ICG Local 600 To Discuss Stonewalling from KEYT-TV in Upcoming Press Conference

CALIFORNIA – Despite more than a year of good-faith efforts to negotiate with the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), IATSE Local 600, the News-Press & Gazette (NPG) of California—parent company of KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara—continues to obstruct the bargaining process.

The anchors, producers, directors, multimedia journalists, editors and photojournalists who are employed by KEYT and represented by the ICG continue to work without a fair contract that includes benefits and a living wage.

The ICG will hold a press conference in front of the Historic City of Santa Barbara City Hall on January 16, at 12:30 p.m. PT. to discuss working conditions at KEYT-TV and the status of negotiations with NPG. “As journalists, we know how to ask tough questions and hold the powerful accountable. NPG must be held
to the same standards,” said News Producer Owen Pratt, who has worked for KEYT-TV since 2024.

During the most recent round of negotiations, NPG presented a proposed wage grid that, for certain classifications of highly technical employees, including video editors and videographers, fell below the City of Santa Barbara’s minimum wage requirements. After the ICG raised compliance concerns, NPG revised the proposal to offer only the minimum wage required by law.

KEYT-TV employees say their early enthusiasm for their jobs faded when compensation didn’t allow them to live in the community they report on, or cover basic living costs such as rent and groceries. “We do highly skilled, technically demanding work that keeps this station on the air and the community informed, yet we’re being asked to survive on wages that barely meet the legal minimum,” says Gene Silva, Videographer and Video Editor at KEYT-TV. 

“This isn’t about luxury. It’s about dignity, fairness, and being able to live in the community we serve. After more than a year of stalled negotiations, it’s clear that management would rather stonewall than respect the people who make their broadcasts possible.”

In November 2024, fed up with KEYT management’s bait and switch tactics on paid sick days and the stations’ low wages, employees voted to join Local 600. The ICG now represents several dozen members of the KEYT team.