Giving them the CHUM's rush

Today's treeware effort, about the union challenge to last month's killer cuts to news programming at CHUM's Citytv and A-Channel stations, is here.

On July 12, when the $1.4 billion (yet-to-be-sanctioned) marriage between Bell Globemedia and CHUM Ltd. was announced, all eyes were on the enormity of the deal.

Only a relative few paragraphs were dedicated to the devastating news that CHUM was cutting as many as 281 jobs and hours of local programming.

Of course, in corporate-speak, it announced "plans for a new approach to local information programming at its conventional television stations across the country."

Translation?

In half CHUM's TV markets, news was dramatically slashed.

So dramatically that the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP), the largest media union (and the one that represents us Star drones), last week filed a 24-page complaint to the federal broadcast regulator, calling for an immediate inquiry.

The cuts were draconian.

In cities such as Winnipeg, familiar faces and programs just disappeared. Programs that CHUM had either promised or committed to produce. Gone, without so much as a sign-off.

Not much to add to what I have written, or blogged here, here and here, except to say less news is NEVER good news. If CHUM couldn't make the programs work in those markets, they should have fixed them, not cancelled them.

Comments

[Big G]

Although I'm not a big union supporter, I have to admit they and AZ bring up some interesting points.

How can you lay off people because of inter-company redundancies, when the newly formed company hasn't been approved yet.

I'm sure Bev Oda is really pissed off at this...
She might have to cancel her pedicure at the Oshawa Centre.

[D. B. Scott]

I don't wonder Antonia, that you are cheesed off at some commenters; Big G's cheap shot about Bev Oda is a case in point. What the heck does it have to do with the comment about CHUM's layoffs?

[Antonia Z.]

Ah well, I have lobbed a few myself. It's the obsessive commenters who get up my nose. The ones who can't move on. Those who then email me to go on and on and on and expect me to have a lengthy personal and private exchange ... and, when I tell them I don't have the time, accuse me of copping out and being unable to stand up to their superior values, intellects and arguments blah blah de blah.

[sheena]

Couple of recipes or wine picks might serve to lighten up the mood. Those guy lurve that sort of thing...

[Big G]

D. B. Scott

My shot maybe cheap but, but in contrast to the person I was commenting on, my comments are on par. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm obsessive though.

If you want to see why my comments are cheap, go to the Elections Canada site and look at who donated $ and then tell me if the CHUM'sters will get a square deal.