TORONTO – Rogers Communications has pulled the plug on three more community cable TV stations in the Greater Toronto Area, and cut resources at many others across Ontario.
Rogers TV in Mississauga and Richmond Hill, along with Toronto and Brampton, have ceased operations effective immediately and the channels will go dark on August 31, 2017. The move eliminated 23 full-time positions, which come in addition to the 10 lost in February when production was shut down in Toronto.
Between now and August, Rogers will offer a single Rogers TV channel across the GTA, featuring a mix of community programming and City Council coverage. In September, these four channels will become a free preview for Canadian specialty channels, said Rogers.
“In today’s saturated media market, viewers in the Greater Toronto Area have access to, and the choice of, more news sources than ever before”, Rogers spokesperson Stephanie Leslie told Cartt.ca in an email. “Given the financial challenges associated with producing local news, the CRTC established greater funding flexibility in its new policy framework for local and community programming. Rogers will use this opportunity to better serve our audiences through the production of local news in communities where it is needed the most.” In other words, the funds that went towards Rogers TV will be redirected to the local news productions of Rogers' CityTV.
Rogers confirmed that an additional 29 Rogers TV positions were impacted at other community stations in Ontario, such as Ottawa, Durham, London, and Grand River.
“These changes are necessary as a result of the 25 per cent reduction in available funding to all community channels under the new regulatory framework”, added Leslie. “Rogers will continues to operate Rogers TVtations in small and medium-sized communities across Ontario and the Atlantic region, providing a distinct and unique voice and locally reflective programming in communities currently underserved by conventional television.”
