TVO, Ontario’s public broadcaster, has made major cuts to its journalism team, letting go several staff members and freelancers.
Matt Gurney, a former columnist at TVO, shared on X earlier this week that he was informed his column would be discontinued, adding that while he can replace the lost income, the same may not be true for others affected.
Following Gurney’s announcement, John Ferri, VP of Programming & Content at TVO, responded and shared a statement clarifying the broadcaster’s position. According to Ferri, nine staff members are leaving, including five from the web team, two managers, and two others, out of a total editorial staff of 70. He emphasized that TVO remains committed to journalism despite the layoffs.
“We have not cancelled any of our journalism broadcast programming,” Ferri said, pointing out that shows like The Agenda will continue. He also noted the launch of a new weekly program, Big (If True), focusing on disinformation, as well as TVO’s commitment to producing 8-12 documentaries annually.
TVO is also investing in digital content, including investigative podcasts such as Queries, which explores the intersection of faith rights and gender equity. Ferri highlighted four in-house digital video series currently in production, including Unravelled, examining parental rights, and NDN POV, which focuses on Indigenous issues.
In his statement, Ferri explained the broadcaster’s strategic shift toward video, podcasts, and documentaries, rather than traditional text-based news stories. “What we have done is make a strategic choice to focus our website more on documentaries, video, and podcasts than on text alone,” he said, adding that TVO will continue to publish columns from in-house journalists.
While Ferri reaffirmed TVO’s commitment to journalism, the layoffs have sparked concern about the future of independent reporting at the broadcaster. Many are questioning how the reduced team will maintain the same level of journalistic output.
For Gurney, the decision marks a significant shift in direction for TVO. “This is TVO’s choice. And it’s a valid one,” he wrote, while also expressing solidarity with the staff who were let go. “Getting fired sucks. It’s shocking. I’ve been there.”
Back in 2017, TVO partnered with Twitter to stream The Agenda online.
It’s not looking good out there for traditional media, let alone for provincial public broadcasters like TVO. Even our national public broadcaster, the CBC, is hemorrhaging money, year after year (but millions in executive bonuses are still being paid out).
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