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news

Rogers Announces Mass Layoffs at Citytv

By Steve Kupferman

20100119anneoutatcity.jpg
Anne Mroczkowski’s bowdlerization from CityNews’ website, a change made today and first caught by Mondoville.


Rogers Media issued a press release earlier this afternoon announcing that they are in the process of restructuring Citytv’s television operations―and as we all know, “restructuring” is nothing more than the preferred euphemism for our favourite media trend of late 2009/early 2010: mass layoffs.
CBC reports that news departments at Citytv’s stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Toronto have all bled “multiple” jobs. The Rogers press release says Citytv will keep producing Breakfast Television and CityLine for all its markets, and CityNews and CityNews Tonight in Toronto. By way of explanation, it offers only that: “Shifting viewer patterns coupled with the overall state of the economy required the company to rethink its programming lineup.” BlogTO has a running list of specific people and positions believed to be affected by the shakeup. Several on-air personalities—Anne Mroczkowski, Laura DiBattista, Pam Seatle, Merella Fernandez, and Marianne Dimain—are among them. Mondoville, meanwhile, fingers the ongoing Jay Leno Show fiasco as a possible cause.
UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: The Canadian Press is now reporting that sixty jobs, in total, have been cut at Citytv. Also, the CBC reports that Citytv stations in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver will no longer be airing evening newscasts. Edmonton and Calgary will lose their noon newscasts, as well. Toronto will be losing CityNews at Noon, CityNews at Five, and City News Weekend. Winnipeg’s Citytv schedule, strangely, won’t be affected by the cuts.

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  • Karen Whaley

    I don’t understand. What is Mondoville? Why is it so terrible? Did nobody explain to them how paragraphs work? Yikes.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    Looks like the Sun is confirming it?
    Also, note to all those other outlets reporting on this: Anne’s last name is “Mroczkowski.” It’s tough, but there it is. Not to beat up on BlogTO too much, as they seem to have done a great job getting the scoop on this, but I currently count three typos in their list of names (including two names spelled two different ways). Each of those typos could be solved with a quick Google search, but those typos—either because they’ve been copy/pasted by other outlets or because those other outlets made the same mistake—have spread quickly. Either way, media outlets reporting on those laid off at another outlet should probably do what they can to get those people’s names right.

  • rek

    “Restructuring” has always been press release-ese for massive layoffs.

  • http://undefined Darren

    Good riddance. This people pretending to speak for the city, yet none of the people on shity-tv speak for me. I only watch Breakfast Television sparesly for traffic, weather. Even then I run to the remote to change the channel once Im done. One extra second of Frankish or Calabrese makes me want to puke

  • http://undefined dowlingm

    If I was Dailey I’d be concerned – he can be photoshopped out of that pic pretty easily too, unlike GM

  • http://undefined james a

    Hopefully this won’t spell an end to ten minute segments on how much tomorrow’s lottery will be, or that it’s really cold in winter. Who else is going to uncover these stories?

  • http://undefined CaligulaJones

    They could probably safe a tonne of money by cutting back on the weather a bit. I mean, does anyone really care about that huge 1 degree drop in temperature between Richmond Hill and Toronto? I swear, they’re going to start interviewing individual snowflakes sometime soon…

  • http://undefined Greg Smith

    My sentiments exactly. I feel sorry for the people who`ve lost their jobs, but television is a crappy way to convey that kind of information (outside of times of crises).
    CityTV: in waiting rooms EVERYWHERE.

  • http://undefined Greg Smith

    Once the faces we know are gone from Citytv, there be much reason to keep watching. The content has been… wanting for some time. Perhaps the people who are cut loose today can find work outside the MegaCorps online. That`s where I get all of my media these days, at least.
    Good luck, folks. :(

  • http://undefined Greg Smith

    `there *won`t* be much reason` I mean.

  • http://undefined Pailman

    How about the gutless journalism that constantly “alleges” that crimes took place?

  • http://undefined Pailman

    I wish to subscribe to this newscast.

  • http://undefined Karen Whaley

    No, YOU’re a flake.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    …I hope you’re kidding.

  • http://alexandrahighcrest.com/blog/ Alexandra Highcrest

    How come all the on air personalities who have been fired were women? There’s deadwood guys at SillyTV as well, such as that stiff standing next to Gord in the SillyNews banner.

  • http://undefined Alaric

    When I heard the news about the layoffs, I was _so_ excited. There was one name I was looking for, but sadly, Dina remains employed. Why?
    My ears bleed…
    Good point about the excessive weather. Thou$ands in technology and every time I watch it, it never seems to work properly.

  • http://undefined Mitch

    No layoffs were issued at Citytv Winnipeg because they were already at that rock-bottom level that the other stations are now at – except Toronto – which is, Breakfast Television, and that’s it. They’ve had their rounds of layoffs in the months prior to this massacre.
    Also, I must say, Citytv really made a mistake firing Larysa Harapyn, and on that note, the whole CityNews Entertainment Unit in December 2008. They were great in that field! Anyways…I guess patience is key in a situation like this. We all know Rogers isn’t going to just leave CityNews like this. Hopefully they go ahead with CityNews Channel in the near future like they said in ’08….
    Mitch (twitter.com/MitchBurke)