miss kids dept.

tvontario’s recently announced cuts of more than 130 staff and contract positions will mean savings of $4.8 million annually, of which, in year one, $4.2 million will be spent on the downsizing process.

The cuts, which account for a 20% reduction in permanent positions, will be made through early retirement and severance packages, elimination of positions and cancellation of jobs that are currently vacant.

One inside source says at the staff meeting to announce the cuts, the children’s programming department was said to be a safe haven.

Rudy Buttignol, documentary commissioning editor for three series, says the cuts will not affect his department. ‘The general philosophy is to make the cuts in the administrative end of (tvo) in an attempt to not undermine programming.’

The Ontario broadcaster has an annual budget of $80 million, of which $66 million is government funding and $14 million is self-generated through sales, membership, corporate underwriting and merchandising. Plans are to decrease government support to 50% of its budget by 2001.

The new job cuts are part of an overall strategy to deal constructively with existing and impending reductions in government support. Newly elected Ontario Premier Mike Harris has already stated he wishes to see the broadcaster privatized.

tvo spokesperson Sharon Salson says most of the cuts will be to staff positions since many of the contract jobs are related to programming and the aim is to leave programming intact as much as possible.

At present, tvo has 484 permanent employees. The deadline for voluntary departures is Aug. 1.