BATON TO CUT 154 ONTARIO JOBS
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Baton Broadcasting is eliminating 154 jobs at Ontario TV stations because of stiffer competition in local markets. Stations in Northern Ontario, Ottawa and Toronto will wipe out 87 full-time and part-time positions, putting 80 employees out of work. In London and Kitchener, Baton will get rid of 67 positions, affecting 62 people. The move is being made because the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recently granted approval for WIC Western International Communications of Vancouver and CHUM Ltd. of Toronto to extend the signals of TV stations' signals for CHCH-TV of Hamilton and CITY-TV of Toronto. These two stations will now air in communities already served by Baton local stations. To protect local TV stations, the CRTC ruled that the new players could not seek retail advertising in local markets.