BOARDMAN Labor strife disrupts WKBN-TV program

The station has about 11 news people who are not covered by the contract.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
BOARDMAN -- WKBN-TV canceled its usual "First News This Morning" broadcast today and used CBS news programs instead as its unionized news employees picketed outside, but a station official said normal programming would be back by noon today.
Members of Local 47 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, a division of the Communications Workers of America, were turned away when they arrived for work Saturday afternoon. Their contract expired at midnight Saturday.
The union is calling the situation a lockout; WKBN-TV says it's a work stoppage.
John Amann, director of promotions and production at the station, said WKBN would like to return to bargaining as soon as possible.
Usual programming
In the meantime, he said, management employees and unionized workers not covered by the contract will continue producing the station's usual news programming on WKBN-TV Channel 27 and WYFX Channels 17/62.
Amann said station officials will not immediately resume regular news broadcasts it does throughout the day on CNN, however.
Local 47 represents 35 employees at WKBN, including news anchors, reporters, directors and photographers. Joe Bell, a union spokesman, said WKBN has about 11 other news employees not covered by the agreement that expired Saturday.
Bell said members overwhelmingly rejected what the company called its "last best offer" Saturday.
"We're not on strike," he said. "We would like to extend our contract and continue bargaining." The union has been manning informational pickets outside WKBN-TV offices on Sunset Boulevard.
Sooner talks?
Bell said the CWA staff representative who is handling the WKBN talks is in California handling another union matter and won't be available until Thursday or Friday. Talks could resume sooner, he said, if the company would agree to include her by telephone conference.
WKBN-TV and WYFX-TV are owned by Piedmont Communications, based in Charlotte, N.C.
vinarsky@vindy.com