S.F. Sports-Radio Staff Demand More Than Minimum Wage

July 23, 2016 
By Steven Wishnia and Neal Tepel

San Francisco, CA- Carrying “Let’s Play Ball—Fair Contract Now” signs, staff at KNBR radio rallied July 13 outside the Giants’ AT&T Park stadium to demand that the station, which broadcasts Giants, Warriors, and 49ers games, give them their first union contract.

The 35 workers voted to join SAG-AFTRA in 2014. They want a minimum salary of $17 an hour for off-air staff and $30 for on-air talent. KNBR’s owner, Cumulus Media of Atlanta, has offered $13.13—just 1% above the city’s minimum wage—and has not budged since February, union negotiators say. “KNBR is a proven revenue generator,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “It is time for Cumulus to pay its employees a living wage.” Cumulus is the nation’s second-largest radio chain, and KNBR’s $25 million in advertising revenue last year ranked fifth among its 453 stations, according to an independent study commissioned by the union. In a similar contract battle, staff at KGO, the city’s leading news station, voted to join SAG-AFTRA last year, and won a contract for a $17 minimum last winter—and Cumulus laid off 23 out of the 30 union members there in March.  Read more