American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was formed in 1952 to represent television and radio performers after the merger between the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) and the Television Authority (TvA). In 2012, AFTRA merged with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), which represented film and television actors, to form SAG-AFTRA. Both of these mergers indicate important technological affinities and changes in the media industries. The combination of AFRA and the TvA reflected the technological and industrial similarities between radio and television. The merger of SAG and AFTRA addressed the reality of work for actors (few actors work solely in one media form), but it also stemmed from the need to confront the consolidating interests of media conglomerates with a larger union.

After ...