As it awaits approval for a plan to hand over the company to its debt holders, Corus Entertainment made another round of cuts this week in TV and radio, and announced changes to how local Global News newscasts would be produced in local markets.
Unifor says 43 positions were cut among its members, more than half in Alberta, where Corus says it will move production of local news to its facilities in Toronto.
The union representing employees at Global Montreal, which is part of the SCFP (CUPE) union federation, tells me two of its employees will be affected by the de facto cancellation of Global Montreal’s morning newscast.
The union said it couldn’t specify what kind of positions were being cut. As this is a union shop, the actual identities of who will get cut could change.
(UPDATE July 30: Host Laura Casella confirmed in a statement on air this morning that she and reporter Brayden Jagger Haines would be remaining with the station, with Casella moving to a new role as anchor of the local evening news and Jagger Haines contributing to the new morning show.)
“We are disappointed by Corus’ decision to eliminate additional positions at Global News, including two in Montreal, and to end Montreal’s only English morning television show. These cuts affect dedicated media professionals who have devoted themselves to serving the public and delivering trusted local journalism,” the statement read.
“This is not only a difficult day for our members and their families, but also for viewers who rely on local news. The loss of another local program further reduces the diversity of voices and coverage available in Montreal’s English-speaking community.
“We, at Local 4502, stand in solidarity with every member affected by these layoffs and will continue to advocate for the value of local journalism and the people who make it possible.”
Global Montreal’s morning news was already a Frankensteinish blending of local and national segments produced on a shoestring budget, with about 20 minutes per hour of local content (and much of that repeated). Now those local segments will disappear too.
“We continue to face audience and revenue challenges related to Global News morning shows, particularly in our smaller markets. As a result, we have decided to introduce one centralized morning show to broadcast across all Eastern stations, with implementation targeted for end of July,” reads an internal Corus memo. ‘While this is a significant change, it allows us to strengthen and sustain local journalism by focusing investments where they can have the greatest impact. Local storytelling will remain a core part of this new regional morning program.”
(Corus later clarified that a single morning news show will be produced for its stations in Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, while B.C., Edmonton and Calgary will maintain their morning shows.)
Out west, where Global News is more popular among audiences, it still had local control rooms in Calgary and Edmonton producing their local evening newscasts (as well as Lethbridge). Now that ends and those will also be produced out of Toronto.
And on the radio side, while they’re not shutting down stations like Rogers did last week, they will be using more voice tracking and syndication.
The changes are part of a long train of centralization moves going back 20 years. Each time Global talks about investing more in local news by shifting resources from technical positions to editorial ones. But the result always seems to feel less local. First, production of the evening news was centralized. Then they had the local news anchored out of Toronto. (A change they partially backtracked on.)
Things looked optimistic in 2013 when a local Montreal morning show launched, a first in many years (CityTV Montreal would launch a short-lived local Breakfast Television later that year.) The new show was part of tangible benefits promised to the CRTC when Shaw bought the Global network from Canwest. And to Global’s credit, it kept the show going after its CRTC commitment expired.
But with the company in financial crisis and about to be handed over to finance people, the cuts are becoming more desperate.
Horse & buggy news
This is deplorable. We have been faithfull watchers of the local morning show ever since, ages ago, CTV cut out local segments from their national morning show. Now there will be ZERO local coverage. ;-(
So when do these changes take effect?
Sucks that we don’t have anywhere for local news in the morning. I always watched to get weather reports and traffic. As a person who drives for a living those reports where extremely important to me. Sad that we are loving local and going national. That was the main reason I moved to Global after Rogers cut morning news on CityTV.
All these moves by Corus shows why a network should never be allowed to own the majority, or even all, of their stations. This situation would not have happened if 65% of a network stations were affiliate owned. Whatever cuts the network would have made because of it’s current financial situation would not effect the local affiliates local news, or local operations. As the two would be two separate entities.
What is worse is that a centralized organization kills local news to order to prop up its HQ operations in Toronto. Global should be forced to sell off stations in order to solve its financial situation rather than cripple local station operations. Stations in Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton should be sold off to other station groups, and function as Global affiliates. And not to the other usual established abusers, such as Rogers, Bell, and Quebecor. And encourage other stations owners to pick up stations at fire sale prices. Owners such the owners of CHCH, CJON, CKPR and a few others.
But in order for this to work, the CRTC needs to be smashed into pieces. Because this destruction of the Canadian media landscape falls on the feet of the CRTC and the political establishment that empowers the CRTC.. But no matter what I write here, it will not change, because the Canadian establishment will not change. So, Canadians, enjoy your destruction. You allowed these things to happen. Your passivity is your own downfall.
There’s an argument for local control of local TV stations. But let’s not pretend these budget pressures don’t affect affiliates too. Canada has lost a bunch of affiliate stations in the past few years, despite the funding they get from the Independent Local News Fund.
Well aware of the affiliate losses from smaller station groups. But, throwing money at them thru the Local News Fund, and then sabotaging them via various policies that destroy their business foundations is really theatrics to show that they are helping smaller station groups. When they are not.
Examples…
1 – Recently CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat was shut down. Ownership group Pattison Media. Affiliate CITY.
How is a station to survive when CRTC policies allow Cable giants to bring in their own stations from outside the market. As well, a CTV OTA re-transmitter from the Calgary market. The market can probably only support one local station. CHAT-TV should have been protected. No other CITY stations via cable in their market.
Also, be allowed to provide sub-channels of either CTV, Global, or both. With no re-transmitters from larger market stations into the Medicine Hat market.
2- In Lloydminister, the Stingray group shut down two TV stations. CKSA (CITY affiliate), and CITL (CTV affiliate). this one should have been allowed to operate one station, with sub-channels. No need for two transmitters. And, also blocked Cable giants from offering out of market affiliates.
3 – Interesting both cases involve Alberta markets. And now Corus attacks the local Global Calgary and Edmonton stations. What better way to control a message by killing local views and present a controlled national message. Suspicious I would say.
Have you seen what Bell Fibe offers in the Montreal area, Almost all of their CTV O&O stations across the country. almost a half a dozen CITY stations from across the country, as well as Global. and all the stations show the same Goddamn programs except for some local news. As if, Montreal didn’t already have local stations for all three. What does it matter for these giants which station you watch their programs on. All the numbers are added to their national numbers. But, a local station appears to loose numbers, thus showing that local news and operations need to be cut. Under the BS idea of time shifting. Even though the tuner box they provide can record. Thus the time shifting excuse has no grounds. Record your programs, and watch them when you want. The local stations are to be the only one offered. Again, CRTC actually sabotage. It doesn’t matter how much money they throw at stations via their stupid policies. Long term, all their policies are designed to centralize all media in Canada into a few hands. And thus to better control the narratives they wish to push on the population. Now you might say that I’m exaggerating about controlled narratives. But am I. When other voices appear on the internet, what does the Federal government do! They empower the CRTC and other government agencies to try and control them. ….Thus proving, its all about controlling the public ideas, and thoughts.
No one shut down TV stations because of transmitters. No new transmitters were added in Medicine Hat or anywhere else for that matter.
As for Fibe, only local stations are offered by default. Time-shifting costs extra, and people subscribe for a variety of reasons like wanting local news from another city or wanting to watch NFL games that are on another station. But I don’t think this niche product is making a major difference.
I’m surprised that the Shaw family isn’t getting flak over the mess that is Corus. They’re the controlling shareholders that oversaw Corus. They’re the ones that saddled it with excessive debt. They could have recapitized Corus with some of the Roger’s money, but preferred to let it die a slow death. Now all they have left to do is issue an internal memo to staff saying “to the last employee laidoff, don’t forget to turn off the lights.”
It certainly makes Corus buying Shaw Media look suspicious in hindsight.
English media is under fire along with so many other facets of Quebec’s anglophone community. Why not another cut, eh? Sure there’s only two people affected by these cuts in Montreal, but two heads is better than none. Resulting in further erosion of local news. We need regional reporting. Anytime I see shit like this, I wonder how the elimination of two positions can save Corus that much money. Instead, more than 40 jobs are lost adding more to the UIC line-up. It’s depressing for those who find themselves marooned. And they might not find it easy to recover given the possibility that some have “aged out” and are not willing to take a serious cut in pay at another job. If they can find one.
I agree. We do need regional reporting. English communities in the Eastern Townships or closer to the US border are always left out. It’s just Montreal news which I get, most English speakers live and work there. But they are making other English communities rely on what little, English newspaper or radio they have.
Sad that we are losing local morning news, but rte real loss is regional English communities never get local news reported.