Bell Media is once again gutting newsrooms with another round of layoffs, this time targetting Vancouver.
As reported by Daily Hive, several high-profile staffers at CTV Vancouver and Bell-owned radio stations were laid off. Moreover, Daily Hive shared tweets confirming the cuts from several of those who were laid off.
CTV Vancouver’s Scott Roberts, co-host of CTV News at Six, was among those laid off. Roberts, a Jack Webster Award-winning journalist, co-anchored the show since August 2018 alongside veteran journalist Mi-Jung Lee, and had been with the station for over a decade.
Tough day. Had a good 15 year run at CTV, but unfortunately layoffs are part of a difficult business climate for journalism. Wishing all my colleagues the very best. Continue doing important work. ❤️ https://t.co/CNRgYWLsmP
— Scott Roberts (@ScottRobertsCTV) March 11, 2022
CTV Morning Live segment host and traffic reporter Luisa Alvarez was also laid off. Alvarez did traffic updates on TSN 1040 and BNN Bloomberg 1410 as well. She joined CTV Vancouver in 2019 before transitioning to CTV Morning Live the following year.
Today my life changed. ???? pic.twitter.com/aIybiTHY9F
— Luisa Alvarez (@luisaalvarez95) March 10, 2022
Outside of CTV Vancouver, Bell Media has let go of at least two employees at radio stations it owns in Vancouver. That includes Olivia Jones, the midday host of Move 103.5 FM. Reports indicate that Amy Beeman, the producer of 94.5 Virgin Radio’s Morning Show, was also laid off. That comes just weeks after longtime morning show host Jonny Staub left the show.
Bell Media came under fire for job cuts around the same time last year, when the company cut an estimated 250 positions in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. The move came on the heels of Bell’s successful ‘Let’s Talk Day’ in 2021.
Moreover, OpenMedia started a petition in 2021 to make Canadian telecom companies pay back wage subsidies received through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program. OpenMedia accused companies of taking the wage relief and paying it out to investors — Bell took particular ire over the Bell Media layoffs since CEWS was intended to help keep people employed.
Source: Daily Hive
