Rogers Sports & Media has announced the closure of six radio stations in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, and Kitchener, resulting in the loss of 230 jobs. The company confirmed that 80 employees from the shuttered stations are directly impacted, while the remaining 150 job cuts include corporate positions in sales, marketing, and a few roles in TV and radio, as well as some positions outside the media division.
The decision to close the stations was described as “difficult but necessary” after a comprehensive review of the company’s radio stations nationwide. The affected stations include Sportsnet 650 and News 1130 in Vancouver, and 660 NewsRadio Calgary and Sportsnet 960 in Alberta. Listeners in Vancouver were greeted with recorded messages on News 1130 and re-runs on Sportsnet 650.
NewsRadio Halifax and NewsRadio Kitchener are also among the stations that will be closing. Traffic reporter Alexander Carrigan shared that he learned about the closure while on his way to work, hearing the news through a broadcasted message.
B.C. Premier David Eby expressed his sentiments on social media, acknowledging the impact of the closures on the local news landscape. Jeffrey Dvorkin, a former director of the journalism program at the University of Toronto, noted that media organizations are adapting to changing market demands, potentially focusing on consolidating various media platforms.
Rogers attributed the closures to declining audience and revenue trends, citing low average listener numbers for sports radio stations in Vancouver and Calgary. The company confirmed it will continue broadcasting Vancouver Canucks games on one of its radio properties but will not produce Calgary Flames broadcasts for radio.
The closures come shortly after Rogers Communications acquired full ownership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, in a $4.35 billion deal. Despite the station closures, Sportsnet 590 in Toronto remains operational, with Rogers maintaining radio operations in nearly 30 communities across Canada.