Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

OMNI Multicultural Newscasts Shutting Down, Rogers Media Cuts About 100 Jobs Due To Lower Revenues

Darpan News Desk , 07 May, 2015 11:51 AM
    Rogers Media Inc. is cutting all newscasts on OMNI Television. According to a published report, Rogers Media is cutting about 100 jobs from its television operations, mainly at its Omni multicultural stations. 
     
    There are rumours that there may be some limited Chinese and Punjabi news production and Vancouver might just become a bureau. This action could mean the end of the daily Punjabi news which the Sikh community in British Columbia regularly watches.
     
    The multilingual stations currently air newscasts in Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Italian. They have faced increasing pressure from newscasts originating abroad.
     
     
    According to documents filed with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the Rogers Media unit of Toronto-based Rogers Communications Inc. lost $85.8-million before interest and taxes in its conventional TV operations last year.
     
    During a presentation to the CRTC one year ago, Keith Pelley, the president of Rogers Media, said OMNI “is in a financial crisis” as ad revenues had plummeted more than 50 per cent in only two years, dropping from more than $80-million in 2011 to less than $35-million in the 2013-14 broadcast year.
     
    Most of OMNI’s revenues had come from ad sales on some popular U.S. programs such as Two and a Half Men and The Simpsons, which have become more widely available in syndication and on streaming services.
     
    Pelley said that those ad revenues had helped support the ethnic and third-language news and information programming financially.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing At Vancouver Airport

    Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing At Vancouver Airport
    Alaska Airlines Flight 76 was en route between Juneau, Alaska, and Seattle, Wash., when problems arose with one of the plane's two electrical systems.

    Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing At Vancouver Airport

    Search For Missing Family Underway In Wilderness North Of Kamloops

    Search For Missing Family Underway In Wilderness North Of Kamloops
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A backcountry search is underway for a missing family who are believed to have gone off-roading north of Kamloops, B.C.

    Search For Missing Family Underway In Wilderness North Of Kamloops

    Prisoner Charged After Alleged Cellblock Attack On B.C. Deputy Sheriff

    Prisoner Charged After Alleged Cellblock Attack On B.C. Deputy Sheriff
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Charges have been laid against a prisoner after an alleged attack on a deputy sheriff in Kamloops, B.C.

    Prisoner Charged After Alleged Cellblock Attack On B.C. Deputy Sheriff

    Vancouver Marijuana Dispensaries Vary On Rules For Who Can Buy Pot

    Vancouver Marijuana Dispensaries Vary On Rules For Who Can Buy Pot
    VANCOUVER — Don Briere stands behind the counter at Weeds Glass and Gifts in downtown Vancouver, surrounded by shelves of multicoloured pipes and clear boxes overflowing with fragrant B.C. bud.

    Vancouver Marijuana Dispensaries Vary On Rules For Who Can Buy Pot

    Sensational Singer Diljit Dosanjh To Perform In Abbotsford

    Sensational Singer Diljit Dosanjh To Perform In Abbotsford
    Fans of Diljit Dosanjh – one of the leading artists in the Punjabi music industry are in for a treat. The famous singer-actor is coming to British Columbia to perform in Abbotsford on May 16.

    Sensational Singer Diljit Dosanjh To Perform In Abbotsford

    Teen Actress Abigail Bergman And Friend Found In Toronto On Saturday: Police

    Teen Actress Abigail Bergman And Friend Found In Toronto On Saturday: Police
    Fourteen-year-old Abigail Bergman — who acts on the Family Channel's "Next Step" series — and her friend Polinah Ouskova, 15, were reported missing by their families after they didn't return to their Oakville, Ont., homes on Monday night.

    Teen Actress Abigail Bergman And Friend Found In Toronto On Saturday: Police