TORONTO – A total of 79 employees who worked on CBC set design, studio and remote production, post-production, and network presentation got layoff notices this morning, a CBC spokesperson told www.cartt.ca.
CBC was one of very few remaining broadcasters with an in-house set building crew and these functions will now be contracted out or handled by independent producers.
In addition, 20 more positions will not be filled.
A note to staff from executive director of regional programming and television production and resources, Fred Mattocks, and Doug Broadfoot, director, Toronto Production Centre, said the move is part of a broader CBC cost-cutting initiative.
"CBC Television continues to face significant financial pressures, and we must continue to reduce spending in order to fund programming priorities. Departments throughout the network were asked to look at various options for cutting costs in their respective areas," said the memo.
The affected staff members have been given 16 weeks’ notice, with departure dates planned for mid-August.
"We have made the difficult decision to cease design operations," with the exception of graphics and some makeup artists, says the memo.
"Going forward, independent producers and co-producers will be required to look after all their design needs. Few major public broadcasters around the world still maintain substantial in-house design capacity. Even BBC London stopped doing so some time ago. Here in Canada, other broadcasters have operated this way for years. We already work with independent producers who provide all of these services – but we will be expanding this. Shows like Hatching, Matching and Dispatching and At the Hotel had excellent quality in these areas, and all of the work was coordinated by the independent producer," says the memo.
"Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate, coupled with the long-term interests of the CBC, forced us to carefully consider all the relevant facts and options. At the end of the day, we faced a tough business decision: not one we wanted to make, but one that was necessary… in order to give our programming the level of financial support it needs.
