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The elimination of local sports coverage at a TV station in Barrie, Ontario, is a prime example of the crisis facing media outlets across this country, Unifor says.
"People turn to their local news to see their own communities reflected, and to keep up on the news and information they need to be informed citizens,"said Unifor Media Director Howard Law.
Unifor members across Canada were affected by recent cuts at Bell Media, including in Barrie where the sports reporters were offered jobs as news videographers.
Bell Media's restructuring comes as the sector struggles to deal with the collapse of its ad-driven business model in the face of much-cheaper digital ads, most of which go to Google or Facebook.
"What is happening in Barrie is just one example of what is happening across Canada as dedicated media workers find input increasingly impossible to reflect their own communities back to their audiences," Law said.
Law said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has failed to take the bold action the industry needs.
Law led a delegation of Unifor media workers from across Canada to Ottawa last week to meet with MPs about the need for a new funding model for media and the crisis facing local news. To read Unifor’s recommendations to the MPs, click here.
