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CTV drops 118 positions in 'stop gap' measures

Just days after shutting down two TV stations and putting another up for sale, CTV today announced "stop gap measures to reduce costs" at its "A" stations.

The morning shows in Victoria, London, and Barrie have been cancelled. In Ottawa, newscasts at 6:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m., and weekends have also been dropped. As well, CTV is laying off 118 staff in Victoria, London, Barrie, and Ottawa.

In a news release, Paul Sparkes, executive vice-president for corporate affairs, said:

"These are extremely difficult and challenging decisions to make given it's not about the quality of our 'A' programming or that we have achieved double-digit audience growth.

"We simply can't monetize our success. We are doing everything we can to hang on to conventional television, but as we continue to stress, the conventional model is now broken. In the long term, the only real solution is fee-for-carriage."

Last month CTV reported staff reductions at CHUM Radio, the shutdown of "A" stations in Wingham and Windsor, and putting CKX-TV in Brandon up for sale.

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.

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