The announcement of the elimination of 547 jobs within the TVA Group has caused consternation in the television industry in Quebec.
“Dark day at TVA. The crisis in the media is merciless. […] It’s a real bomb that has just fallen in the media world,” summarized Sophie Thibault, opening TVA Nouvelles, at 5 p.m., Thursday.
At 6 p.m., she spoke of “a question of survival.”
“I’m blown away,” said Stéphan Bureau, whose show The world upside down was disconnected by TVA this summer for budgetary reasons.
“It’s really a sad day,” said the host of VLOGDominic Arpin, who has worked for TVA since the early 1990s.
“People losing their jobs is more than just knowledge. They are friends. And there’s leaving the building [du boulevard de Maisonneuve] Also. It may seem absurd, but we become attached to our workplace. It’s a little mourning. My heart goes out to my colleagues who are losing their jobs.”
“Great challenges”
Other TVA leaders quickly expressed their support for those who will lose their jobs and those who will stay.
“Yes N! A tough day for us at TVA. To my morning friends, great challenges await us. Courage! I’m thinking of us. I’m thinking of you,” said the host of Hi helloGino Chouinard, on his Facebook page.
“With all my heart with my 547 colleagues who learned today that they will lose their jobs at TVA. Passionate, valiant people, who face a worrying nothingness. I hold you tight, each of you. Let’s support our Quebec media,” added cultural columnist Annie-Soleil Proteau.
“With all my heart with my colleagues at TVA,” also wrote producer Jean-Philippe Dion (True Nature, Star Academy, Get Me Out of Here).
Hold on to the positive
As a first measure, TVA Group announced that it was abandoning its internal production activities for entertainment content. The three entertainment shows currently produced in-house – The Cheater, The Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs And VLOG – will therefore be entrusted to external producers.
TVA will, however, continue to produce service broadcasts internally. Hi hello And Hello Hello Weekendas well as certain broadcasts from the TVA Sports channel.
Moved by the announcement, Dominic Arpin nevertheless said he was reassured to know that VLOG was still one of the shows that would continue to be broadcast on the air.
“What I understand is that the show would be renewed, but now produced externally. I try to cling to the positive in this day which doesn’t offer much.”
– With the collaboration of Sarah-Émilie Nault, Maxime Demers and Bruno Lapointe