Two months after weathering cuts of more than 650 jobs, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. announced Thursday an even bigger round of impending layoffs. CBC/Radio-Canada will reduce its workforce by an additional 1,000-1,500 people by 2020 as part of a broader shift to a digital strategy.
Among programming changes, the pubcaster will reduce most of its evening newscasts across Canada. It will not shutter stations, however, and none of the CBC shows carried on U.S. public radio will be affected by the cuts, according to Leslie Peck, manager of international sales for CBC English Services. CBC shows distributed in the U.S., including Q with Jian Ghomeshi and WireTap, were also spared in April’s round of cuts.
In addition to reducing staffing levels, CBC will also look to reduce real-estate costs, trimming its physical presence in Montreal and renting space in its Toronto building.