Friday, September 18, 2009

AFTRA Says Farewell to GUIDING LIGHT

The following is a statement from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) on the airing of the last episode of the AFTRA-covered daytime drama GUIDING LIGHT today.

"Today, we bid farewell to the longest running daytime drama in history, GUIDING LIGHT. After more than 72 years on the air -- first on radio, then on television -- GUIDING LIGHT will shine no more. This ground-breaking program has provided steady employment, wages and benefits for thousands of AFTRA performers and other union members working in the entertainment and media industries.

"As the show's trademark lighthouse dims one last time today, AFTRA members join the world in celebrating the contributions this award-winning program has made to entertainment and to the jobs and lives of countless union workers whose talent and dedication elevated 'Guiding Light' to its iconic status.

"On behalf of the 70,000 members of AFTRA, we salute GUIDING LIGHT and its cast and crew."

5 comments:

  1. So, what exactly did AFTRA or the City of NY do to preserve the jobs GL brought to the city?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Absolutely nothing, SoapFan78.
    Rather than read the research that the boomers-- the people who have followed GL since its inception-- they permitted P&G and CBS to claim that "younger viewers" (those with no jobs or discretionary income) rather than the largest-growing, most influential and wealthiest demographic, the Baby Boomers-- dictate the networks' conclusions and "forced" this action.
    AFTRA relies on its members to do its job and enforce union oversight, they do this as a matter of course on a regional AND a national level.
    Since any moron can buy his or her way into AFTRA (unlike AEA and SAG), AFTRA is the eunuch of unions.
    UNION MEMBERS-- Under federal law, you have the right to go Financial Core, i.e. become a dues-paying non-member, meaning you can do union AND non-union work WITHOUT penalty.
    Since the unions can seem to get it right, they CANNOT dictate where you find employment. Exercise your rights and make them work for you, or find the work yourselves!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The younger demographic is the one that goes out and buys more stuff then the older set. But, IKnowItAll even if you throughout the younger demo, GL's other demos were terrible as well. So your point is moot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No, Save, all reports show that the vast majority of discretionary income (after-bills $$$) being spent is by the people who have the money-- the boomers.

    Go do some research and then report back before using words you don't understand ("moot" means "debatable": http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot).

    ReplyDelete