Canada Radio: Layoffs Hit CFRA, CTV Ottawa

Longtime CTV Ottawa viewers took their outrage to social media Tuesday after "iconic" news anchor Carol Anne Meehan and sports reporter Carolyn Waldo were among the casualties of a massive round of layoffs.

Some called for a boycott of the station, while others said they were "stunned" and "disgusted" by the decision, with parent company Bell Media slashing as many as 20 positions from the city's media landscape as part of a large-scale corporate restructuring.

As of late Tuesday, the media giant had not acknowledged any of the cuts, with 270 positions in Toronto and a further 110 in Montreal on the chopping block, according to The Ottawa Sun.

Steve Madely

After 27 years connecting with her viewers on-air, Meehan said she would have loved to have said goodbye to those who trusted her with delivering the news.

While Meehan was the highest-profile personality to fall victim to sweeping company-wide cuts, others well-known to local television and radio audiences were also let go.

Ottawa talk station CFRA 580 AM suffered a similar fate, with an internal company memo saying 15 positions were eliminated in the Ottawa market and an additional five positions trimmed through attrition.

One day after long-serving CFRA morning show host Steve Madely announced his sudden, and unexpected retirement, hosts Rick Gibbons and Shelley McLean were each handed their pink slips.

Assistant news director John Brenner, afternoon news reader Sean Connolly, and producer Mike Murphy are also among those let go Tuesday, according to sources.

An internal memo sent from Bell Media president Mary Anne Turcke, obtained by the Sun, says "all departing employees will be treated with respect and sincere appreciation for their contributions to the company."

More cuts can be expected through the end of the month, according to the memo.