Thursday’s Bell Media cuts impacting CTV News have also hit W5, one of the country’s longest-standing primetime investigative programs, and Canadians aren’t happy about it.
On its website, W5 touted itself as the country’s most-watched current affairs and documentary program. It was currently in its 58th season of producing hard-hitting investigative stories.
An internal memo sent to Bell Media staff confirmed that W5 would no longer be its own standalone show but would now be an investigative reporting unit featured on other CTV news broadcasts.
“Today, we are also announcing that W5 will evolve from a standalone documentary series to become a multi-part, multi-platform investigative reporting unit that will be featured on CTV National News, CTVNews.ca, and other CTV News Platforms,” reads the memo.
“This change carries on a 58-year tradition of investigative reporting excellence at CTV News while at the same time expanding W5‘s reach to a larger audience.”
This comes after Bell Media announced that 4,800 positions — 9% of Bell’s total workforce — will be cut.
“Restructuring decisions are incredibly tough for all of us because it affects the people we work with and care about. We know these decisions are hardest on those leaving Bell,” wrote Mirko Bibic, president and chief executive officer at BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, in an open letter.
He added that those impacted will be supported with fair severance packages, career transition services, and continued access to health benefits.
Canadians, including many in the media industry, took to social media to express their dismay with Bell Media’s decision, citing the impact of W5‘s investigative reporting.
“TV cancelling W5 is such an incalculable loss. W5 was truly one of the last bastions of good investigative journalism,” wrote Bryan Passifiume, a parliament reporter with the National Post, on X.
CTV cancelling W5 is such an incalculable loss.
W5 was truly one of the last bastions of good investigative journalism. https://t.co/Mw9q4OJ2nD
— 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙪𝙢𝙚 (@BryanPassifiume) February 8, 2024
“I spent five years at W5. The people we interviewed had beautiful, heart-wrenching and fundamentally important stories to tell. May they find other credible people and places where they can be heard for the next 50 years,” noted one ex-CTV employee.
💔 I spent 5 years at W5. The people we interviewed had beautiful, heart-wrenching and fundamentally important stories to tell. May they find other credible people and places where they can be heard for the next 50 years.
— Katherine Janson (@katherinejanson) February 8, 2024
Others reminisced about watching the news program when they were young and shared how important the show has been to the Canadian news landscape.
Noooo. Been watching this since I was a child. Was a show my Grandmother watched and I watched it with her. I love these shows, W5, The 5th Estate, Marketplace, Dateline, Crime Beat, 48hours, 20/20.
— 🇨🇦💕Shannon🌹👩🏼 (@Nana_Shanna_) February 8, 2024
“I love W5. This is disgracefully negligent,” said another X user. “News is already unwatchable due to bias.”
I love W5, this is disgracefully negligent, news is already unwatchable due to bias
— leenan (@leenan05738343) February 8, 2024
“W5? Seriously? That was investigative journalism at its finest. Also, it gives me the creeps that they’re icing out smaller towns from having local news,” wrote one viewer.
W5? Seriously? That was investigative journalism at its finest. Also, it gives me the creeps that they’re icing out smaller towns from having local news.
— Dana Reboe (@DanaEReboe) February 8, 2024
Journalism takes another crushing hit. W5 did stories nobody else would. It's a terrible shame that it's gone. https://t.co/Zz9lB6wEP2
— Rob Brodie (@Post_Brodie) February 8, 2024
Thursday’s Bell Media layoffs also impacted several key CTV National News reporters.
Sources within the CTV’s newsroom have confirmed with Daily Hive that CTV National’s Alberta bureau chief Bill Fortier, Montreal reporter Vanessa Lee, and Winnipeg bureau chief Jill Macyshon have all been axed.
CTV noon and weekend news shows in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver were also shut down as part of the shake-up.
Bell Media also announced its decision to divest 45 of its 103 radio stations to seven buyers, subject to CRTC review and “other closing conditions.” Bell intends to keep the divested stations a part of iHeartRadio Canada to become “an innovative audio business.”
The last round of Bell Media layoffs occurred in June 2023, when 1,300 jobs were slashed.
With files from Daily Hive’s Isabelle Docto and Imaan Sheikh
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