CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights

[Tripper11]

Source: CBC.CA

Funding shortfalls and revenue losses have forced CBC/Radio-Canada to cut $130 million from its budget this year, a move that will eliminate 657 jobs over the next two years and take the network out of competing for the rights to broadcast professional sports, the public broadcaster says.

"Very tough and controversial choices needed to be made and were made," CBC president and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix said in a townhall meeting with staff Thursday.

Lacroix said CBC could no longer compete against private broadcasters that have specialty sports channels and multiple media platforms. The result will mean "substantially reducing" the size of the sports department and covering fewer sporting events, including amateur sports. But the CBC will still compete for sporting events of national significance, like the Olympics.

Among the cuts, English Services will slash $82 million from its budget and eliminate 334 full-time jobs.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cbc-to-cut-657-jobs-will-no-longer-compete-for-professional-sports-rights-1.2605504

---

Stephan Harper continues to dismantle a Canadian tradition and icon.

[KamaAina]

1. Don Cherry is a right-wing pig

for those of you in the Lower 48 ignorant of the Great White North, he's been the host of Hockey Night In Canada on CBC since the Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917. There goes his gig. Take off, you hoser!

[CSStrowbridge]

2. I know I'm not allowed to insult DUers, but what about Stephan Harper?

Can I call Stephan Harper a fucking corrupt piece of anti-Canadian shit? Or is that going over the line? This asshole should be in jail, not in the government.

[MO_Moderate]

3. Canada has pro sports?

[dembotoz]

4. bite your tounge and do not insult the land of hockey

[cleduc]

5. Decades ago, the Canadian public debated public funding

of the CBC fearing government funding would turn it into a Canadian Pravda. Back then, I shared those concerns.

Fast forward to today and I have to commend them on good standards in journalism. I'm a little proud of those folks when I see them work. It's pretty honest, fair, well researched, thought out and professional.

Their sports department could never survive the transition that area of media is undergoing in Canada with big cable and communications companies buying up the pro sports teams. Someday, Canadians will wake up to much bigger media bills to watch a hockey game and by then it will be too late for them to do anything about it.

Don Cherry's stereotyping will continue to be broadcast ... but he has some good points about him that sometimes offset some.

And yes, in my opinion, Stephen Harper is a Canadian right wing embarrassment. He'd get along well with Beohner.