The radio stations being bought are in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
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Bell Media is ending a number of tv newscasts and making different programming cuts after its mother or father firm introduced widespread layoffs and the sale of 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.
In an inside memo to Bell Media staff on Thursday, it mentioned information stations resembling CTV and BNN Bloomberg can be affected instantly.
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The radio stations being bought are in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
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The memo, signed by Dave Daigle, vice-president of native TV, radio and Bell Media Studios, and Richard Grey, vice-president of reports at Bell Media, mentioned weekday midday newscasts in any respect CTV stations besides Toronto would finish. It’s also scrapping its 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on weekends in any respect CTV and CTV2 stations besides Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
Daigle and Grey mentioned “multi-skilled journalists” would exchange information correspondent and technician groups reporting to CTV Nationwide Information in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, whereas different correspondent modifications can be made in Ottawa.
Earlier within the day, Bell Media’s mother or father firm BCE Inc. introduced it was chopping 9 per cent of its workforce.
The corporate, in an open letter signed by chief govt Mirko Bibic, mentioned 4,800 jobs “in any respect ranges of the corporate” can be reduce. Fewer than 10 per cent of the overall job cuts are at Bell Media particularly.
Some staff have already been notified or had been to learn Thursday of being laid off, whereas the stability can be instructed by the spring. Bibic mentioned the corporate will use vacancies and pure attrition to reduce layoffs as a lot as potential.
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Bell can also be ending night applications The Debate, This Hour and Prime 3 Tonight on CTV Information Channel, which can be changed by a four-hour information broadcast on weeknights starting at 6 p.m.
At BNN Bloomberg, weekday daytime programming is “being streamlined” to scale back the variety of separate broadcasts.
Daigle and Grey additionally mentioned W5 will shift from a stand-alone documentary collection to a “multiplatform investigative reporting unit” featured on CTV Nationwide Information, CTVNews.ca and different information platforms.
The job cuts mark the second main layoff on the media and telecommunications large since final spring, when six per cent of Bell Media jobs had been eradicated and 9 radio stations had been both shuttered or bought.
In a separate inside memo, Bell Media president Sean Cohan mentioned the corporate intends to divest 45 radio stations to seven patrons: Vista Radio, Whiteoaks, Durham Radio, My Broadcasting Corp., ZoomerMedia, Arsenal Media and Maritime Broadcasting. The gross sales are topic to CRTC approval and different closing situations.
“That’s a major divestiture. It’s as a result of it’s not a viable enterprise anymore,” mentioned Bell chief authorized and regulatory officer Robert Malcolmson in an interview with The Canadian Press.
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“We are going to proceed to function ones which can be viable, however this can be a enterprise that’s going within the mistaken course.”
Malcolmson mentioned Bell Media is within the midst of a “digital transformation” for each leisure and information.
However whether or not or not prioritizing digital development is viable for the corporate when it comes to producing revenue stays to be decided.
“We’re investing in it; we’ll see,” mentioned Malcolmson. “With out some type of regulatory helps, it’s powerful.”
He blamed the federal authorities for taking too lengthy to supply reduction for media corporations in addition to the CRTC for being too sluggish to react to a “disaster that’s rapid.”
That extends to 2 items of laws supposed to assist Canada’s struggling media sector: Invoice C-18, often known as the On-line Information Act, meant to power tech giants to compensate Canadian information retailers for his or her content material, and Invoice C-11, which updates the Broadcasting Act to require digital platforms resembling Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute and promote Canadian content material.
Ottawa stays in a standoff with Fb mother or father firm Meta over C-18, with the corporate persevering with to dam information hyperlinks on its platforms. In the meantime, the federal authorities capped the amount of cash broadcast media can get from Google’s $100 million annual funds at $30 million, with the rest to go to print and digital information retailers.
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“In observe, it’s not going to do something. It’s underwhelming to say the least,” mentioned Malcolmson.
“We’ve been advocating for reform for years. It’s not coming quick sufficient and when it does come, it doesn’t present significant assist.”
Thursday’s job losses at Bell Media are additionally instantly tied to regulator course on Invoice C-11, Malcolmson mentioned.
The CRTC held a listening to late final yr exploring whether or not streaming companies needs to be requested to make an preliminary contribution to the Canadian content material system to assist degree the taking part in discipline with native corporations. The fee hopes to implement new guidelines in late 2024.
However the Bell govt mentioned the corporate wants rapid reduction, which may come from a fund it has proposed that might see streamers subsidize native or nationwide information.
“We hope they do this however we will’t wait two years for that to occur, so then you definitely see actions like this right now,” he mentioned.
Bell has fought different regulatory choices over the previous yr that it says makes issues more durable for its struggling broadcast division.
That features an October utility to the Federal Court docket of Attraction looking for to overturn a CRTC choice that renewed its broadcast licences for 3 extra years. It argued that call was made with out a public listening to and will consequence within the regulator prejudging its requests final June to waive native information and Canadian programming necessities for its tv stations.
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Bell Media’s promoting revenues declined by $140 million in 2023 in contrast with the yr earlier than, and the corporate’s information division is seeing greater than $40 million in annual working losses, Bibic said in his letter.
On Thursday, Bell mentioned it may additionally additional cut back community investments on its telecom facet because it stays at odds with the CRTC over what it calls “predetermined” regulatory course.
Requested in regards to the firm’s picture in mild of continued cuts, Malcolmson famous the dimensions of Bell’s govt crew has been decreased in recent times and govt salaries stay frozen.
“We’ve got an obligation each to our shareholders and to our staff to verify we handle the enterprise in a rational means,” he mentioned.
Listing of divested Bell Media radio stations (New proprietor)
CHOR, Summerland, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CJAT, Path, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKKC, Nelson, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKGR, Golden, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKXR, Salmon Arm, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKCR, Revelstoke, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CJMG, Penticton, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKOR, Penticton, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CJOR, Osoyoos, B.C. (Vista Radio)
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CICF, Vernon, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CHSU, Kelowna, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CILK, Kelowna, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKFR, Kelowna, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKNL, Fort St. John, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CHRX, Fort St. John, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CJDC, Dawson Creek, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKRX, Fort Nelson, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CFTK, Terrace, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CJFW, Terrace, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CHTK, Prince Rupert, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKTK, Kitimat, B.C. (Vista Radio)
CKLH, Hamilton, Ont. (Whiteoaks)
CHRE, St. Catharines, Ont. (Whiteoaks)
CHTZ, St. Catharines, Ont. (Whiteoaks)
CKTB, St. Catharines, Ont. (Whiteoaks)
CKLY, Lindsay, Ont. (Durham Radio)
CKPT, Peterborough, Ont. (Durham Radio)
CKQM, Peterborough, Ont. (Durham Radio)
CFJR, Brockville, Ont. (My Broadcasting Company)
CJPT, Brockville, Ont. (My Broadcasting Company)
CFLY, Kingston, Ont. (My Broadcasting Company)
CKLC, Kingston, Ont. (My Broadcasting Company)
CJOS, Owen Sound, Ont. (ZoomerMedia)
CHRD, Drummondville, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CJDM, Drummondville, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CFEI, St-Hyacinthe, Que. (Arsenal Media)
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CFZZ, St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CIKI, Rimouski, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CJOI, Rimouski, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CFVM, Amqui, Que. (Arsenal Media)
CIKX, Grand Falls, N.B. (Maritime Broadcasting)
CJCJ, Woodstock, N.B. (Maritime Broadcasting)
CKBC, Bathurst, N.B. (Maritime Broadcasting)
CKTO, Truro, N.S. (Maritime Broadcasting)
CKTY, Truro, N.S. (Maritime Broadcasting)
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