I've noticed an increase in those "pretend" local news stories on CTV Kitchener, too. Local reporter just does a newsroom voice-over using video of an out-of-market event obtained from newswires, as if there's any added value to local viewers by stripping out the originating reporter. On the bright side, the primary CTV Kitchener anchorperson announced she's soon going on leave; sigh of temporary relief to viewers because whenever she's at the desk, it's nothing but infotainment "coming up... then..." teasing riddled with irritating rhetorical questions. Does CTV [Two] London recap "the top stories we're following
online"? That's one of the Kitchener station's formulaic abominations; makes it sound like their staff never leaves to actually go seek out news stories, instead just desk-jockeying and monitoring what's trending on competing news sources.
But if you think London is bad, try watching ultra-hokey CTV Atlantic, or keep track of the number of factual errors cited by certain CP24 reporters.
Altogether, Bell Media continues to rightsize, and further deterioration of local news is the result. The revolving door HR analogy is downright ridiculous because it's precisely how vertically-integrated mega corporations like BCE operate. Also not too surprising is how Bell is increasingly acting like it's above the law, with
self-serving corporate edicts interfering with journalistic integrity. Makes me wonder how long before Bell decides to stop providing streaming versions of local newscasts for free on respective websites, and forces everyone to subscribe to CraveTV, instead.
I've often found it amusing how some people (usually Bell employees) are adament about budgeting protocol within BCE companies, as if Bell Media operates 100% independent of other Bell properties. Yeah, well, Bell Media isn't a publicly traded company on its own -- only BCE is, so if shareholders
really decide the success or lack thereof, then those who control Bell Canada, The Source, Fibe TV, etc. also control Bell Media, and likely don't treat its accounting as mutually exclusive.
One final anecdote -- yesterday, CTV Kitchener announced that Bell Media was "partnering" with the Canadian Peregrine Falcon Foundation to have a nesting box installed atop the old microwave tower (actually owned by Bell Mobility, I believe) next to the station. Somehow I doubt Bell paid the Trylon-TSF riggers,
seen in the shots they aired, to do this job; I'm surprised they decided to "allow" it at all, even if the charity paid for the rigging work, given the usual corporate excuses like liabilty risks. All the CTV bosses in Toronto seem completely disinterested in Kitchener/London... is anyone actually making managing decisions at local stations anymore?