CBC/Radio-Canada has revealed significant job and program cuts in the upcoming year are on the way.
The move comes in reaction to a projected budget deficit of $125 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the public broadcaster said on Monday. The organization faces demanding situations in the Canadian media landscape, adding emerging production costs, lower television advertising revenues and intense festival of global streaming services.
In addition, CBC/Radio-Canada is in favor of reducing parliamentary funding, including the end of a $21 million annual program integrity fund that has been in place since 2021 due to COVID-19.
The Corporation is set to axe roughly 600 positions, spanning both unionized and non-union staff. This figure includes around 200 currently vacant roles that will be permanently dissolved. The job cuts are expected to be evenly distributed between CBC and Radio-Canada, accounting for about 250 positions each. The remainder will be from the Technology & Infrastructure division and other corporate sectors. The implementation of these reductions will be staggered with some happening right away and others spread over 12 months.
In addition, there will be relief in the English and French programming budgets for the next fiscal year. This relief, in the amount of approximately $40 million, will be used primarily for independent production orders and program acquisitions. The consequences of these discounts will be a reduction in the renewal of television series, a reduction in the number of new series and episodes, and a reduction in the number of virtual original series.
Currently, CBC offers broadcasts such as CBC Gem and CBC News Network, with a premium subscription available.
Earlier this year, CBC/Radio-Canada saw over $25 million in discretionary cost savings, which included cutting travel expenses, sponsorships, marketing activities, and delaying certain tech projects. The Corporation also restrained from filling vacant positions.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is not immune to the upheavals facing the Canadian media industry. We have managed to manage severe structural downturns in our business for many years, but we no longer have the flexibility to do so without reductions. “This scenario is for those affected and for Canadians who depend on our systems and services. We will have more important points in the coming months, but we are doing everything in our power to minimize the effect of those measures,” he said. Catherine Tait, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, in a statement.
The CBC has received $1.27 billion in government funding in its fiscal 2023, up from $1.24 billion in 2022.
Earlier this year, the CBC protested and abandoned Twitter (before renaming itself X) because the organization was a “government-funded media outlet. “But after a month, CBC returned to Twitter and resumed its sharing activity (but not before being mocked by X owner Elon Musk).