80 percent of union workers at WYTV lose jobs

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

Some local TV jobs will end up on the cutting room floor.

The jobs of about 40 workers were terminated at WYTV last Friday, and cuts are expected to be announced today at WKBN-TV.

“Industries move on,” said Doug Beach, a union vice president at WYTV. “This is like our Black Monday.”

Beach was referring to the day 30 years ago when Youngstown Sheet & Tube cut loose 5,000 people. The cuts triggered the collapse of the local steel industry.

“I don’t think television in the area will ever be the same,” Beach said.

The size of the local television market has been declining in national rankings, so national advertisers have less interest in spending money here. To cope, Parkin Broadcasting of Los Angeles, the owner of WYTV, decided to cut costs by paying WKBN to produce its newscasts.

New Vision Television of Atlanta, which owns WKBN, last week offered jobs to only about 10 of the 50 union workers at WYTV.

Retaining their jobs were on-air personalities Angee Shaker, Stan Boney and Bob Hannon, some reporters and a few behind-the-scenes workers. Anchors Gina Marinelli and Vince Bevacqua were among those let go.

Most of the production and technical work for Channel 33 newscasts will be done by WKBN workers. Still, the station owner has told WKBN staffers that cuts there could be announced today.

Joe Bell, a WKBN reporter and union steward, said Thursday that employees are waiting for word on their jobs.

Beach said the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, which represents workers at both stations, is helping terminated workers find jobs in other markets.

Finding a job within the industry is hard, however, especially if a person wants to stay in this area, Beach said. Some workers have been doing the same job for many years and now suddenly are looking for someone who needs their skills.

“What you are looking forward to is retraining,” said Beach, who is a promotions producer.

The final day for terminated WYTV workers is today or Saturday. WYTV will retain its office on Shady Run Road in Youngstown as a home for station management and advertising sales workers.

WKBN has remodeled its Sunset Boulevard studios in Boardman to handle the additional newscasts. It will begin producing Channel 33 newcasts Monday.