The Nationwide Voice Of Working Families And Their Unions
Workers Independent News (WIN) is focused on the issues and concerns of working people. As a news service, WIN is devoted to bringing the voices of workers, their families, communities and organizations to the widest public possible, using all means of electronic media. WIN packages news for distribution to radio stations, Internet radio, websites, for podcast and print publication.
WIN's mission is to bring balance to news coverage by providing news and features focusing on:
- Organizing and bargaining for workplace democracy
- Workplace issues: safety, privacy, discrimination
- Coalition campaigns for a living wage and other goals
- Unions in communities and the political arena
- Workforce issues: immigrant and undocumented workers, contingent and part-time workers
Our staff shares one common goal: to create media that puts people over profits and empowers citizens to become journalists in their own right.
Workers Independent News reaches 1,000,000 people on over 200 radio stations each weekday. WIN can also distribute news via any of 30 statewide radio networks. By placing a daily newscast on these networks, we can reach the key demographics that we must win to our point of view. These networks reach smaller towns and suburban areas, in addition to the cities. They are the trusted hometown stations that local people tune into daily.
Why Radio? According to the 2009 Edition of Radio Today – How America Listens to Radio, the enduring reach of radio continues to be remarkable. More than 90% of all individuals ages 12 and older listen to the radio each week – a higher penetration than television, Internet, newspapers, and magazines. Radio stations and their program suppliers manage to reach people wherever they are: at home, at work, in the car or elsewhere. Regardless of one’s age, time of day, or geography, radio has proven time and time again that it is the most inexpensive and effective mass media outlet.
Statistics from 2008 indicate that above all radio formats, including music and religious shows, the news and information format boasts the highest listener shares. Americans depend on radio as their true and reliable information and community service.
In addition to radio, WIN’s multimedia distribution system spans the electronic spectrum. It provides the tools to break the media blockade and allow organized labor to communicate its message directly to the public.
Website: www.LaborRadio.org, WIN’s interactive website with expanded features.
Podcasts: Allows individual stations to take the WIN news at their convenience, and allows individuals to hear the news at any time.
Webcast: Over 300 local unions & other organizations receive the WIN news through their websites, bringing new material to their website visitors every business day.
Email: Nearly 15,000 individuals receive a daily WIN news brief. Unions also use the email bulletin to alert their members regarding stories about their union & industry.
Social Media: WIN has reached out to the users of Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In, which provides contact with the younger audience that is vital to the future growth of the movement.
Workers Independent News is a resource for individual unions!
When WIN does a story about a union, we often provide that organization with an audio clip & text for further distribution to their members, or to the press. In addition, WIN offers training and assistance to unions and community-based organizations in the technical aspects of reporting, radio production and media relations.
With adequate funding, WIN can assure production, distribution, and wider acceptance of a nationwide progressive news service that can affect public attitudes, just as the conservative news service has. In order to make progress toward goals of progressives, WIN is pursuing the following tactics simultaneously:
- Seeking underwriters to assure the production of the news for broadcast
- Seeking sponsors to ensure distribution of the news on commercial radio and websites
- Continuing to enhance and restructure the laborradio.org website