WGA Adds First Web-Only Station News Writers

Four staffers at CBS' WBBM-TV Chicago join union

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/30/2010 2:49:17 PM

In a first for the Writers Guild of America East, the union has added Web-only content writers/producers to its roster of represented employees.

According to the union, the stations' four web-only news staffers at CBS' WBBM-TV Chicago voted Aug. 27 to join the guild.

WGAE has been actively reaching out to Web writers. "That is where we think a lot of news writers are transitioning," said spokeswoman Sherry Goldman. "As [stations] are moving more and more content online, those are targets we are definitely going after," she said.

Web-only writers currently aren't covered by guild contracts so WGAE has to organize essentially shop-by-shop.

WGAE represents approximately 4,000 broadcast, cable, film and digital media writers.