Shaw’s Kelowna television station is being spared the axe in a move to bolster Global News operations elsewhere in the country.
On Wednesday, Corus Entertainment—which bought Shaw’s media arm, owner of the Global network, last year for $2.65 billion—announced it is closing Shaw TV stations in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, and redirecting the money it spends on them to Global.
The move will eliminate about 70 jobs in the three affected cities, said the company in a news release.
Later this year, the company plans to boost funding for Global News by about $10 million a year, with the aim of improving Global’s local news coverage.
Shaw justified the closings saying the move will reduce duplication of coverage in the three cities. The shutdowns will occur this summer.
Shaw said it will continue to operate local television stations in Canadian markets, including Kelowna, Victoria, Nanaimo, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, Sault St. Marie and several other smaller markets.
In Kelowna, Shaw operates both Shaw TV and Global Okanagan.
