Yesterday, FTVLive told you that Verizon was pulling the plug on FIOS 1 News and that means that basically 150 people that work in news at FIOS 1 will be without a job.

On Saturday at 5:16PM, the staff got an email saying they would be out of work. FTVLive has obtained a copy of that email:

From: W.A.R.N. <W.A.R.N@RNNTV.com>
Date: August 17, 2019 at 5:16:47 PM EDT
To: W.A.R.N. <W.A.R.N@RNNTV.com>
Subject: W.A.R.N. Notice from RNN News

PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Colleagues:

I am writing with news that I know is not welcomed; it certainly isn’t for me or the management of RNN. After 10 years of providing excellent local news for viewers across the region as FiOS1 News, Verizon Corporate Services Group Inc. (“Verizon”) has told us that it will not renew its contract with RNN News when our current agreement expires in 90 days.

We wanted to reach out to each of you to express how appreciative we are of all that you have done to make RNN News what it is today and, for that reason, I ask that you keep the contents of this letter confidential.

We are deeply disappointed that Verizon has made this decision. Over the last year, we have worked tirelessly to negotiate a new agreement that would have allowed us to continue providing the hyper-local news content the communities we serve depend on. Unfortunately, we were not able to reach an agreement. Barring a change in direction from Verizon, RNN News will cease providing news programming for Verizon’s FiOS1 News network at 12:01 a.m. on November 16, 2019. This means your employment will permanently end on November 15, 2019.

We wanted to give you notice that your jobs are in jeopardy. Attached, please see the required Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Notice, which has information you will need.

In an effort to assist you in this transition we will be providing some financial retention incentives. Brenda Castrodad, Director of Human Resources will be scheduling group meetings starting on Monday to discuss the details.

RNN remains open to discussion with Verizon and will continue to make the case that original local news is critical to the communities we service. Like you, we believe a vibrant and competitive press is essential to our society and our democracy.

In just ten short years, we have pioneered the delivery of local news and have become well-known for our innovations in the delivery of content to our viewers. We invested heavily in a model that allows us to produce high quality local news in multiple markets in a cost-effective way. Your hard work has been hugely important in making that happen.

As journalists, we have agonized over the rapid decline of newsrooms across the country, and the markets we serve have been impacted by this as much as any. Even our main cable competitor, News 12, is a shadow of what it once was because of the draconian layoffs Altice implemented when it took over. Our resulting exit from the market is a disturbing turning point in the news industry as there will only be one option available for consumers of hyper-local television news in the regions we serve. If democracy dies in darkness, then the decision to end our contract is creating a black out.

We are grateful to each of you for your hard work in building these local networks. We have been told repeatedly that these local channels were amongst the most watched news channels on FiOS-TV.

I would like to thank you for the contributions you have made to RNN. We hope you take pride in knowing that FiOS1 has been a critical resource for our viewers -- holding elected officials accountable, highlighting critical community needs, covering the stories that matter and transforming how local news is delivered.

Very truly yours,
Richard French III
President, News