The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » New CORUS Rumblings

Bristol · June 10, 2025 5:44 pm

Hearing that staff changes are happening at CFOX and CKNW as well as in Ottawa today.

Last edited by Bristol (June 10, 2025 5:46 pm)

RadioAaron · June 10, 2025 5:50 pm

Well it would appear that Tyler and Lynch are out from CFOX afternoon drive, would would have a Toronto effect as they were also evenings on The Edge.

Radiowiz · June 11, 2025 12:44 am

Thank-you NW Broadcasters for your input on the current situation: https://nwbroadcasters.com/2025/06/10/tyler-and-lynch-out-at-cfox/

RadioActive · June 11, 2025 6:18 am

Mark June 26th on your calendar. That's when Corus' third quarter results will be revealed. I'm betting they won't be pretty.

Meanwhile, Broadcast Dialogue fleshes out all the departures.

Dparker · June 11, 2025 8:46 am

More news here:
https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-radio-ottawa-staffers-among-new-round-of-layoffs/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-radio-stations-layoffs

Also heard bunch of behind scenes people in Toronto, and a Q107 & 640 weekend host got let go

RadioActive · June 11, 2025 8:51 am

Dparker wrote:
More news here:
https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-radio-ottawa-staffers-among-new-round-of-layoffs/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-radio-stations-layoffs

Also heard bunch of behind scenes people in Toronto, and a Q107 & 640 weekend host got let go

A weekend host? Who could that be? They barely have any live weekend programming. The only ones I can think of are Davelle Morrison, who does the morning show on Saturday and Sunday, or Brad Smith, who filled in for Oakley for the last two weeks, but he's still a relative newcomer.

Hard to believe they could get rid of anyone when there are so few to get rid of! My condolences to all caught up in this latest Corus disaster.

RadioAaron · June 11, 2025 8:54 am

RadioActive wrote:
Hard to believe they could get rid of anyone when there are so few to get rid of!

I used to think that, but it turns out there's no bottom. They got rid of literally all on-air hosts in Ottawa.

Saul · June 11, 2025 9:18 am

RadioAaron wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
Hard to believe they could get rid of anyone when there are so few to get rid of!
I used to think that, but it turns out there's no bottom. They got rid of literally all on-air hosts in Ottawa.

Would you people chill out already? There's AI...

Binson Echorec · June 11, 2025 9:26 am

There is no fat left so they must be cutting bone at this point. Has there been any development on the sale of the company?

darcyh · June 11, 2025 10:48 am

If most of their radio stations are loosing money and there is no chance the stations(s) will become profitable what is the point in continuing to operate them?

Shut the stations down and for the AM stations sell the transmitter land.

RadioAaron · June 11, 2025 11:02 am

Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.

brian451 · June 11, 2025 12:41 pm

Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad

Dparker · June 11, 2025 1:04 pm

to the person who commented AI - sounds like Corus is already using it - some of those liners are soooo robotic

Saul · June 11, 2025 2:01 pm

Dparker wrote:
to the person who commented AI - sounds like Corus is already using it - some of those liners are soooo robotic

I was trying to mildly amuse, but I wasn't kidding.

ED1 · June 11, 2025 2:35 pm

Dparker wrote:
to the person who commented AI - sounds like Corus is already using it - some of those liners are soooo robotic

Hopefully it’s just bad voiceovers instead of actual AI in use…

Binson Echorec · June 11, 2025 2:42 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.

An insurmountable debt problem.

brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad

Kella has one of the most unique and warm sounds and could play in any format. She sounded great on Psychedelic Psunday mornings and could easily fit on CHFI. The holes Corus has won't be filled in the way they should be. I'm guessing they'll have one full line up that will be blasted across the network, mixing and matching dayparts, like how Drex is doing mornings and afternoons currently.

Dparker wrote:
to the person who commented AI - sounds like Corus is already using it - some of those liners are soooo robotic

Can confirm, they are using AI.

km93 · June 11, 2025 2:55 pm

Binson Echorec wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.
An insurmountable debt problem.

brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad
Kella has one of the most unique and warm sounds and could play in any format. She sounded great on Psychedelic Psunday mornings and could easily fit on CHFI. The holes Corus has won't be filled in the way they should be. I'm guessing they'll have one full line up that will be blasted across the network, mixing and matching dayparts, like how Drex is doing mornings and afternoons currently.

Dparker wrote:
to the person who commented AI - sounds like Corus is already using it - some of those liners are soooo robotic
Can confirm, they are using AI.

Psychedelic Psunday mornings? That show was unceremoniously cancelled almost a decade ago and was the last reason I had for listening to the station.

haydenmatthews14 · June 11, 2025 7:08 pm

brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad

Wasn’t Kella at 99.9 Virgin Radio as well? I think she was let go from that station a while back.

Brad · June 11, 2025 9:07 pm

brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad

Looking at archive.org for the Energy 953 show pages, as recently as March there was a 10-3 host named Dayna. I don't know if she was beemed in from another Corus station, but she is now off the shows page.

kevjo · June 11, 2025 9:10 pm

haydenmatthews14 wrote:
brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad
Wasn’t Kella at 99.9 Virgin Radio as well? I think she was let go from that station a while back.

Yes, a number of years ago during one of Bell's bloodlettings. She found herself back at Q fairly soon after that. I knew her when she was starting out and showed a lot of promise even then. I'm sure she will land again soon should that still be her wish.

RadioAaron · June 11, 2025 9:32 pm

Brad wrote:
brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad
Looking at archive.org for the Energy 953 show pages, as recently as March there was a 10-3 host named Dayna. I don't know if she was beemed in from another Corus station, but she is now off the shows page.

She was, from Ottawa.

The Ottawa layoffs had rippling effects: Mornings in Barrie and Kingston, Middays in Hamilton and Kitchener, Evenings in Kitchener, Barrie, Kingston, and Peterborough for example.

Last edited by RadioAaron (June 11, 2025 9:38 pm)

RadioAaron · June 11, 2025 9:33 pm

kevjo wrote:
haydenmatthews14 wrote:
brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad
Wasn’t Kella at 99.9 Virgin Radio as well? I think she was let go from that station a while back.
Yes, a number of years ago during one of Bell's bloodlettings. She found herself back at Q fairly soon after that. I knew her when she was starting out and showed a lot of promise even then. I'm sure she will land again soon should that still be her wish.

She did a very short stint of Weekends on Indie88 in between the Virgin and Q Full-time gigs.

haydenmatthews14 · June 11, 2025 9:49 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Brad wrote:
brian451 wrote:
Kella at Q107. There is no midday host listed at energy. There are lots of holes to fill. It's sad
Looking at archive.org for the Energy 953 show pages, as recently as March there was a 10-3 host named Dayna. I don't know if she was beemed in from another Corus station, but she is now off the shows page.
She was, from Ottawa.

The Ottawa layoffs had rippling effects: Mornings in Barrie and Kingston, Middays in Hamilton and Kitchener, Evenings in Kitchener, Barrie, Kingston, and Peterborough for example.

Also @Night with Mr. D has been cancelled as well.

darcyh · June 14, 2025 11:37 am

RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.

Obviously bad business decisions. Did they over pay for stations?

How did they get so far in debt if their stations are not losing money?

haydenmatthews14 · June 14, 2025 12:03 pm

darcyh wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.
Obviously bad business decisions. Did they over pay for stations?

How did they get so far in debt if their stations are not losing money?

Hopefully Corus will sell their stations. Maybe that will solve their debt problems

RadioAaron · June 14, 2025 12:23 pm

darcyh wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.
Obviously bad business decisions. Did they over pay for stations?

How did they get so far in debt if their stations are not losing money?

TV.

Shaw overpaid for the cable specialty channels, stuck that debt to Corus, then severed Corus from Shaw so they could sell Shaw's cable assets to Rogers.

Ta-da!

RadioAaron · June 14, 2025 12:23 pm

haydenmatthews14 wrote:
darcyh wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Most of their stations are not losing money. It's a debt problem.
Obviously bad business decisions. Did they over pay for stations?

How did they get so far in debt if their stations are not losing money?

Hopefully Corus will sell their stations. Maybe that will solve their debt problems

It's not for lack of trying.