Global News has made cuts in its news division that have resulted in an unknown number of positions being eliminated.
“As part of our ongoing evaluation of our business and continued enterprise efficiency review across Corus, we have made some changes at Global News today, and as a result, certain roles have been impacted,” a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue in an emailed statement.
“These changes correlate with the current economic and regulatory reality we, and other media organizations, find ourselves in,” it continued. “We are continuously working to improve the way we gather, produce, and deliver award winning content.”
It’s not known what positions are impacted, but according to a recording of an address to Alberta staff obtained by the Western Standard, the cuts impact multiple bureaus in addition to flagship newscast Global National as the network moves toward using multi-skilled journalists and fewer single function roles.
According to the report, staff were told the Lethbridge weekend newscast would now be produced in Calgary. Edmonton staff will handle weekend morning news, with Calgary producing weekend evening shows.
Corus stock was trading down today on the TSX, closing at .24 cents. On the programming side, the company suffered another blow earlier this week on news that Rogers Communications has scooped brand and content licencing rights to Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of English-language U.S. lifestyle and factual brands in Canada starting next year, including HGTV and The Food Network, in addition to other properties of which Bell Media is the current rights holder.
Subscribe Now – Free!
Broadcast Dialogue has been required reading in the Canadian broadcast media for 30 years. When you subscribe, you join a community of connected professionals from media and broadcast related sectors from across the country.
The Weekly Briefing from Broadcast Dialogue is delivered exclusively to subscribers by email every Thursday. It’s your link to critical industry news, timely people moves, and excellent career advancement opportunities.
Let’s get started right now.
