The company argued that the job cuts were a reaction to unfavorable political and regulatory conditions.

The plan includes “moving to a one-stop newsroom approach for all brands, allowing for better collaboration and efficiency,” Richard Gray, vice president of news at Bell Media, explained in an internal memo shared with employees on Wednesday morning distributed and reported by The Canadian Press received a copy.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Robert Malcolmson, Bell’s executive vice president and chief legal and regulatory officer, said the company’s media division “cannot afford” to continue operating with different brands – like CTV National News, BNN, CP24, its TV news channel and local radio station – which operate independently.

Eliminated positions include a 6% reduction in Bell Media, part of Bell Canada’s BCE division. Bell Media’s assets include television network CTV, specialty television stations, radio stations and production studios.

Staff were also notified of the closure of radio stations Funny 1290 in Winnipeg, Funny 1060 in Calgary, TSN 1260 Radio in Edmonton, BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040 in Vancouver, and NewsTalk 1290 in London.

Bell Media is also selling Hamilton’s AM Radio 1150 and AM 820 and Windsor’s AM 580 to an unnamed third party, subject to Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval.

According to the company, management positions will be reduced by 6%. In addition, there will be 20% fewer managerial positions in the company compared to 2020.