by Aleksandra Sagan, Canadian Press
courtesy the Financial Post March 30 2017
TORONTO — A union representing more than 12,000 of Canada’s media workers is calling on the federal government to help support local news after CTV announced layoffs in three cities in Ontario.
Bell Media spokesman Scott Henderson would not specify how many people lost their jobs, but said in an email that the company reduced a number of broadcast positions at local TV stations in Kitchener, London and Windsor.
He said the move is part of a larger restructuring that began earlier this year and is a response to the challenges facing the media industry, including growing international competition and a tough advertising market.
Unifor spokesman Howard Law (pictured, right) said in a statement that more cuts are expected at CTV stations across Canada and the federal government should move quickly to review the industry, which it promised to do in the federal budget released last week.
READ MORE HERE
So who got pink slips at CTV Vancouver? I heard Brent Shearer was shown the door.
Vancouver gutted there sports dept,bad move but no taxpayer bailout.
The government must stay out of private business. Its very sad that the union is begging with their tin cup in hand. I cant remember when I found CTV worth turning on, because I tune out.
Yep looks like Brent is gone from the website and replaced with Jason Pires as co-anchor of the CTV Morning News.
Must be one nervous ride into work everyday for BELL employees wondering if today will be your last day. Sad.
I totally agree Rob,it’s incredible that the union is asking for support of any failing business, the government has no business getting involved, but then again look what Truedope has done with Bombardier how pathetic
Here in Edmonton, two days ago, the local “news” consisted of no fewer than 9 minutes of drunken yobs yelling and hooting because some toothless goons who make their living by shooting a round rubber disk into a net on an ice surface apparently made the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the traffic accidents due to heavy fog, the gangland killings, fires and inter-provincial trade wars where shunted to the sidelines. But Family Matters (a paid infomercial) and Health Matters (a paid infomercial) aired in their regular time slots in the “news” cast. And so did the sportscast, in the last 20 minutes at the end of the hour.
I’ve stopped watching this newscast (and Global’s) live; I now record it and watch the tiny bit of local news at the beginning, fast forward through the man on the street interviews where uninformed people on the street give opinions on stories they know nothing about, past the commercials, past the infomercials, to the SECOND weather forecast segment (one has to go to the third segment on weekends) to actually get the local weather forecast.
Is anyone aware that North Korea is threatening North America with nuclear missiles or that there is a major radiation event that is still on-going in Japan that is killing the Pacific Ocean and is now affecting the west coast of North America? Not if you’re watching CTV or Global Edmonton!
And then the suits in Toronto wonder why the audience numbers in have stagnated over the years and actually declined in percentage while the population of Edmonton has almost doubled, the local CBC station has essentially shut down, and CITY has eliminated their formal “news” cast in favour of a dinner hour variety show.
You know, if someone actually produced a 30 minute quality newscast consisting entirely of local and regional news and a weather forecast, it might attract an audience and make money.
But then, what do I know?
Again, I point fingers at the CRTC for allowing corporations to hold more than a couple of licenses per market.
As distasteful as spending government money on a private entity might be , why not? As pointed out above Bombardier has sucked up millions and millions of tax payer dollars while laying off employees and raising salaries for executives. The bar is set pretty low.
sorry only one liberal lap-dog gets public funding at a time.
Global Edmonton and CTV Edmonton are a joke. Such a waste of time. Watching Gord Steinke conduct an interview is painful and Lauel Gregory doing Family Matters is a waste. If you provide feedback to CTV and they din’t like, they remove it
CTV Calgary lost their whole sports department. This is a big blow to community sports.
Supporting positive activity in your community should be a condition of licence as opposed to showing the worst side of it with constant attention to crime and car crashes.
Seems now the braintrust at CTV Calgary have been to speak with the oracle. Former Sports Director Glenn Campbell is now reinstated as what we’re not sure. Be good to have a sports guy in a hockey town!