Message from the Local VP, Broadcast

I am so very excited to be your newly elected local vice president for broadcast. 

We need SAG-AFTRA more than ever to help us weather the storms of change that are buffeting our industries. The union is all of us. 

We were delivered sobering news at our biennial SAG-AFTRA convention in Los Angeles in October. Television stations all over the country are facing the same problem newspapers have faced: finding new sources of revenue as the traditional ways of earning money are drying up. 

Stations in highly contested political markets are still getting a lot of advertising money. But in markets like Seattle, where one party largely holds sway, that is not happening. 

“Revenue at local stations is down, period,” was the message.

And we know that.  

I spoke on the convention floor to make sure this issue remains high on the union's agenda. Many of our members are doing work for Alexa and other platforms but not getting paid. This is an untenable situation. And we need a way to solve it.

We need to be paid for our work.  

Our local Broadcast Steering Committee is gearing up for a year’s worth of conservatories to discuss issues that are important to us. We need your input because this is for all of us. 

I still love this business I dreamed of when I was a little girl. It has been more than I could ever have imagined in just about every way. But we will need to work hard to make sure it is also a viable career for those who will follow us.

That is my pledge to you.

In solidarity, 

Deborah Horne

This item appeared in the December 2017 Seattle Local newsletter.