Corus announces ‘difficult but necessary’ changes to radio and TV in Kingston, Ont.

Corus Entertainment says it has made some “difficult but necessary” changes to its news and radio operations in Kingston, Ont.

In a statement, a Corus spokesperson said “certain roles” were impacted at its two local radio stations and its TV news operations.

“On the Audio side, BIG 96.3 and Fresh 104.3 will remain in Kingston, and the stations will utilize voice tracking to continue to produce local content made for and reflecting Kingston,” the statement said.

“In the News division, we have reimagined our broadcast schedule in Kingston, Peterborough, and Kelowna with a focus on supper hour and late-night news programming. Additionally, our Local Online team will now operate under a new model to better support local breaking news.”

Corus would not confirm how many positions were affected, citing confidentiality.

In a news release Thursday, Unifor, which represents more than 10,000 media workers, including 5,000 members in the broadcast and film industries, said it was “deeply concerned” by job cuts at Global News, which is owned by Corus.

“Every time an announcement like this comes in the media sector, it’s both heartbreaking and boils my blood,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“The media sector is under extreme threat, and we are at a critical juncture where we need life-saving intervention, including a plan from every single political party in Canada, to save local news. We would expect this necessary plan to receive all party support so that media workers can see this country supports fact-based journalism and democracy.”

Earlier this week, Corus said it expects to have cut 25 per cent of its full-time workforce—around 800 positions—by the end of August, as it continues to grapple with declining revenue. On Monday, Corus reported a 16 per cent drop in revenue compared to the year prior.

–With files from The Canadian Press