CBC finances remain shaky despite ongoing federal bailouts and 55% staff cuts in one division, says a Department of Canadian Heritage briefing note, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..The network has not disclosed a quarterly financial statement since last December 31..“The Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges of covering it put immense pressure on CBC’s workforce, operations, finances and systems,” said the April 20 briefing note Funding Support For The CBC. “The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, also put additional pressure on its cash flow.”.The CBC receives a $1.2 billion-a year grant from Parliament. Cabinet this year approved an extra $21 million for “immediate operational support.” Staff said the ongoing bailout was required “in order to support Canada’s public broadcaster and ensure it can continue to report local and national news.”.Network managers cut more than half the jobs in one division, Radio Canada International, the CBC’s foreign radio service dating from 1945. The service went exclusively online in 2012..Of 20 employees, all but nine were eliminated last December 3, according to the briefing note. Effective this past April 1 the service cut its 45 news bullets in five languages to a single weekly podcast..“CBC stated these changes are to modernize its international service in order to adapt to a 2021 environment, especially given the growing importance of the Internet,” said Funding Support..The note described the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a source of “trusted news and information,” but acknowledged widespread complaints at routine license renewal hearings last January 11. “The CRTC received more than 10,000 public interventions, many of which were critical of a perceived left-wing bias in CBC’s news reporting.”.The network has not updated its financial statements in seven months. Earlier statements showed from the outbreak of the pandemic its television advertising revenue fell 20% compared to the same period in 2019. Ad revenue on French-language services fell 22%..“It’s anticipated the effects of Covid-19 will persist into 2021-2022 including continuing economic pressures and programming disruptions,” management wrote in a First Quarter Financial Report. The CBC said the ad revenue drop was “driven by lower demand during the Covid-19 outbreak” including the loss of regularly-scheduled NHL playoffs..Managers cited the pandemic in suspending all local suppertime TV newscasts for the first time since 1952, a breach of its license, and sending 80% of its workforce home. “Less than 20% of employees, mainly those involved with essential operations such as news presentation and news gathering, reintegrated into our offices,” said First Quarter Financial Report..The CBC blacked out local newscasts to “temporarily pool our resources,” management said at the time. “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures,” said Susan Marjetti, general manager of news..Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
