the2scoops: CHUM bought by Bell Globemedia

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Before I have a chance to read up on the latest on the big $1.7 billion buy-out that places CHUM in the hands of Bell Globemedia (owners of CTV), I perused the web and found some facts and figures. Can do you spell monopoly boys and girls?

281 initial jobs lost due to changes in the News, Operations and Traffic departments of City TV stations in BC, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, with local news in several communities being hardest hit. With the CBC cutbacks on local news coverage, who's left to tell the stories of communities across Canada?

Winnipeg saw a heavy toll as "Effective Wednesday, Citytv Winnipeg's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. night newscasts are off the air. Cam Cowie, the station's general manager in Winnipeg, says 28 on-air reporters, anchors, camera operators and other staff will lose their jobs." Look for more housecleaning of CityTV news departments across the country.

I think that means MTV Canada and MuchMusic are now owned by the same people. Will they keep both, or turn one into an actual music video channel?

even with current CRTC regulations requiring the merger to divest itself of A-Channel stations in Alberta and BC, this is still a scary amount of channels under one company. A monsterous segment of the Canadian media is now under one roof now. Previous to the merger, Bell Globemedia (who also own the Globe & Mail) owned 21 station affiliates across the country and 17 specialty stations, including TSN, Discovery, MTV, Comedy Network, Outdoor Life Network and the NHL Network. CHUM Limited has 33 radio stations, 12 local television stations and 21 specialty channels, including MuchMusic, FashionTV, Bravo, Space, and that channel that plays nothing but Law & Order.

Global and CBC are looking like they can't even compete in the same league. It's like the Brazilian and Italian football teams merging, and then the Canadians and the Norwegians asking if they can play too.

the2scoops