By: Joe Strupp It's apparently not just newspapers that can host live chats with reporters. At least one Newspaper Guild unit is taking the approach as it continues to battle management.
Leaders of the Bay Area Newspaper Group-East Bay guild unit plan to mark the one-year anniversary of MediaNews Group consolidating two newspaper chains outside San Francisco and withdrawing recognition of one of the group's guild units in 2007.
On Wednesday, two guild leaders will host a Web chat on the union's Web site, www.onebigbang.org, asking journalists and other interested parties to log on and ask questions about the current union situation.
The new unit is the first guild effort at the chain since MediaNews in August 2007 withdrew recognition of the former Alameda Newspaper Guild, which had represented some 130 staffers at the former four-paper ANG, including the Oakland Tribune.??
The union recognition change followed MediaNews' consolidation of ANG's editorial functions with its neighboring five-paper Contra Costa Newspapers, led by the Contra Costa Times. The consolidation of editorial operations from the two groups came one year after MediaNews purchased the Contra Costa papers from McClatchy as part of its takeover of 31 daily and community papers in the area. Company officials said at the time that the move was proper because the consolidated editorial unit included fewer than 50% guild members.
Several months ago, newsroom employees at the new consolidated group voted in the guild as its representative. Soon after, 29 guild employees found out they would be laid off. Among those was guild organizer Sara Steffens, a reporter who will co-host the Wednesday chat.
"What a difference a year makes. It may seem hard to believe, but August 13 marks the first anniversary of the merger of the newsrooms of the former Contra Costa Newspapers and ANG," the union stated on its Web site this week. "We at the guild plan to commemorate BANG-EB?s birthday with a live Web chat?and you?re invited. Unit officers and members will moderate the discussion ? which we hope will feature plenty of questions and comments from readers and our own staff."
The event will occur from noon to 1 p.m. PST at www.onebigbang.org
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