A beloved local newscast has been dropped as part of a major layoff announcement Thursday from its parent company, Bell Media.
CTV Edmonton has ended its noon broadcasts, effective immediately, a source tells Daily Hive. It’s unclear the number of jobs this impacts.
The weekend newscasts were also cancelled, according to social media images posted Thursday.
Update from changes to local news at Bell Media pic.twitter.com/tCrK7O6uwt
— jonah (@yyzsportsmedia) February 8, 2024
They are among the many cancellations and changes that have come as a result of the company “adapting and moving forward.”
Those words were used in an open letter from Mirko Bibic, president and chief executive officer at BCE Inc. and Bell Canada.
CTV’s noon show is not the only shocking dismantling Thursday, as the company is also selling 45 radio stations, laying off 4,800 employees, and leaving many holes in local news coverage across the country.
CTV Edmonton’s weekend weather anchor, Britt Prendergast, took to social media declaring it a “sad day career-wise,” and thanked people for the “kind words today.”
I’m grateful I got to be the weekend weather anchor the last year. Today’s a sad day for me career wise. The unknown is always terrifying but I will make sure after I let my feelings feel, I will land on my feet.
Thank you for the kind words today ❤️— Britt Prendergast (@BMPREND) February 8, 2024
CTV National’s Alberta bureau chief Bill Fortier was also let go, sources within the CTV newsroom confirmed with Daily Hive.
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With files from Claire Fenton