The Nation - News from Oct. 12, 1986

The three major television networks reached tentative agreement on a three-year contract with 900 news broadcasters. The agreement came after CBS, NBC and ABC agreed to postpone a plan to have broadcasters assume technical duties, said Dick Moore, a spokesman for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in New York. The networks wanted reporters to operate cameras and microphones, edit tape and feed stories. The union vigorously opposed the proposal, saying it would hurt news coverage and diminish the role of the reporter. Moore said the tentative pact calls for an increase in pension and benefits and a raise in the base for pension contributions.