Yes it is BCE that is cutting 4,800 jobs.  This is the parent company of Bell Media.  So while the cuts were deep at Bell Media they are also happening in other divisions of BCE. 

The good news is that many of those let go at the various stations could very well be hired by the new owners.  Also Bell is wrong saying that the radio business isn't viable.  If radio were not viable, then the 45 stations wouldn't have sold. Bell was a lousy operator of radio stations, especially in smaller markets.  

As expected, the company is being roasted on social media. One of them surprised me, since he works for Bell Media (and as far as I know, still does.)

Political commentator Scott Reid had this to say on Twitter/X:


"Such a trash company": Bell Media slammed for axing 4,800 jobs, selling 45 radio stations

Many journalists don't seem to understand the difference between Bell Canada and Bell Media. There's no way Bell Media even has 4,800 total employees. Someone in this thread suggesting that local radio stations in the year 2024 have 100 employees each is laughable. 

Last edited by torontostan (February 8, 2024 12:41 pm)

Someone just posted on the CFTO facebook page that it looks like the plug may have been pulled on W-5.

I am expecting a lot of changes at TSN. I love watching the Jay Onrait show but there is already a sportscentre that airs on other TSN channels and so why produce 2? They also run a lot of filler programming on the network already so it wouldn’t surprise me if more of that happens. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they got rid of some of the local NHL broadcasts of Ottawa, Montreal and Winnipeg games. Sell off those rights or let them expire and then let Rogers take over.
I am just going through the list of radio stations being sold and it seems like there is a lot of stations that have one host on many stations (Tarzan on Bounce) and in BC I think there is some syndication of morning and afternoon shows in the interior stations. It will be intriguing what those stations do and what they sound like over the next 6-12 months. I am expecting several format/branding changes for sure. Recently Vista bought a couple stations in Alberta, Country 96.5 (CKLJ), Rock 104.5 (CKJX) in Olds and Country 106.5 (CKVG) in Vegreville. They also just flipped a 2Day radio in Lethbridge to Country. 

Big8Newsie wrote:

No Noon newscast on CTV Ottawa or Montreal.  That's not a good sign.
And here's why:

https://broadcastdialogue.com/most-noon-late-night-local-ctv-newscasts-cancelled-as-part-of-cuts-at-bell-media/
 

CBC is reporting that the late night newscast cancellations are only on weekends, which is a bit different from what Broadcast Dialogue implies.

Still, it looks like there will be no TV news on weekends in parts of the country where CTV has a monopoly - places like London, Kitchener, and Northern Ontario.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (February 8, 2024 1:30 pm)

Latest news says national reporters in Montreal, Winnipeg and Alberta are gone, as is one of the reporters in the Parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. As previously noted, noon time newscasts across Canada are mostly gone, and local weekend 6pm newscasts are cancelled in all cities except Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. W5 has been given the heave-ho as well.

Last edited by BowmanvilleBob (February 8, 2024 1:57 pm)

Those who have a subscription to the Toronto Star can see this - the readers' comments on this story are simply incredible. I'm not sure I've ever seen this amount of vitriol coming out in something that isn't directed at a specific political party. And I'm guessing most of these comments are coming from people who are not in broadcasting but know a terrible move and owner when they see it. 

I thought I was the only one who despised this company so much. But it appears The Bell Haters Club has thousands of new members. 

Here's one from a reader named "Ron" that I especially liked. 

"Maybe, just maybe, this is a renaissance in local radio. Back when a local owner like the Slaights or Alan Waters or Moses were happy with a 15% ROI on their radio and TV stations, and had interesting and innovative programming that actually appealed to at least a segment of the market, we had a thriving and truly diverse broadcast industry.

In particular, Bell and Corus let those owners cash out, but they did the industry - and themselves - no favour with their "slash and burn" management style.

Even on the telecom side, Bell was a once great engineering enterprise that should have stuck to its knitting, but despite flashy marketing and generally favourable government support they have not thrived.

Now, customers, subscribers, communities, employees and even shareholders don't think much of them. So again, maybe this divestiture of 45 radio stations back into independent hands will spark some interesting innovations that will appeal to all stakeholders. Imagine, radio managed by radio people."

Just a Radio Fan wrote:

Someone just posted on the CFTO facebook page that it looks like the plug may have been pulled on W-5.

Could be. According to Broadcast Dialogue:

"The network’s flagship investigative series W5 will also evolve from a standalone docuseries to a multi-part, multi-platform investigative reporting unit. That content will be featured across CTV National News and CTV News platforms."

Leave it to Bell's incompetent mismanagement to potentially end a network's flagship news show that's been on since Sept. 1968, the oldest such program of its kind in North America.
 

paterson1 wrote:

Yes it is BCE that is cutting 4,800 jobs.  This is the parent company of Bell Media.  So while the cuts were deep at Bell Media they are also happening in other divisions of BCE. 

The good news is that many of those let go at the various stations could very well be hired by the new owners.  Also Bell is wrong saying that the radio business isn't viable.  If radio were not viable, then the 45 stations wouldn't have sold. Bell was a lousy operator of radio stations, especially in smaller markets.  

"Fewer than 10%" of the BCE job cuts are at Bell Media specificially - so something approaching 480 jobs.

The company announced Thursday in an open letter signed by chief executive Mirko Bibic that 4,800 jobs "at all levels of the company" would be cut. Fewer than 10 per cent of the total job cuts are at Bell Media specifically.

Last edited by Hansa (February 8, 2024 3:49 pm)

Among those getting cut are a few well known names. From The Daily Hive:

"CTV National’s Alberta bureau chief Bill Fortier, Montreal reporter Vanessa Lee, and Winnipeg bureau chief Jill Macyshon have all been axed, per the sources."

https://archive.ph/j7JZa

^From the link in post #56:

Among the cuts:

"CTV's evening programs — The Debate, This Hour and Top 3 Tonight — are all being shut down and being replaced by a weekday nightly news broadcast"

IIRC, these shows launched very recently (mid-late 2023?). I'm sure the staff thought they were in the process of building something. In another masterstroke of Bell genius, these three shows replaced what is now replacing them...

Last edited by Binson Echorec (February 8, 2024 4:34 pm)

RadioAaron wrote:

ckg927 wrote:

BowmanvilleBob wrote:

The bottom line so far:
- Vista Radio and My Broadcasting consolidate their hold on small and medium markets across Canada. Their hyper-local focus may benefit audiences in those communities.
- Durham Radio picks up some holdings in cottage country.
- The big question mark is Whiteoaks Communications, which runs Christian/ethnic radio stations in Oakville and Mississauga. It will be interesting to see what changes they plan for their St. Catharines and Hamilton stations.
 

Personally, I don't think Whiteoaks does a THING with HTZ FM or Move 105.7(save maybe reimaging 105.7, since I think Bell still has the rights to the Move branding). HTZ has a decades-long legacy as an AOR station.

The market's been unprofitable for 5 years. Legacy shmegacy.

Well, that didn't stop Byrnes Communications from buying CFLZ and CJED, did it?