Toronto Media Landscape and Personalities

[AlbertC]

Bell cutting 1,300 positions, shuttering six radio stations

BCE Inc. is cutting 1,300 positions, around three per cent of its workforce, and closing or selling nine radio stations as the company plans to 'significantly adapt' how it delivers the news.

www.ctvnews.ca

BCE Inc. is cutting 1,300 positions, shutting or selling nine radio stations and closing two foreign bureaus as the company plans to "significantly adapt" how it delivers the news in the face of rising financial pressure.

The plan entails "moving to a single newsroom approach across brands, allowing for greater collaboration and efficiency," said Richard Gray, vice-president of news at Bell Media, in an internal memo distributed to staff Wednesday morning and provided to The Canadian Press.

The company's media branch "can't afford" to continue operating with its various brands -- such as CTV National News, BNN, CP24, its local TV news stations and radio channels -- independently of one another, said Bell chief legal and regulatory officer Robert Malcolmson in an interview.

"It's a consolidation of news gathering, news delivery," he said.

The layoffs include a six per cent cut at Bell Media, but Malcolmson said cuts, amounting to around three per cent of its total workforce, are happening across the organization.

"This thing affects all layers of the company and isn't targeted at any one band of employees."

Management positions at BCE are also being slashed by six per cent, while there will also be 20 per cent fewer executive roles in the company compared with 2020.

About 30 per cent of the positions being eliminated are current vacancies that won't be filled.

CTV's foreign bureaus in London, U.K, and Los Angeles are set to close while its Washington, D.C. presence will be scaled back.

Bell Media said it would also shut down Edmonton's TSN 1260 Radio, Vancouver's BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040, Winnipeg's Funny 1290, Calgary's Funny 1060, along with London's NewsTalk 1290. It is also selling Hamilton's AM Radio 1150 and AM 820, as well as Windsor's AM 580, to an undisclosed third party, subject to CRTC approval.

 

[SubHuman]

Bell cutting 1,300 positions, shuttering six radio stations

BCE Inc. is cutting 1,300 positions, around three per cent of its workforce, and closing or selling nine radio stations as the company plans to 'significantly adapt' how it delivers the news.

www.ctvnews.ca

... Bell Media said it would also shut down Edmonton's TSN 1260 Radio, Vancouver's BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040, Winnipeg's Funny 1290, Calgary's Funny 1060, along with London's NewsTalk 1290. It is also selling Hamilton's AM Radio 1150 and AM 820, as well as Windsor's AM 580, to an undisclosed third party, subject to CRTC approval.

Broadcast radio, the AM band in particular, may be on its last legs, with mentions of intentions to shut down transmitter sites and sell the real estate they occupy.
Of course they could continue keeping the audio available though their websites. And Rogers and Bell have already had their Toronto AM stations available for a few years as digital sub-channels on their FM signals, though few people seem to know or care enough to buy an HD-Radio receiver.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/06/27/680-news-other-rogers-stations-launching-hd-broadcast/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKFM-FM#HD_Radio

 

[Towered]

Broadcast radio, the AM band in particular, may be on its last legs, with mentions of intentions to shut down transmitter sites and sell the real estate they occupy.
Of course they could continue keeping the audio available though their websites. And Rogers and Bell have already had their Toronto AM stations available for a few years as digital sub-channels on their FM signals, though few people seem to know or care enough to buy an HD-Radio receiver.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/06/27/680-news-other-rogers-stations-launching-hd-broadcast/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKFM-FM#HD_Radio

Who still listens to AM radio?

 

[Northern Light]

Who still listens to AM radio?

There isn't anything inherently wrong w/that piece of spectrum. It just so happens that there's very little left in the way of music on it anymore.

The only station on the AM dial I'm conscious of every tuning in is NEWS680; and that's pretty rare.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

There isn't anything inherently wrong w/that piece of spectrum. It just so happens that there's very little left in the way of music on it anymore.

The only station on the AM dial I'm conscious of every tuning in is NEWS680; and that's pretty rare.

Listening to music on AM? Mono-super-oldies perhaps, otherwise it's something only an auditory masochist would enjoy.

AoD

 

[SubHuman]

Other than maybe hearing live sports, news and traffic reports while in their car, I have trouble thinking of how broadcast AM/FM radio is of much use to anyone today. I'm a little surprised to find out music radio stations still exist, with all the other ways we have to listen to music of our own choosing without annoyingly repetitive ads, DJs, etc., that have appeared in recent decades.

 

[Northern Light]

Other than maybe hearing live sports, news and traffic reports while in their car, I have trouble thinking of how broadcast AM/FM radio is of much use to anyone today. I'm a little surprised to find out music radio stations still exist, with all the other ways we have to listen to music of our own choosing without annoyingly repetitive ads, DJs, etc., that have appeared in recent decades.

There's still a lot of people driving, be it for commuting, groceries or a road trip; that's the heart of radio's $$ \

Aside from that, there is some use at work in cases where radio may be permitted but headphones/earbuds are not or for public benefit (waiting rooms, gyms etc.)

Radio audiences actually trended up in Toronto from 2016-2021:

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/491067/canada-average-daily-radio-audience/

***

This article though shows that reversing......most particularly among young people (under 34) who are migrating to streaming quite quickly.

Survey: How we listen to music in Canada

From streaming to records – new survey reveals trends in how Canadians across generations consume music

biv.com

However, in the over 35 cohort, radio remains the most dominant form of music consumption in Canada, or at least this was so in 2021

 

[Jonny5]

Other than maybe hearing live sports, news and traffic reports while in their car, I have trouble thinking of how broadcast AM/FM radio is of much use to anyone today. I'm a little surprised to find out music radio stations still exist, with all the other ways we have to listen to music of our own choosing without annoyingly repetitive ads, DJs, etc., that have appeared in recent decades.

There's still a lot of people driving, be it for commuting, groceries or a road trip; that's the heart of radio's $$ \

A note on the above that it's not just people driving to work, but a big target market is the people driving for work. I don't really mean taxis, though they count, but tens of thousands of construction vehicle and delivery van drivers, jobs that skew young and male. That's a golden demographic for advertisers. You can pick that up from the commercials for beer, cars, gyms, sports betting and payday loans (a toxic combination those last two). There's also the classic commercial tell of that being the target audience: jewelry store ads for engagement rings. There's a reason Spence Diamonds still throws tons of money at the radio.

In any case, it's of course true they're shifting to streaming too, but dump trucks still don't come equipped with bluetooth. Though I guess you could wear earbuds. Are you allowed to do that while driving? I don't remember.

 

[gabe]

Who still listens to AM radio?

Right wing hillbillies. Tune in at night you either hear oldies or rabid right wing ideology from the US stations.

 

[christiesplits]

Welp, not good for local news fans.

Bell wants local news requirements waived. Here’s what that could mean

A new ask from Bell, if granted by the CRTC, would see many local news requirements for its broadcast stations dropped.

www.thestar.com

 

[Towered]

Welp, not good for local news fans.

Bell wants local news requirements waived. Here’s what that could mean

A new ask from Bell, if granted by the CRTC, would see many local news requirements for its broadcast stations dropped.

www.thestar.com

Local news is the worst anyway. Good riddance.

 

[Northern Light]

Local news is the worst anyway. Good riddance.

What a terrible take.

Sure, the quality of local newscasts could be better, but we have very little editorial diversity in this country as it is..

In Toronto, in terms of major outlets, we have 4 English language local newscasts (CBC, CTV, Global and City) ; The Star and the Globe in print and CBC Radio and everything else is pretty thin or niche market.

That's not much depth in a market the size of Toronto.

Wiping out local news requirements nationally could also leave many markets with zero local news coverage.

London had one TV station, Kitchener the same etc.

 

[Towered]

What a terrible take.

Sure, the quality of local newscasts could be better, but we have very little editorial diversity in this country as it is..

In Toronto, in terms of major outlets, we have 4 English language local newscasts (CBC, CTV, Global and City) ; The Star and the Globe in print and CBC Radio and everything else is pretty thin or niche market.

That's not much depth in a market the size of Toronto.

Wiping out local news requirements nationally could also leave many markets with zero local news coverage.

London had one TV station, Kitchener the same etc.

I'm biased - I've been forcefully exposed to CTV local (CFTO) news for decades, and the quality of what they report on is lousy at best. Maybe the other stations are better, but I was speaking out of a sense of PTSD...

 

[Northern Light]

I'm biased - I've been forcefully exposed to CTV local (CFTO) news for decades, and the quality of what they report on is lousy at best. Maybe the other stations are better, but I was speaking out of a sense of PTSD...

That's an argument for a new CRTC mandate, that coverage not be vapid and dumbed-down, LOL

 

[Towered]

That's an argument for a new CRTC mandate, that coverage not be vapid and dumbed-down, LOL

VAPID is the perfect word to describe their "news". When I'm not doing my utmost to ignore them, I think to myself, "As if they're wasting airtime on such poppycock!"