Bell Media laying off up to 120 across Toronto TV operations
Company cites advertising pressures in decision to lay off staff
Bell Media is laying off up to 120 people across its Toronto television operations.
Bell Media owns and operates numerous channels in the Toronto area, including CTV, CTV News Channel, TSN, MuchMusic, Comedy, CP24 and BNN.
The company informed the federal minister of labour of its intention to cut the positions this summer, citing "financial pressure related to advertising and subscription challenges across our TV services," a spokesperson for the company told CBC News.
The company confirmed that the layoffs will occur this summer, but declined to offer specifics as to which channels or operations might be affected.
An executive confirmed for Canadian Press that Kevin Newman Live, the prime-time newscast of CTV News Channel, has been cancelled as part of the announcement Monday.
"Thank you to our viewers. We had a great time together," host Kevin Newman tweeted to his 25,000 followers on Monday.
Writer Colin Horgan tweeted: “Programming update: there's no program anymore. Kevin Newman Live is done as of today, kids.”
The prime-time program that looked at current affairs from a digital angle had only been on the air for seven months.
Kevin Crull, president of Bell Media, said the cuts reduce Bell’s Toronto area workforce by five per cent and represent 1.8 per cent of the national team.