Rumors of cutbacks had been circulating for several weeks at Radio-Canada, but now senior management has confirmed it. Faced with a drop in public funding as well as the decline of traditional television, the state-owned company will announce various measures on Wednesday to reduce its expenses, including a hiring freeze.
The duty was able to get hold of a letter sent by the finance department to executives on Tuesday. It indicates that CBC / Radio-Canada is suspending the creation of new positions immediately and until further notice.
As for positions left vacant by departures, managers are invited to assess their relevance before looking for a replacement. In the letter, other possibilities are mentioned to contain the institution’s costs, in particular a reduction in travel costs. According to our information, the announcement will be made to employees during the afternoon.
In the letter addressed to executives, CBC / Radio-Canada points out, among other things, the drop in parliamentary appropriations in the Trudeau government’s latest budget. Consequence: the basic funding of the state corporation will be lowered by 10 million in the next year, then by 38 million the following year. Added to this is the decline in traditional television viewing in favor of digital platforms, which translates into a drop in advertising revenue for the public broadcaster.
The announcement of the budget reduction plan comes a week after the surprise departure of Michel Bissonnette, who has headed French services since 2017.
CBC / Radio-Canada is not the only broadcaster having to deal with a drop in advertising revenue. Last May, Quebecor eliminated 240 positions, including 140 within the TVA Group. The company’s president and CEO, Pierre Karl Péladeau, has not ruled out in recent weeks that other cutbacks could be to come.
– With Boris Proulx
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