paterson1 wrote:

Some on here like to use Let's Talk Day as another excuse to trash Bell and the other conglomerates.  Fine.  However, Let's Talk has been a success in raising the awareness of mental illness and bringing discussion to this disability that affects almost everyone.  And for that, like it or not, Bell deserves credit. 

But it's disingenuous behaviour P1.  That credit is NOT deserved when they don't regard the mental heath of the staff they trash.  Let's Talk is just a do-gooder front they put on.

All of these corps are the same way.  Rogers, Bell, Corus ... and even the smaller players to some extent such as Evanov, Vista and Stingray.  Corporations are just what they are: business first.  That's just fine, but I take all of their "initiatives" worth a grain of salt.

 

I have a feeling there will be fewer layoffs this year as about half of the stations are being sold. So that means that a lot of the staff of those stations will be moving with the new owners. As for the remaining hosts I feel that they have already moved a lot of programming to national so there is not a lot of shows or hosts to layoff. 

Radiowiz wrote:

I wonder if the layoffs will lean toward Bell world stores?  
What is up with places like Dufferin Mall, where you have a Bell World store, a Best Buy Express store and a Best Buy Mobile store all right close to each other? 
The only logic I see is they're trying to prevent competing sources from renting those spaces. 

Even so, it might be more cost effective to close something down and just let things unfold as they will. 
They could always put a kiosk back in that mall if they really need to draw attention to themselves that badly...

A lot of the Bell World retail stores are owned/managed by a third party under contract with Bell.

My understanding is that Rogers has the same arrangement for some of their retail locations.


 

brian451 wrote:

I have a feeling there will be fewer layoffs this year as about half of the stations are being sold. So that means that a lot of the staff of those stations will be moving with the new owners. As for the remaining hosts I feel that they have already moved a lot of programming to national so there is not a lot of shows or hosts to layoff. 

You may not be wrong. But what does it say about a company that has laid off so many people and shut down so many stations, that there's no room left to fire anyone? Not an organization I'd want to work for. 

It reminds me of what happened at City TV not long after the Rogers takeover. They fired so many people at once, they actually had to hire some of them back (including, most notably, former anchor/reporter Pam Seatle.)

Here is a backgrounder on Bell Let's Talk Day for anyone who wants to be a bit more informed.  This is the 15th year.  From Cision..https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/today-is-bell-let-s-talk-day-everyone-is-invited-to-join-the-conversation-and-take-action-to-support-featured-youth-mental-health-organizations-with-national-text-to-donate-campaign-835748158.html#:~:text=%22Since%20the%20launch%20of%20Bell,action%20to%20create%20positive%20change.

I avoid the Bell Let's Talk crap like the plague. No interest in hearing or watching any of it. Thursday can't come soon enough.

Lorne wrote:

There was a time when I'd see dozens of Let's Talk postings on social media from young people that I'm connected with, particularly on Instagram. But those postings have been declining in recent years, and this year only one of my contacts posted anything about it. This year's dreadful ad campaign, which I'm sure I would have found to be both depressing and completely out of touch if I were a young person, certainly wouldn't have helped.

The reason you haven't seen as much in recent years is because there's no "incentive" to repost etc... Bell no longer does the five cents or whatever it is for each action.

Former CP24 personality Patricia Jaggernauth used her social media channels to provide an update on her discrimination lawsuit against Bellmedia on #LetsTalkDay

Last edited by BowmanvilleBob (January 23, 2025 10:00 am)

torontostan wrote:

brian451 wrote:

I have a feeling there will be fewer layoffs this year as about half of the stations are being sold. So that means that a lot of the staff of those stations will be moving with the new owners. As for the remaining hosts I feel that they have already moved a lot of programming to national so there is not a lot of shows or hosts to layoff. 

Most bell employees don't work in radio. I have sources at some of the sold stations saying that employment offers are significantly lower than what they're currently making...... yikes. Grass isn't always greener folks.......

Same. These "saviours" of local radio are operating under the same big-picture circumstances as the bigs, but with fewer resources.

Also I don't think Bell ever did anything on Mike Bullard when he faced harassment charges against his ex girlfriend, even though his behavior was the result of mental illness.
They just fired him and abandoned him.
Yes what he did was criminal behavior, but if Bell was serious about addressing mental problems you'd think they would somehow mention something that happened with one of their very prominent stars.


 

I know these companies are imperfect, to say the least, but it's worth mentioning that both Bell and CORUS now provide employees with the best mental-health coverage available anywhere in their benefits packages.

Shorty Wave wrote:

Walter wrote:

newsguy1 wrote:

Also I don't think Bell ever did anything on Mike Bullard when he faced harassment charges against his ex girlfriend, even though his behavior was the result of mental illness.
They just fired him and abandoned him.
Yes what he did was criminal behavior, but if Bell was serious about addressing mental problems you'd think they would somehow mention something that happened with one of their very prominent stars.


 

Mike?  Mike who?
 

 
A little respect for the dead, Walter.

I respected Mike Bullard.  'Mike who' represents Bell's treatment of the man when he was unceremoniously kicked to the curb and forgotten.
 

So out of the 1200 union jobs axed, I asked a Bell tech and it ranged from broadcast to line techs in the field. Middle management, boots on the ground, on-air staff, everyone has been affected this time around. 

Well, for the purposes of this site, those other companies don't run radio stations across the country. And it's also not their first series of layoffs. Last February, they chopped an astounding 4,800 jobs. That number is not something you often see with any firm in Canada. And there were more to come.

So seen in sum, it does draw attention.