Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1367665
Broadcast News Top Union Broadcasters Reach Out to the Next Generation F or college students planning to work in news or entertainment broadcasting, it can be difficult to know the best ways to get started on a successful career path. Union broadcasters are making a difference by helping the next generation through mentorship and guidance. To offer aspiring broadcasters more insight about the industry, the SAG-AFTRA President's Task Force for Education, Outreach & Engagement hosted The Next Generation of Broadcasters livestream on April 13. The hour-long panel featured KRON4 anchor and reporter Justine Waldman, Minnesota Public Radio anchor and reporter Nina Moini, KDKA-TV news producer James Santelli and KABC Los Angeles digital reporter and community journalist Ashley Mackey. SAG-AFTRA National Vice President, Broadcasters, and Broadcasting Steering Committee member Bob Butler moderated. The session offered advice straight from experienced, professional union broadcasters. Each panelist discussed how they started in the industry, as well as the work involved in their current roles. They also emphasized that aspiring broadcasters should hone their skills and continue their development outside of the classroom setting through internships and networking opportunities. Panelists also discussed the ways the industry is working to better approach safety, mental health and self-advocacy. Santelli and Moini took great care to explain how union membership empowers broadcasters in newsrooms and in the field. "When I first started my job … there was no sort of recourse if you were to lose your job, no overtime or turnaround time paid and no guarantees of how many producers would even be staffed at any given time," said Santelli. "Unionizing through SAG-AFTRA and talking about some of those issues has helped us in determining what kind of workplace we want to have and what most benefits the people that we serve." Visit sagaftra.org/videos for the livestream.