In the latest sign of newsroom streamlining, senior news honcho Stephen Hurlbut has left Citytv after its purchase by Rogers Communications.

Leslie Sole, CEO of television at the Toronto company, informed employees in an internal memo that Hurlbut, national VP of news at City’s five TV stations nationwide, ‘has left Rogers,’ adding that the company ‘remains very committed to local news at Citytv and we will restructure management to reflect our commitment in an expeditious manner.’

Tina Cortese, City director of news programming, will fill in for Hurlbut on an interim basis.

Soles was not specific about how Rogers would increase the local news coverage at City and its existing OMNI stations. Rogers spokeswoman Jan Innes on Wednesday said Rogers never comments on ‘internal matters.’

Hurlbut’s departure, after 30 years working with previous parent CHUM, comes after Rogers paid $375 million to rival CTVglobemedia for the five conventional TV stations. Journalist unions and guilds have in recent weeks been raising the alarm over industry consolidation and its damage to local news across the country.

The Ottawa-based Canadian Association of Journalists on Wednesday warned that CanWest Global Communications’ offer to buy out its newspaper reporters, and the possibility of layoffs if a cost-savings target is not met, could reduce local news coverage.

‘The CAJ has for years been sounding the alarm that centralization risks reducing local control over news coverage, and with it the variety of voices in communities across Canada,’ said CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch in a statement. CanWest is centralizing some of its newspaper operations in Hamilton, ON.

That warning followed CEP’s recent argument that CanWest Global will violate the Broadcasting Act and its licence if it proceeds with plans to cut 200 jobs as it relocates its TV news operations to proposed digital superstations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto.

CanWest Global said the TV newsroom streamlining at its Global Television and E! stations will exploit new digital technologies and prepare the broadcaster for high-definition TV.

Rival broadcasters have similarly moved to integrate their varied newsrooms — whether in TV, radio, print or online — to jump into the digital multi-platform age.

Over at the CBC, Tony Burman was recently replaced as head of CBC News by John Cruickshank, who will move forward with integrating the pubcaster’s operations and adding more user-generated content and interactivity as part of its MyCBC initiative.