CBC
CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights
Funding shortfalls and revenue losses have forced CBC/Radio-Canada to cut $130 million from its budget, a move that will eliminate 657 jobs over the next two years and take the network out of competing for the rights to broadcast professional sports, the public broadcaster says.
"Very tough and controversial choices needed to be made and were made," CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix said. Lacroix said CBC could no longer compete against private broadcasters that have specialty sports channels and multiple media platforms. The result will mean "substantially reducing" the size of the sports department and covering fewer sporting events, including amateur sports. And the CBC will only consider broadcasting events that allow the network to break even, he said.
Among the cuts, English Services will slash $82 million from its budget and eliminate 334 full-time jobs. CBC has been coping with a loss of $115 million in federal government funding over three years that was announced in the 2012 federal budget. Meanwhile, a softening of the advertising market and CBC’s poor performance in attracting the important 25-54 age demographic to its prime-time TV schedule represented a $47-million hit to the network’s revenue.