Bell Media fires 16 at CTV Ottawa, CFRA, Team 1200, Majic 100, BOB-FMBy Tony Lofaro, The Ottawa Citizen
February 9, 2012
OTTAWA — CFRA talk show host Michael Harris is among 16 on-air staff and manager who were let go Thursday by Bell Media in a corporate restructuring at CTV Ottawa and at radio stations CFRA, Majic 100, Bob-FM and Team 1200.
Harris, who hosted an afternoon talk show on CFRA, got his termination notice along with CFRA reporter Gord McDougall; Jim Jerome, Phil Melanson and Mike Sutherland at TEAM 1200, Steve Boynton from Majic 100 and Tina Sapp from BOB-FM. Other staff let go were CFRA manager Al McCartney and Brent Corbeil, a manager at CTV Ottawa.
The staff were told about the layoffs Thursday morning.
Harris said he went to the Market Mall building in the ByWard Market to edit a documentary and was called into the office by news director Steve Winogron. He said he was later led into the office of Richard Gray, general manager of CTV Ottawa.
“They basically read the termination notice to me,” said Harris, 63. He had been worked at the station for 11 years.
“It was a termination due to corporate restructuring and there was no reason given, but they went out of their way to say it had nothing to do with the quality of (my) work,” he said.
He said he had to leave the building immediately and could not pick up any of his personal belongings.
“I will deeply miss the audience because I had a special relationship with them. We did a lot of special things as well as the talk show. So, I’ll miss the audience and if I had one regret it’s that I didn’t get a chance to sign off,” he said.
“That part to me seems a bit heartless to me, but I understand from a corporate point of view why they don’t want you to do that,” said Harris, who also said he will miss his colleagues at the station.
Station management was tight-lipped about the layoffs when contacted Thursday.
“I’m not prepared to comment any further,” said Richard Gray, general manager of CTV Ottawa.
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