Off The Record Cancelled amid Bell Cuts

[Rich]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/tsns-off-the-record-cancelled-amid-bell-job-cuts/article27308362/

 

 

As Bell Media continues a sweeping shakeup, shedding hundreds of jobs, one of the country’s longest-running sports programs is going off the air.

Off the Record, a popular daily half-hour talk show, will soon end its run on TSN after 18 years. Officially, OTR is “evolving,” with host Michael Landsberg staying on to produce shorter segments to be aired during the network’s nightly highlights show SportsCentre and online starting in the new year.

Many of Mr. Landsberg’s Bell Media colleagues are less fortunate, as the week began with two days of deep job cuts that affected both unionized and non-union staff. Since late August, the company has undertaken a major restructuring in multiple waves, pushing long-serving staff – from executives and vice-presidents on down to rank-and-file employees – out the door.

...

Some of the more high-profile staff who were ousted this week include CTV News Ottawa co-anchor Carol Anne Meehan and sports reporter Carolyn Waldo; CTV News Channel anchor Amanda Blitz; CTV News Vancouver reporter Peter Grainger; TSN reporter Sheri Forde; CFRB-Newstalk 1010 personality Mike Toth; and TSN Radio senior producer Todd Hayes and co-host David Bastl.

Yet many of the cuts targeted staff behind the scenes, including veteran CTV assignment editor Dave Biro. Camera and truck operators, sound technicians, finance staff, receptionists and producers all lost jobs this week.

 

More at the link.

 

[Noeller]

Been a bloodbath at major market radio/TV today. Tough one for a lot in Toronto and Vancouver, among other markets. Likely more to come soon....

[iso_55]

Haven't watched OTR in years. I stopped watching because the show became all about Landsberg & his huge ego. 

[Brandon]

Haven't watched OTR in years. I stopped watching because the show became all about Landsberg & his huge ego. 

 

 

His ego carries on with him when he calls in on 1290 in the morning...  he claims that he's turned down millions of dollars to work down south on the big networks and overall the guy just isn't easy to like.  

 

I think I've heard him talk about him being bi polar / suicidal and that he gets all the plastic surgery because he's not happy with himself....  I hope and wonder if he might do something "off the wall" now that his show was canned...

[17to85]

I used to really like Off the Record, watched it quite regularly but a few years ago it just became unbearable and I find myself not really being sad to see it go. Interesting that Sheri Forde gets the axe too, must be awkward with Duane Forde still on staff...

[iso_55]

Thought the same thing but the accountants at the Bell Media HO probably don't know the Fordes are married &/or don't care. 

[iso_55]

I feel for Mike Toth. He was a very good young sportscaster on Global Calgary twenty years ago until when he was cut back when Global got rid of their 30 minutes sports show a decade ago. He went to Toronto & was on Sportsnet until he was fired after an altercation with a colleague. I haven't seen him on television since & I know he was working in radio in Toronto. Now he's cut again & I don't think he's even 50 years old. His career may be finished so that has to be tough.

What do these guys do who've been in the business for 25 years & a decade or more away from retirement? It seems lots of guys get squeezed out of television in their older years & get gigs working in radio doing jobs I am sure they'd never thought they'd do but I guess they have to pay the bills.

There's a guy here in Calgary named Peter Watts who used to be on TSN from its beginning in 1986 but was laid off 15 years ago. He was from Calgary & came back working on CHQR doing the weekend morning shows from 6 am to 8 am. as well as filling in on shifts here & there but he seems out of his element if it isn't sports. I doubt if 15,000 people listen to that station on a weekend morning that early. Always thought he would be a natural on their Stamps football broadcasts but he has never worked a single game over the years. Yeah,it truly must be tough. 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Death of a Canadian institution. Less Canadian content is always a win for CTV.

[Mark F]

It's the general trend, less people doing more work, together with automation /offshoring, bringing in cheaper labour on work visas, and lower quality

 

means more profit.

 

Also been reading  lately about a fair amount of people dumping cable and satellite tv, just going with internet.

 

Newspaper and other media corporations are now using computers to write news stories that we read.

 

To me the most remarkable sports media story is Jay Onrait. I used to see him doing breakfast television here in the Peg.

I think he's from Northern Alberta.

[sweep the leg]

I used to really like Off the Record, watched it quite regularly but a few years ago it just became unbearable and I find myself not really being sad to see it go.

Agreed. It went downhill when he started giving regular spots to guys like  Lyndon Byers & Michael Irvin. They were unbearable to listen to and seemed to be on all the time. I haven't watched regularly in a few years now.

 

I liked the really old days of the show when it was all wrestlers and porn stars.

[The Unknown Poster]

Ill hand it to Landsberg, he treated wrestling with mainstream appeal years and years ago and scored some big interviews at key times (Bret right before he jumped to WCW but had made the decision, Vince after the Screwjob, Bischoff around that time too).  If I recall, TSN was a huge partner of WWE so he leveraged the relationship and the wrestling shows were big ratings for OTR.  But I agree, he became tough to watch as the years went on.

[iso_55]

It's hard to believe a guy like Landsberg approaching 60 would still have a job while others with more talent lose theirs. Landsberg should have been cut.

[Noeller]

Add another 19 to the list, as Bell Winnipeg let a bunch of Radio/TV people go today. Just f***ing brutal.....

[iso_55]

Add another 19 to the list, as Bell Winnipeg let a bunch of Radio/TV people go today. Just f***ing brutal.....

Who got the axe in Winnipeg?

[Noeller]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/19-jobs-cut-at-Winnipegs-Bell-Media-radio-tv-stations-351531761.html#st_refDomain=www.facebook.com&st_refQuery=/

 

 

axe on several employees.

At least 19 people have been cut at CTV Winnipeg, 103.1 Virgin Radio and 99.9 BOB FM as Bell Media, which owns TV and radio stations across the country, continued the nationwide restructuring it began in August.

 

Pamela Roz, 103.1 Virgin Radio’s host on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., was cut, along with Kristin Marand, 99.9 BOB FM’s midday host.

Roz tweeted on Wednesday that "to use a #sports term, I’m a free-agent, friends! No longer on-air, but full of fun skills to use as I please. Thx for all the support."

Marand tweeted earlier this week that "the great @halanderson once told me "kid, you’re no one in this business until you’ve been fired at least six times."

Seven other employees in radio production, sales, street team and engineering are also gone.

At CTV Winnipeg, no on-air staff were cut, but the TV station lost its operations manager, promotions manager and payroll manager, as well as a camera operator, editor, floor editor, feed and play operator, web producer, traffic manager and receptionist.

Bell Media had announced earlier this month it planned to eliminate 380 positions across the country, including 270 in Toronto.

A spokesperson for Unifor, the union that represents the workers, said at the time that 220 of the positions would be in editorial and production, 45 in sales and marketing and five in administration.

A local spokesperson for Unifor and another for Bell Media could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Across the country, other notable cuts included CTV News Channel anchors Dan Matheson and Amanda Blitz, and TSN co-host David Bastl. TSN’s Off The Record was also cancelled, but its host, Michael Landsberg, will continue producing shorter pieces for the station.

Bell Media owns 30 local TV stations, 34 specialty channels like TSN, and 106 radio stations across the country.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

[Mark F]

but the TV station lost its operations manager, promotions manager and payroll manager, as well as a camera operator, editor, floor editor, feed and play operator, web producer, traffic manager and receptionist.

 

 

amazing.

 

Do they have enough people left to keep putting something on?

 

I noticed CTV in Edmonton AM show is reduced to playing a live camera of some radio hosts, sitting in their chairs... wearing sweats, toques, headphones on.... couldn't believe it.

 

I guess not many people are  watching local tv anyway.

[Noeller]

It's gonna be a lot of automation soon. Somehow more than they already do.

[The Unknown Poster]

Aren't some of those positions sort of necessary?

[iso_55]

You'd think. Funny how employers always talk about loyalty especially in the hiring process & then they just cut... I learned a long time ago to never trust anything an employer says about loyalty & long term careers. It's all talk & we're nothing but numbers to companies.

[The Unknown Poster]

I hope they are receiving severance packages.  Interesting that they are unionized by a national union and it could do nothing for them.  All those dues bought a big load of zero job security.

[17to85]

Aren't some of those positions sort of necessary?

Probably hire someone cheaper to do it

[Noeller]

Aren't some of those positions sort of necessary?

Probably hire someone cheaper to do it

Most likely automated. Someone in another city does the job remotely. Doesn't do the job as well, but does it cheaper.