CBC/Radio-Canada will be cutting roughly 600 jobs and 200 vacant roles, and reduce its programming spend by $40 million to save $125 million in costs in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Citing economic factors like declining ad revenue and rising production costs, as well as a forecasted reduction in federal funding in a news release on Monday (Dec. 4), the pubcaster said about 250 positions will be cut from CBC and Radio-Canada, respectively, with some reductions beginning immediately, while others will take effect over the next 12 months. The cuts will affect both union and non-union positions.

Cuts to programming will include original commissions and acquisitions, added the release, noting that it “will result in reduced renewals and acquisitions, fewer new television series and episodes of existing shows, as well as fewer digital original series.”

More than $25 million in discretionary cost reductions are already being implemented, said the release, including “travel, sponsorships, marketing and postponement of technology initiatives.” This cost-cutting initiative “maximizes flexibility, should [CBC/Radio-Canada’s] financial situation change next year, and minimizes the effects on our employees and the programs and services we provide to Canadians.”

“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 Catherine Tait in a statement. “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.”

When asked about the impact to the pubcaster’s programming team, a spokesperson for CBC told Playback Daily that it is “too premature” to discuss further details on reductions for specific groups, adding that there is no information to share other than what’s in the published statement.

CBC/Radio-Canada said in its annual report its workforce included 6,597 permanent employees as of March 31, the end of its 2022-23 fiscal year. In its Q2 2023-24 results, the pubcaster said its revenue fell by 5.4% year-over-year, coming to $106.2 million from $112.3 million in the previous Q2, which was attributed to a “softer TV advertising market” and reduced income from content sales.

The pubcaster also highlighted budgetary concerns related to its federal funding in the annual report. The government’s March budget included a proposal to reduce 3% of eligible spending from its departments and agencies by 2026-27, and for an estimated $1.3 billion in reduced spending from Crown corporations over four years, starting in 2024-25.

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge told reporters on Monday that the final decision on how the cuts will impact CBC/Radio-Canada “has not been made yet.”

Updated on Dec. 5

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