CBC/Radio-Canada slashing 657 jobs as part of $130M in budget cuts
Posted April 10, 2014 2:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO (NEWS1130) – In hopes of saving millions of dollars, the CBC is slashing jobs across the country.
The Crown Corporation will eliminate 657 positions over the next two years to deal with a massive budget shortfall. The savings are expected to amount to $130 million.
Alfred Hermida, who used to work at BBC and is now with UBC’s School of Journalism says the industry is changing quickly. He doesn’t see a way for the CBC to keep up, especially with its well known sports coverage and Canadian programming.
“The CBC is at this crossroads where it needs to decide: ‘What do we keep on doing that Canadians appreciate and what do we stop doing so we can compete, because the commercial broadcasters have much more money and resources than we do.”
Hermida thinks more cuts could be on the way. “It’s almost inevitable given a range of factors, not just losing Hockey Night in Canada. The advertising market hasn’t really recovered and you have a Conservative government that’s not really sympathetic.”
The CBC lost the rights to broadcast “Hockey Night in Canada” to Rogers Media, the parent company of News1130 Radio.
The broadcaster is also grappling with a loss of $115 million in federal government funding that was announced in the 2012 federal budget.
Print journalism is also feeling a financial crunch, the owner of the Vancouver Sun and Province announced today the loss of some major advertising revenue in the last quarter.
