WBGO Content Creators Vote to Unionize

LOS ANGELES — Today, content creators at Newark Public Radio (WBGO) have officially unionized, following an agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Newark Public Radio for a card check agreement to count the signatures of content creators wishing to organize with SAG-AFTRA. The new 22-member bargaining unit of content creators includes producers, hosts, anchors and reporters. 

WBGO is a legendary jazz station in Newark, New Jersey, and an NPR member station with a national and international listening audience. Content creators first announced their organizing drive with SAG-AFTRA in September 2020, with more than 70% signing a petition presented to management. 

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said, "This is an exciting time for WBGO and SAG-AFTRA. We fully support them in their mission to fight for a fair contract, and we look forward to building this new relationship with WBGO content creators and their listening community. Our strength is in our unity."

The WBGO organizing committee said, “We share WBGO’s mission to serve as a cultural beacon that educates and entertains a wide local, national and international audience with high-quality broadcast programming. Together, we can create conditions at WBGO that will ensure all our voices are heard and improve all of our work. We want to have the best culture in public radio. We approach this process in a spirit of collaboration and professionalism.”

Starting in 1976 when NPR employees first organized, SAG-AFTRA has played a vital role in giving public radio employees a collective voice. WBGO represents the latest in a series of organizing victories for professionals in public media. In recent years, employees at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, KPCC in Pasadena; KPBS in San Diego; WBEZ in Chicago; KUOW in Seattle; Minnesota Public Radio; digital, per diem and Gothamist employees at New York Public Radio; WBUR in Boston; and KCRW in Santa Monica have all unionized with SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA also represents public media professionals at National Public Radio and several other public radio and television stations.

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.