
If the corporation was simply trying to save money, why did the top five executives at LIN Media receive more than $550,000 in bonuses last year? We believe they are attempting to cut costs by penalizing those who have helped the station achieve its number one ranking, even as its top executives line their own pockets. In addition, we believe their destructive changes in the newsroom will result in a decline in the quality news reporting that has made WIVB-TV an award-winning local news station. If WIVB-TV is going to maintain high standards and continue to bring the quality news reporting our region has come to expect, we need your help.
As professional news reporters and anchors, we cannot agree to LIN Media’s changes without reasonable protections that allow us to continue to safely and responsibly deliver the news. We are fighting to keep quality news in our community and we need your support to achieve this goal.
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR RALLY at NOON (12pm)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
WIVB STATION, 2077 ELMWOOD AVENUE, BUFFALO
HELP US SEND A MESSAGE TO LIN MEDIA THAT
QUALITY JOURNALISM MATTERS TO WESTERN NY
An Appeal to Maintain Quality Standards in Western NY
As the anchors and reporters of WIVB-TV, Channel 4, we are proud to work for Buffalo’s number one local news station. We work hard every day to gather and deliver the news that matters to our community. We are members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA, AFL-CIO), and we need your support in our struggle to get a fair contract that ensures quality journalism.
We are the top Buffalo news station precisely because of our ability to attract and retain the top journalists in our market. We want to ensure that the stories we produce in the future are based on meticulous investigative reporting and production. The owners of WIVB-TV − Rhode Island-based LIN Media − want to make drastic changes in the way news is reported and to the wages and working conditions of its employees. LIN wants to decide how stories are produced without input from professional journalists. In addition, they want to cut some employees’ pay by as much as 30% and to deny pay increases over the life of the contract, even though they are doing very well financially.
Our last collective bargaining agreement with WIVB-TV expired on September 30, 2008. We negotiated with management in a good faith effort to reach a new agreement until December 2009, when management declared an impasse, ceased bargaining with us and simply implemented their last contract proposal. They have already raised the cost of our health insurance and stopped contributing to our retirement accounts.
If the corporation was simply trying to save money, why did the top five executives at LIN Media receive more than $550,000 in bonuses last year? We believe they are attempting to cut costs by penalizing those who have helped the station achieve its number one ranking, even as its top executives line their own pockets. In addition, we believe their destructive changes in the newsroom will result in a decline in the quality news reporting that has made WIVB-TV an award-winning local news station. If WIVB-TV is going to maintain high standards and continue to bring the quality news reporting our region has come to expect, we need your help.
As professional news reporters and anchors, we cannot agree to LIN Media’s changes without reasonable protections that allow us to continue to safely and responsibly deliver the news. We are fighting to keep quality news in our community and we need your support to achieve this goal.
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR RALLY at NOON (12pm)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
WIVB STATION, 2077 ELMWOOD AVENUE, BUFFALO
HELP US SEND A MESSAGE TO LIN MEDIA THAT
QUALITY JOURNALISM MATTERS TO WESTERN NY
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