CanWest to revamp stations, cut staff
04, 2007 06:18 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CanWest MediaWorks Inc. is cutting 200 jobs across the country at local Global and E television stations.
CanWest (TSX: CGS) said the dismissals are part of changes that will help the company become more “leading edge.”
The company said Thursday it will add 50 positions as it moves to high-definition TV and ramps up the digital capabilities of local newsrooms. But it will also reduce overall staff levels by 250 positions as it completes the transition.
Layoffs are expected to take effect in the spring of 2008 in Eastern Canada and the fall of next year in Western Canada.
Stations that will get the revamp include Global and E stations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto. The first broadcast centre is to be opened in Vancouver in the spring, with the other three expected to be up and running over the next 18 months.
CanWest said the changes will improve operating efficiency with the latest in broadcast technology, including digital newsroom systems and virtual sets.
It will also develop a broadband network linking its local TV stations so they can share content faster.
Kim Power, a national representative for the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union in Nova Scotia, said she had been told by the local president that there likely would be no 11 p.m. news broadcast out of Halifax on Thursday night.
Power said the company had apparently left it up to staff as to whether they wanted to proceed with the newscast after being told the news of the cuts, and staff were leaning toward not doing the newscast.
Power said the cuts mean that newscasts in the Maritimes will be done on a virtual set in Halifax with cameras controlled in Vancouver.
“As far as delivering local news to the people, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a bit of a scam,” she added. “They think people won’t know the difference because of the virtual set but news gets around.”
Power said a variety of jobs are being cut, but the details are still sketchy. In Saint John, Global will have “a couple” of reporters and camera operators left in the city.
Power said she assumes the cuts are being done next spring because the technology isn’t yet in place yet to allow for the changes.
Among the jobs being cut in Halifax are news editors, audio operators, producers, photojournalists and the meteorologist, said Power.
“People are pretty devastated,” she said.
“It’s pretty devastating what they are doing to this region.”
A total of 41 jobs were to be cut in Atlantic Canada, including 11 in Saint John, N.B., and 30 in Halifax, Power said.
But Christine McGinley, senior vice-president of station operations for CanWest MediaWorks, said final numbers have not been determined. CanWest said the changes are vital to help the company become more up to date.
“We are working towards becoming a leading-edge, HD-ready operation by upgrading our equipment to meet the demands of the changing broadcast environment,” McGinley said in a release.
In an interview, McGinley said the weak financial performance of the Maritime and Quebec markets are resulting in a significant loss of income for CanWest, and that is why it has had to cut news-gathering positions there in addition to production jobs.
“We are not performing. We are losing money in those markets,” McGinley said.
In contrast, the strongest markets are Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
“This innovative redesign of our local conventional television stations will result in significantly improved efficiencies across our broadcast operations.”
But Peter Murdoch, the union’s national president, said local communities will suffer as a result of the job cuts.
“The abandoning of local news and local communities is becoming prevalent in the broadcasting industry,” Murdoch said. “They are abandoning their employees and audiences across the country.”
CanWest MediaWorks encompasses 65 television, radio, newspaper and online brands across Canada, including more than 30 daily and weekly newspapers, the Global television network plus eight specialty networks including TVTropolis, Fox Sports World and mentv. Websites include canada.com, working.com and driving.ca.
CanWest MediaWorks Limited Partnership is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of CanWest Global Communications Corp. and has interests in media properties in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.
加西环讯旗下电视台裁200职位
加通社电/加西环讯(CanWest MediaWorks Inc.，代码：CGS)将在全国环球电视台(Global)及E电视台(E Television Stations)裁减200个职位。
加西环讯周四宣布，计划发展高清晰电视业务，强化各地编辑部数码运作能力，公司将为此增加50个就业机会。同时，加西环讯宣布裁员250人。遭裁的全为电视台新闻编辑部职位。此番调整将影响温哥华、爱明顿、卡加利和多伦多的环球电视台和E电视台。
加西环讯此间还将建立内部宽频网络，以便各地电视台能迅速交换并共享节目资源。
新斯高沙省通讯、能源及造纸工人工会全国代表鲍华(Kim Power)表示，已通报哈里法斯电视台，停止周四晚上11点整的新闻节目。工会全国总裁睦多可(Peter Murdoch)批评传媒业时下纷纷放弃本地新闻及本地社区业务，这个趋势和裁员的决定对各地社区不利。
