Cutting jobs at provincial public broadcaster puts quality on chopping block

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - The job losses announced this morning at TVO will be harmful to the quality of content produced by the station. In an announcement this morning, TVO said it is cutting roughly 40 jobs and long-standing shows such as Saturday Night at the Movies, Allan Gregg in Conversation, and Big Ideas.

"It is a very sad day at TVO. We are losing some iconic shows that have been running for years and it is going to affect a lot of people and their employment here", said Steve Thomas, President of CEP Local 72-M.

"The Ontario Liberal government went after the province's teachers, and now they are going after its public broadcaster", said Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) Vice-President Media Peter Murdoch. "It is a failed solution to reduce staff positions to try and improve the situation of the station."

TVO announced today its operating grant will be reduced by 5% as of April 1, 2013. The announcement also focused on the station's intent to focus on interactive and multi-platform digital content.

"Having a flashy website is great, but it is worthless without sufficient staff to produce interesting content for viewers", added Murdoch. "Cutting the very people that will bring an audience back to the station will only exacerbate current difficulties."

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada is the largest union in several key sectors of Canada's economy, including forestry, energy, telecommunications and media. The union's 120,000 members work at a wide variety of jobs in hundreds of different workplaces across the country.

SOURCE: COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION OF CANADA

Peter Murdoch, CEP Vice-President Media: [phone]