Facing a $171 million budget crunch, the CBC has announced major cuts in the Maritime provinces. Thirty-one full-time jobs are being eliminated, eleven per cent of the region's CBC staff. Maritime Noon, CBC's best regional radio program will lose five full-time reporters. Its two remaining staffers will produce a one-hour phone-in Monday to Friday. CBC is scrapping Maritime Noon's other hour which reported on a wide range of issues in Mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Maritime Noon consistently produced two hours of high-quality programming for six CBC stations in three provinces, but CBC bureaucrats based their cuts on the cost of production per person. Thus, regions with smaller populations suffered disproportionately. The morning information radio programs in Sydney, Moncton and Saint John will also face substantial staff cuts.
Nationally, CBC's the fifth estate which specializes in investigative journalism is facing a major budget reduction. The CBC, hungry for as much advertising revenue as it can get, recently moved the fifth estate and the consumer-issues program Marketplace to slots on Friday evening when audiences are smaller. The fifth estate will now produce fewer episodes each season.
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