CBC/Radio-Canada cutting 600 jobs due to budget shortfall

The Canadian Broadcasting Crop. and Radio-Canada are laying off 600 employees and leaving 200 positions unfilled due to a $125 million budget shortfall.

In a statement, the public broadcaster said, “CBC and Radio-Canada will each be cutting in the range of 250 jobs, with the balance coming from Technology & Infrastructure and other corporate divisions.”

Alongside job cuts, CBC will trim English and French programming budgets, including around $40 million in independent production commissions and program acquisitions, affecting renewals, acquisitions, television and digital series.

The cuts are driven by increased production costs, reduced TV ad revenue, and competition from digital platforms.

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The move follows the government’s consideration of capping CBC and Radio-Canada funding from a $100 million deal with Google.

“CBC/Radio-Canada is not immune to the upheaval facing the Canadian media industry. We’ve successfully managed serious structural declines in our business for many years, but we no longer have the flexibility to do so without reductions,” said President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, Catherine Tait.

“We understand how concerning this is to the people affected and to the Canadians who depend on our programs and services. We will have more details in the months ahead, but we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of these measures.”