From the Journal Star:
Members of the Peoria local chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists at WEEK-TV Channel 25 and WHOI-TV Channel 19 rejected what Granite Broadcasting called its “last, best and final offer.”
The vote taken on Friday was 27 to 1.
…The union plans to hold a rally at the East Peoria station at 5 p.m. Wednesday to drum up community support for their position.
“The rally at the station is hoped to let the company see that the community supports local and professional news,” said [local union President Garry] Moore.
The sticking point is still “flexibility” language that is included in the contract which the union believes will allow Granite to outsource local news broadcasts to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. You can read more about the union’s concerns here on their Facebook site.
Sad that it’s come to this and believe me the community as a whole will suffer if news gets farmed out to another state. But at the same time, these folks are really putting themselves out there by not signing a contract. I wish them all the best and I know they are doing what they feel is right. Just hope it works out for them and the Peoria area as a whole when it’s all said and done. Regional news is not a good thing for anyone, except the owners of television stations. Sad sign of the times here.
An updated version of The Buggles song from 30 years ago would be “Internet Killed The Video Star”…