The “Bell Canada” (BCE) group announced the cancellation of 1,300 jobs, i.e., 3% of its workforce, and the closure of six radio stations in addition to the sale of three other stations.

In a statement issued today, the group attributed the job cuts to "adverse conditions in public policy and current regulatory conditions" in the media sector.

As in an internal memo addressed to employees, Bell Media’s (Bell Media) president, Wade Oosterman, said that the employees affected by these cuts will be notified this week, adding that 30% of the cut positions were vacant or unoccupied.

Oosterman believes that his company must deal with the ongoing shift of advertising revenues to foreign digital platforms, such as Facebook and Google, as well as the transition of cable, satellite, and fiber optic TV subscribers to digital streaming platforms.

By simultaneously announcing the closure of six stations and the sale of three other stations, “Bell Canada” clarifies that it seeks to “adapt” its news broadcasting method significantly.

The six stations to be closed are as follows: Funny 1290 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Funny 1260 in Calgary, Alberta, ‘TSN 1260’ in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and NewsTalk 1290 in London, Ontario.

As for the three stations sold by Bell Canada, they were purchased by a third party whose identity has not been disclosed, pending approval of the deal by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Two of these stations are located in Hamilton, Ontario, and the third is in Windsor, Ontario as well.

The plan includes moving to a single newsroom approach for all brands, which will allow better collaboration and greater efficiency, according to Bell Media’s Vice President of News, Richard Gray.

Bell Media's radio stations also witnessed a decline in profits by half since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the sake of savings and efficiency, the company wants to horizontally integrate news production, presenting its news services on one shared platform with centralized management.

In this regard, Bell Canada's management intends to reduce administrative positions within the company by 6% and executive positions by 20% compared to the workforce size in 2020.

Things do not seem to be going better in the traditional telephone communications sector. In an open letter, the CEO of Bell Canada Group, Mirko Bibic, predicted losses exceeding 250 million dollars annually in traditional telephone communications.