SAG-AFTRA

Summer 2018

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WOMEN ON THE AIR COME TOGETHER BROADCASTERS MENTOR STUDENTS COAST TO COAST 22 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2018 | sagaftra.org Broadcast News E xecutive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon, National Board member Christine Nagy of WLTW-FM, New York Board member and Broadcast Steering Committee Vice Chair Cheri Preston of ABC Radio, and SAG-AFTRA Chief Broadcast Officer Mary Cavallaro led a conversation with female broadcast members at the Women in Radio Brunch on March 20 in New York City. With more than 40 radio broadcast attendees, Preston opened up the discussion by covering issues of work-life balance. She offered the union as a place for members to vocalize concerns as well as a resource to assist members with their personal service contracts. In addition, she underscored the importance of the Time's Up and #MeToo movements in an industry where women are insufficiently represented in management roles and face income disparity with their male colleagues. Damon outlined SAG-AFTRA's efforts to combat sexual harassment through its Four Pillars of Change initiative, the release of a formal Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment and a safety hotline that operates 24/7. Cavallaro added that the union is aggressively engaging with employers to prevent workplace harassment and discrimination, and presented an update on the landscape of the radio industry. SAG-AFTRA is committed to continuing the Women in Broadcast events, giving members an opportunity to discuss issues, network with other broadcasters, and tackle challenges and opportunities collectively. I n April, in both New York and California, SAG-AFTRA broadcasters participated in daylong mentorship events for college students interested in learning more about careers in the television and radio broadcast industry. On April 14 at the SAG-AFTRA office in Manhattan and on April 28 at California State University Fresno, SAG-AFTRA members shared with students their experiences working in broadcast in different capacities. At each event, students had the opportunity to network with SAG-AFTRA members, gain insight to the broadcast industry from members and learn tips for landing their first job. Students traveled great distances to attend both events, traveling as far as Albany to New York City and Los Angeles to Fresno to attend the workshops. In New York, 12 SAG-AFTRA member leader mentors who work in radio and television discussed their careers and the benefits of working at SAG-AFTRA stations. In Fresno, Los Angeles-based actor and SAG-AFTRA National Board member Lisa Vidal attended a lunchtime discussion led by SAG-AFTRA National Board member Bob Butler about her television show, Being Mary Jane, a BET drama series that follows the life of a television news anchor. In addition, Jessica Medina-Day, a director and shop steward at KSEE-TV, led a panel discussion with producers, an editor and photographers about the work that goes on behind the scenes. SAG-AFTRA National Board member Lisa Vidal speaks at the April 28 workshop in Fresno with fellow Board member Bob Butler. PRESS CLUB HONORS SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS N BC Broadcasters Beverly White and Lester Holt joined their peers at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles for the 60th Annual L.A. Press Club awards dinner on June 24. The event brought together radio, print and television journalists. Holt, from NBC Nightly News, received the Joseph M. Quinn Memorial Award for lifetime achievement. Also honored at the event was recording artist and actor Dolly Parton, who received the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award. Three weeks later on July 17, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors presented a scroll to White after the National Association of Black Journalists named her the recipient of its 2018 Chuck Stone Lifetime Achievement Award. ANTONIO GILBREATH IMAGES From left, Beverly White, Lester Holt and Robert Kovacik New York members and radio broadcasters Lara Dua, Lynda Lopez and Eunice "Eutopia" Franklin

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