Trying to Save Fios1 News

Back on August 19th, FTVLive told you that Verizon Fios will shutter its hyper-local Fios1 News channel this fall, ending its 10-year contract with Rye Brook's RNN and resulting in pink slips for nearly 150 employees across the Hudson Valley, Long Island and New Jersey.

But now, Fifteen New York state senators, including Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the chair of the committee on energy and telecommunications, sent a letter asking Verizon to reconsider its decision to walk away from RNN when its contract to produce the hyperlocal news for Fios1 News.

The letter, sent Aug. 21 to Anthony Lewis, Verizon's regional president, jumbled the name of the hyperlocal network, calling it Fios News1, not Fios1 News.

But the senators' sentiment is clear: They want Verizon to return to the bargaining table to protect imperiled 150 jobs and to keep a local-news voice alive.

It opens: "We write to express our concern over the termination of your contract with Rye Brook's RNN network to produce and broadcast Fios News1."

While it is nice to see the politicians step in and try and save jobs, it is more than likely that Fios1 will end in November and those 150 people will be unemployed.

Stay tuned….

H/T Lohud.com

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