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Tuesday September 12, 2006 

INSIDE LA TV

DOES KCBS EXPECT A WRITERS GUILD STRIKE?

As you know, CBS news writers, producers and others covered by the WGA have been without a new contract since April of of last year.  Last month, WGA members walked out of KCBS/KCAL and KNX for a half-hour one day.  Last week, on the day that Katie Couric debuted on CBS, the WGA held informational pickets in New York and outside CBS Television City here in LA.

One KCBS/KCAL  insider tells me they believe that management expects a strike.  And there is evidence that management is preparing, such as training scab producers. A different source emails me that they saw a member of management training someone on the computer system "telling him how to build a rundown and delete things, plus how to practice in the
'practice rundown'.  Don't believe a writer would need
to know those things!"

They add  "Also heard that someone introduced him or herself
to a control room staff person, saying that he/she
might be working here as a freelance producer."

I believe that scabs are pretty low life on the social scale. If anyone at KCBS/KCAL has the name of any of these people, please pass them along to me.  They may have the right to scab in the event of a strike, but I think everyone in the business should know their names.  

Meantime, there has been no authorization vote to strike. So KCBS may be jumping the gun, or maybe sending a message to the union that they are prepared, so don't even think about it.

HERNANDEZ GETS THE JOB

Karen Carlson's former job as KABC weekend early morning anchor has been given to reporter Lisa Hernandez. Also competing for the job were Leslie Miller and Elsa Ramon.

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