AFTRA FLASH

November 2004

In this issue

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TENTATIVE NET CODE AGREEMENT REACHED
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
BENEFIT NEWS
LOCAL BRIEFS
CONGRATULATIONS
WE REMEMBER

TENTATIVE NET CODE AGREEMENT REACHED

A tentative agreement has been reached with the television networks and other major producers on the Network Television Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (the “Network Code”). The proposed contract includes significant increases in employer contributions to the AFTRA Health and Retirement Plans. The tentative agreement will be submitted to the National Board on November 20, 2004, and is also subject to ratification by the membership. For more information, go to www.aftra.com

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Historic Federal Runaway Bill Signed into Law

Ground breaking tax-incentive legislation intended to encourage production in the United States passed the House and Senate on October 11th and was signed into law by President Bush on October 22nd. The American Jobs Creation Act provides a tax break to qualified television and film productions with budgets between $1-15 million, increasing to $20 million for productions made in distressed areas. The tax break is triggered only when 75% of services are performed in the United States . This bi-partisan effort was the result of years of work by the Runaway Production Alliance of which AFTRA is a member. The combination of this federal initiative and a growing number of state incentive programs are expected to result in an increase in the number of productions shot domestically.

Broadcast Localism Comments Filed with the FCC

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BENEFIT NEWS

LOCAL BRIEFS

Chicago Union Singers “ TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS”

www.aftrasagsingers.com launched soon!

First Website Providing Advertising Community Access to A-S Singers via MP3 Files Singers' Demos

“We must take the bull by the horns” says Vocalist and AFTRA board member Wendy Morgan who spearheaded this exciting new website for Chicago 's union singers. Ms. Morgan says the idea came from long time friend and music producer Ken Hale of What the Hale music. “I just took the ball and ran with it . ”

After some calls to local producers and surveying the advertising community, it was apparent that the website would be utilized, creating a valuable a tool to make finding the right singer much easier for music producers and ad agencies. Singers, unlike voiceover talent, have no agents and are responsible for getting themselves heard and securing work. The website offers an easy way for music producers and others shopping for talent to access these vocal demos by the push of a button.

The singers are very excited about the new website. They hope to breath some new air into the commercial world, reminding advertisers just how good commercials sound when a voice is added…and what a hotbed of talent exists in Chicago !

Laugh Factory Holiday Dinners in LA and NY

This year signifies a quarter century of community service by the Laugh Factory, and what better way to honor 25 years of goodwill than by spreading the tradition to the new Laugh Factory in New York City as well as Los Angeles . The famous yearly tradition of serving warm feelings, comedy performances and free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners continues to draw crowds of guests that include actors, writers, comedians, artisans and craftspeople of all kinds, newcomers far from home and anyone who needs a good meal and a family to share it with. The meals will be served on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00PM.

Reservations are requested but not required at www.laughfactory.com or 323.656.1336 x1 in Los Angeles and 212.586.7829 x1 in New York . For more information, go to http://www.aftra.com/locals/newyork/laughfactory.html .

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CONGRATULATIONS

AFTRA congratulates First Vice President Bob Edwards, Larry Lujack and the late Walter Winchell on their induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held on November 6th in Chicago and was hosted by Glenn Beck.

Bob Edwards is the former anchor of National Public Radio's long-running Morning Edition , who returned to radio in October with a new program on XM Satellite Radio. Larry Lujack is the edgy rock jock that shook up WLS/Chicago in the 1960's and now is heard on WRLL-AM. Walter Winchell was one of radio's most influential commentators in the '30s and '40s, who pioneered celebrity journalism for CBS and eventually ABC.

The San Francisco Bay Area Black Journalists Association (BABJA) honored longtime San Francisco AFTRA member Barbara Rodgers celebrating 25 years as a reporter and anchor on CBS 5. Barbara was honored for her professional and community activism and her commitment to excellence in broadcasting. AFTRA was a sponsor and worked closely with BABJA to move the event to a hotel not subject to a labor dispute in which four thousand union workers have been locked out of their jobs. Visit the San Francisco Local website to view the photo gallery .

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WE REMEMBER

Howard Keel (1919-2004), the broad-shouldered baritone who romanced his way through a series of glittery MGM musicals such as "Kiss Me Kate" and "Annie Get Your Gun" and later revived his career with television's " Dallas ," died at the age of 85 this month. Keel, born in Gillespie , Illinois , with the name Harold Clifford Lee, was painfully shy when he moved to Los Angeles where he eventually sang for Oscar Hammerstein. Keel starred in Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals in New York and London before being signed to an MGM contract after World War II.

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