The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » More Layoffs At Global News

RadioActive · July 17, 2024 10:43 pm

According to reports, this was a dark day for some employees at Global News across the country. Layoffs began hitting various newsrooms, after Corus' latest dismal third quarter financials came out on Monday.

I've heard stories about an afternoon remote phone meeting with employees (and some now ex-employees) to deliver the bad news. Not sure of everyone involved, but at the moment there don't seem to be any big names announced, although that could still be coming.

This might explain the Peterborough newscast pause described in an earlier thread.

As awful as this is, it would be great if this was the end of it. But I doubt it will be. And who knows if the radio division is next or what else happened on Wednesday. I'm sure we'll find out more soon. And it probably won't be good.

"Dark day in journalism": More layoffs reportedly hit Global News

Glen Warren · July 17, 2024 11:01 pm

Its believed that Nelvana will no longer develop or green light new productions or projects.

However, Nelvana will continue to produce and release current projects that are in the pipeline, or those that have been renewed.

RadioAaron · July 17, 2024 11:04 pm

I feel bad for everyone involved.

This isn't Bell making a trillion dollars in profit and laying off people making 45k the next day.

It's a company in dire straits, mostly not through their own fault, with no other choice.

Glen Warren · July 18, 2024 8:24 am

The plan going forward for Global Kingston and Peterborough is to drop the local production of their Morning and 11pm news shows... These will be replaced with a simulcast of Global Toronto for Morning and 11pm newscasts. The 6pm newscasts for Kingston and Peterborough will no longer be live, but will move to a pre-recorded model of production already implemented by Global in the majority of their other markets. Global refers to this a MMC Production. Basically pre-recorded anchor intros and throws to stories / packs and voicers that are dropped onto a timeline for playout and then attached to the respective content. Looks kinda live, but its not. Viewers don't seem to care...

BowmanvilleBob · July 18, 2024 8:32 am

Glen Warren wrote:
The plan going forward for Global Kingston and Peterborough is to drop the local production of their Morning and 11pm news shows... These will be replaced with a simulcast of Global Toronto for Morning and 11pm newscasts. The 6pm newscasts for Kingston and Peterborough will no longer be live, but will move to a pre-recorded model of production already implemented by Global in the majority of their other markets. Global refers to this a MMC Production. Basically pre-recorded anchor intros and throws to stories / packs and voicers that are dropped onto a timeline for playout and then attached to the respective content. Looks kinda live, but its not. Viewers don't seem to care...

Does this mean that the Peterborough and Kingston 6:00 pm newscasts will also be anchored out of Toronto by hosts with basically zero knowledge of the local market? I've watched the Global Durham newscast on occasion and the misprounciation of local street names and landmarks in various communities by the anchors makes it obvious that the program is coming in from outside the local market.

ED1 · July 18, 2024 9:16 am

Is CKWS News also off air until Monday?

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 9:44 am

Glen Warren wrote:
Viewers don't seem to care...

As this decimation of the network continues, the question then has to be asked: What viewers?

Chrisphen · July 18, 2024 11:49 am

Audiences are being groomed to expect the worst.

DX · July 18, 2024 1:48 pm

They have confused the marketplace by leaving most of the addressable audience hanging by not being upfront with the audience about the changes at CKWS and CHEX. They expect everyone to be an industry insider who knows what's going on, even when most industry insiders don't really know either. Then they will expect everyone to just magically embrace all the changes next week after those markets have had live TV local news studios for decades and after years of promising to deliver morning/noon/6 p.m./11 p.m. live or look-live local newscasts.

Last edited by DX (July 18, 2024 1:55 pm)

RadioAaron · July 18, 2024 1:57 pm

ALL radio hosts have been removed from their Kingston stations' websites.

DX · July 18, 2024 2:07 pm

So far references to Pete Dalliday and Dani Guppy have been removed from the Peterborough radio sites, replaced with the generic Fresh Morning Show, along with perhaps their weekend host too but other hosts remain up, Dale Lowe only at Fresh Radio and most or all of The Wolf 101.5 hosts.

DX · July 18, 2024 2:23 pm

Also there is no longer any links or references to local news on Corus's Fresh Radio and The Wolf websites, just a smattering of American entertainment news. The CHEX-TV website has not posted any local news since Tuesday. Good news for the My Broadcasting stations in Peterborough which emphasize local news.

Last edited by DX (July 18, 2024 2:24 pm)

DX · July 18, 2024 2:43 pm

Something disturbing about the 300 more Corus layoffs is that Corus had been doing some selective hiring in recent months, despite ongoing cost cutting. For instance, Aaron Sousa had joined the Corus Edmonton newsroom in May only to be laid off two months later in Wednesday's batch of layoffs. https://x.com/JournoSousa/status/1813961799211139305

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 2:48 pm

The whole thing is really sad but not surprising. A long time ago, I was given a rather hefty raise by the place I was working at then. Three months later, I was laid off.

Why? I was making too much money and they wanted to cut the salaries of anyone earning over a certain amount. If not for that raise, I might still be there!

Only in TV news could they reward you with more money for good work and then fire you because they were paying you too much!

Forward Power · July 18, 2024 3:26 pm

All radio & TV staff in Kingston are gone.

MJ Vancouver · July 18, 2024 4:02 pm

Forward Power wrote:
All radio & TV staff in Kingston are gone.

Everyone? Even reporters/videographers?

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 4:03 pm

This is such terrible news for news itself. Corus bought all these TV stations and has absolutely ruined them. Is it within the CRTC's purview to do anything about a city no longer having any TV news? What a shame. Sounds like 10 cents a share may be overpriced.

MJ Vancouver · July 18, 2024 4:05 pm

RadioActive wrote:
This is such terrible news for news itself. Corus bought all these TV stations and has absolutely ruined them. Is it within the CRTC's purview to do anything about a city no longer having any TV news? What a shame. Sounds like 10 cents a share may be overpriced.

Worth noting that CKWS and CHEX are the first TV stations Corus owned - they bought those stations from Power Broadcasting way back in 1999, when they were CBC affiliates. It’s only been since Corus bought Global from Shaw a decade ago that those two stations have been part of the Global family.

The CRTC won’t do anything - see what happened with the shutdowns of CHCA Red Deer, CKX Brandon, and CKNX Wingham. CTV, for its part did introduce a split feed of its Edmonton newscast for Red Deer after CHCA closed, but that was a voluntary thing they did which probably made sense at the time as Red Deer was booming in population.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (July 18, 2024 4:07 pm)

ED1 · July 18, 2024 4:27 pm

MJ Vancouver wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
This is such terrible news for news itself. Corus bought all these TV stations and has absolutely ruined them. Is it within the CRTC's purview to do anything about a city no longer having any TV news? What a shame. Sounds like 10 cents a share may be overpriced.
Worth noting that CKWS and CHEX are the first TV stations Corus owned - they bought those stations from Power Broadcasting way back in 1999, when they were CBC affiliates. It’s only been since Corus bought Global from Shaw a decade ago that those two stations have been part of the Global family.

The CRTC won’t do anything - see what happened with the shutdowns of CHCA Red Deer, CKX Brandon, and CKNX Wingham. CTV, for its part did introduce a split feed of its Edmonton newscast for Red Deer after CHCA closed, but that was a voluntary thing they did which probably made sense at the time as Red Deer was booming in population.

CFRN/CTV has been producing a 5 minute Red Deer bulletin since the 1990s (along with bulletins for Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray) that aired within the 6 PM and 11:30 PM news on CFRN-TV-6 (now CFRN-DT-6). The Grande Prairie and Ft Mac bulletins are long gone, but CTV continues to make one for Red Deer. It wasn't started because of CHCA closing down.

RadioAaron · July 18, 2024 4:32 pm

The CRTC really *cant* do anything. If they were to require locally produced news in markets like Kingston, the stations would just shut down.

The economics no longer work.

DX · July 18, 2024 4:48 pm

MJ Vancouver wrote:
Forward Power wrote:
All radio & TV staff in Kingston are gone.
Everyone? Even reporters/videographers?

It's unconfirmed but I have heard chatter that several Kingston videographers will remain once the dust is settled but the goal is to sell their building (assuming they even own it still).

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 5:41 pm

This should fill in some unfortunate blanks.

From the Kingston Whig Standard.

Corus cuts radio, TV jobs in Kingston as part of cost savings

“On the audio side, BIG 96.3 and Fresh 104.3 will remain in Kingston, and the stations will utilize voice tracking to continue to produce local content made for and reflecting Kingston. In the news division, we have reimagined our broadcast schedule in Kingston, Peterborough, and Kelowna with a focus on supper hour and late-night news programming. Additionally, our local online team will now operate under a new model to better support local breaking news.

“Corus’s commitment to serving our audience across the country remains stronger than ever, and we will continue to tell important local news stories that matter to Canadians,” the statement read.

Yes, we can clearly see what that commitment is.

RadioAaron · July 18, 2024 5:45 pm

DX wrote:
MJ Vancouver wrote:
Forward Power wrote:
All radio & TV staff in Kingston are gone.
Everyone? Even reporters/videographers?
It's unconfirmed but I have heard chatter that several Kingston videographers will remain once the dust is settled but the goal is to sell their building (assuming they even own it still).

That building is one light breeze away from toppling over.

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 5:50 pm

Some details on the cuts out west. You've got to love the part where the management guy says the replacements will "look like voice tracking." Look like? What else would you call it?

How long till the axe falls in Toronto and Hamilton?

Job cuts at Global Okanagan part of "reimagined" broadcast schedule

RadioAaron · July 18, 2024 5:58 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Some details on the cuts out west. You've got to love the part where the management guy says the replacements will "look like voice tracking." Look like? What else would you call it?

How long till the axe falls in Toronto and Hamilton?

Job cuts at Global Okanagan part of "reimagined" broadcast schedule

I'll be surprised if CHML survives this, and the Hamilton FMs already have just one host each.

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 6:03 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
Some details on the cuts out west. You've got to love the part where the management guy says the replacements will "look like voice tracking." Look like? What else would you call it?

How long till the axe falls in Toronto and Hamilton?

Job cuts at Global Okanagan part of "reimagined" broadcast schedule
I'll be surprised if CHML survives this, and the Hamilton FMs already have just one host each.

Perhaps CHML will become a rebroadcaster of most things AM640 - which much of it already is. That is, if AM 640 itself survives. CFPL's fate is anyone's guess.

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 6:10 pm

Global? It's barely even Regional anymore.

BowmanvilleBob · July 18, 2024 7:11 pm

And from Peterborough, here's a story on the "retirement" of local radio morning man Gary Dalliday which makes brief mention of the cuts at CHEX and other Corus properties.

paterson1 · July 18, 2024 7:17 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Global? It's barely even Regional anymore.

I am rather curious about this orgy of a death watch that some of you seem to be having for Global and Corus.

Just watched Global Toronto's 6pm news and now their 6:30 package. I don't notice any difference at all in these newscasts. Unlike the supposed problems we keep hearing daily over at CTV Toronto, both Global casts went off without a hitch with lots of local content and live reports.

Corus is losing money, they need to change their business, they have no choice. Sadly people will lose jobs and there will be more to come. This happens every day with business. Corus is no worse or better than any other company that goes through this.

Hopefully those that have been let go will find other employment and many will find jobs out of broadcasting. It doesn't seem like it now, but for some, it could be the best thing career wise that ever happened to them. Layed off media people often do well and are sought after in other lines of work.

Those with a media background can be valuable to other employers since they are good with deadlines and working with last minutes changes. And the reward will be better income, more stable environment, and often more career opportunities for advancement. Best of all you will be working in an industry that is growing and not in decline.

Last edited by paterson1 (July 18, 2024 7:18 pm)

RadioActive · July 18, 2024 7:27 pm

paterson1 wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
Global? It's barely even Regional anymore.
I am rather curious about this orgy of a death watch that some of you seem to be having for Global and Corus.

Just watched Global Toronto's 6pm news and now their 6:30 package. I don't notice any difference at all in these newscasts. Unlike the supposed problems we keep hearing daily over at CTV Toronto, both Global casts went off without a hitch with lots of local content and live reports.

I don't think the bean counters have come for Canada's biggest market yet, although they did do some high profile layoffs in the past, like Alan Carter and Farah Nasser. The fear is that once they get through with chopping at the smaller stations, the scythes will be out for the bigger ones. So what you watched on TV today may not be what you see next week or next month.

I hope I'm wrong.

I don't think I am.