OTTAWA – The official announcement will come Wednesday morning we’re told, but Cartt.ca has learned that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters will go forward as a very different, far smaller, organization.
We don’t yet have all the particulars but it appears about half of the staff was told today they will be losing their jobs.
There’s no word yet on the new direction the organization will take (which is something the board of directors has been working on for two months, as we first reported) or the future of the annual convention – or who will replace outgoing president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell. A search committee will be looking for a new leader.
The organization has been reeling since September when Quebecor-owned broadcaster TVA quit the CAB and according to many sources CTV also was mulling over walking away completely in the fall. All broadcasters, especially the conventional private television broadcasters, are struggling with a poor economy and are also looking to trim costs and cutting fees to their association will help the bottom line, too.
More to come on this story.
– Greg O’Brien
