– BCTC: three years $1.5 billion

B.C.’s tentative, new three-year labor deal – which is in draft form and could be ratified by mid-June – is worth an estimated $1.5 billion in production values and about $600 million in wages.

So says IATSE 891 president Don Ramsden, who spent the first week of April in l.a. in ‘tough’ negotiations with American producers.

Without being specific, Ramsden says that some lessons were learned in the inaugural year of a landmark labor agreement between the B.C. Council of Film Unions and u.s. and Canadian producers that streamlined labor in b.c. for high-end features and series.

The council is made up of IATSE 891, IATSE 669 and Teamsters 155. Members are expected to vote on the new deal in May.

-WIC downsizing

Despite a restructuring that will force the eventual elimination of 130 television jobs at WIC Western International Communications, subsidiary WIC Entertainment will continue ‘as normal’ and have no effect on independent producers, says company spokesman Terry O’Donovan.

Little change is also expected at bctv’s market-leading newsroom, he adds.

‘We’re not going to damage departments where we have a competitive advantage,’ O’Donovan explains.

The upheaval was announced April 11 after the board approved a restructuring to improve wic’s ability to remain viable in a dynamic market buffeted by technological changes and new competitors such as Baton Broadcasting in b.c. and, in Alberta, Craig Broadcasting.

O’Donovan says the job losses will be across the board, with 51 people being let go at bctv and chek and 44 jobs at Alberta stations itv, rdtv, cict and cisa. About 46 other jobs were trimmed earlier through early retirement and attrition. According to O’Donovan, the number of producers gone from the network has not been established.

wic posted an $8.3-million pretax restructuring charge in its second quarter that will be used to pay job buyouts.

Second-quarter financials indicate revenues were up 6.4% to $243 million, but earnings were down $1.4 million to $4.3 million. Television revenues for the first six months were $144 million, up 7% from the same period last year, and earnings improved to $33 million, buoyed by the launch on Ontario-wide ontv (formerly chch).

Among those leaving wic is Jon Festinger, wic’s former corporate counsel who was instrumental in defending the company during the CanWest takeover attempt and the recent Class b shareholder dispute. Starting May 1, he takes over as senior vp b.c. and gm of Baton Broadcasting’s new station civt in Vancouver.

Susanne Boyce, project manager for civt, says staffing up will begin in May.

In the meantime, civt has signed cbc broadcaster Vicki Gabereau to do a one-hour live morning show emanating from Vancouver across the Baton system.

Community members are invited to regular Thursday morning salons at Baton’s Vancouver office to discuss the new station. Call (604) 608-2868.