Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544866
14 SAG-AFTR A | Spring 2026 | sagaftra.org A Letter From the Executive Vice President L I N D A P O W E L L Dear Member, I 've sat down to write this magazine letter more than once and walked away from it. Not for lack of an idea or a point of view. I know exactly the challenge I want to explore. The obstacle is that I don't have a solution to offer. The obstacle is the obstacles. Our world is in transition. Trans- itioning to who or what and when is a mystery. I spend a lot of time representing members in rooms where the dizzying changes brought on by technology, by corporate consolidation, by the fragmentation of our media sources and by the shifting political landscape are the focus of conversation. That's true both within our union and among the wider family of labor where SAG-AFTRA gathers with siblings around the country — and around the world. These issues are universal, and while individual challenges differ, the threats are the same: threats to our wages, to our working conditions, to our benefits, to our stability, to our jobs and to unions themselves. I am going to date myself with this: I am a radio listener. Sometimes it's streamed (I'm not that old), but radio — especially morning radio — is my jam. Which is why, recently, when Paramount Skydance made the decision to shut down CBS News Radio, I was taken aback. CBS News Radio has been a standard bearer for nearly a century. It was the home of Edward R. Murrow — a legendary broadcaster who exemplified journalism grounded in verification, independence and public trust. Change is the only constant, yes. I don't expect the radio of my grandparents to exist forever. Businesses will adjust and changes will be inevitable. As distribution evolves, audiences shift. I know all too well that the members facing layoffs at CBS are not alone. Our broadcasters have become all too familiar with this pattern. We often talk about the importance of belonging to a union in terms of wages and working conditions and benefits. Just as important are the advocacy and protections that come into play when work is abruptly terminated. But what we are witnessing goes beyond job loss. It reaches the core of how information is produced and received. Journalists are under strain — facing regulatory uncertainty, disrespect and shrinking newsroom resources. Meanwhile, algorithms in our "news feeds" reward speed, volume and reaction over verification. In that environment, credibility becomes harder to build and easier to erode. And truth becomes hard to agree on. Corporations once prided themselves on their news divisions. Profit was not ignored, but it was not driven at the expense of product. Today, headlines often bear no relationship to the story below the fold. In our social media environment, the news I'm seeing often bears no relationship to the news that you are seeing. Outrage bait increasingly drives our cultural conversations. The broadcasters I stand next to have not changed; they are mission-driven and committed to hold power to account and serve the public with verified reporting. But the headwinds they face are growing stronger. Circling back to where I started — I don't have the answers to these obstacles. But I do know that, in this moment, supporting broadcast journalists with strong contracts, advocacy, resources and funding is not only crucial to our strength as a union, it is crucial to the health of our democracy. In solidarity, Linda Powell "Journalists are under strain — facing regulatory uncertainty, disrespect and shrinking newsroom resources."