As many as 200 Canadian radio stations and around 40 local television stations could go silent over the next three years.
That is according to a new report commissioned by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters released this week.
Private broadcasters face a projected ad revenue shortfall of $1.06 billion between now and 2022 due to a combination of long-term trends and the pandemic.
The report says as many as 50 of Canada’s 737 private radio stations could go silent over the next six months, with the most vulnerable being AM stations.
A further 100 to 150 stations could turn off their mics for good over the next 18 months, leading to as many as 2,000 job losses.
The number of private television stations could shrink from 95 to just 50 to 60 over the next three years.
The report calls on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to grant emergency regulatory relief and for the federal government to step up its “targeted support” for broadcasters.
It also says there needs to be a “thorough, holistic review” of the future of media in Canada.
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