The Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) announced Tuesday it is ending production of its two nightly political news programs — PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel — as the not-for-profit media organization is faced with “accelerating revenue decline and continued uncertainty in the broadcasting landscape,” it said.
The announcement comes after the CRTC last week approved a three-cent increase in the price broadcasters must pay to carry the CPAC service.
“The CRTC’s recent approval of a 3-cent rate increase, set to take effect this September, is helpful in the short-term and comes at a time when financial pressures on our organization have intensified,” reads a Tuesday press release from CPAC.
CPAC noted subscriber erosion has nearly doubled since 2024, and delays in modernizing the broadcasting system “have prolonged the uncertainty around when predictable, reliable, and stable long-term funding mechanisms will be in place.”
To navigate the current broadcasting environment, CPAC has “been forced to make difficult and necessary decisions,” it said. “Effective today we have cancelled the production of PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel. Esteemed colleagues have left CPAC today.”
“Today, we are sharing difficult news,” Christa Dickenson, CEO of CPAC, said in the organization’s press release. “This is not a reflection of the people affected. Our former colleagues are dedicated and talented professionals who have made meaningful contributions to Canadian journalism and broadcasting. We are grateful to them and thank them sincerely.”
CPAC said it “remains committed to its mandate of providing coverage that is uncut, unfiltered, and without spin.”
The half-hour news programs PrimeTime Politics and L’Essentiel were hosted by Michael Serapio and Marc-André Cossette, respectively.
In a LinkedIn post Tuesday evening, Serapio confirmed he has been let go by CPAC.
“So I won’t bury the lead. PrimeTime Politics is cancelled and I’ve been laid off. I won’t lie. It hurts. And I’m still in shock,” Serapio wrote.
“I had a chance to work with incredible people at CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel / Chaîne d’affaires publiques par câble) who were great colleagues, and will always be treasured friends.
“I had a chance to engage in the national discourse, powered by women and men who want to make Canada a better place than it already is,” Serapio continued. “Lucky me. I got to be a part of it (and I hope I was able to make a meaningful contribution).”
Serapio went on to thank those who took his calls, accepted his invitation to be interviewed, shared their thoughts and insights, and made his time at CPAC so enjoyable.
He now lists himself as a freelance journalist on his LinkedIn profile.
