Changes coming to Sault radio stations as job cuts loom

Rogers Sports and Media has confirmed that programming changes are in store for KiSS 100.5 FM and Country 104.3, but isn't saying whether or not those changes will result in job cuts locally. 

The parent company of the two local radio stations tells SooToday that a "small percentage" of its employees across the country will be leaving the company, and that programming changes will be taking place in some media markets, including Sault Ste. Marie. No further details are being disclosed. 

"We are modernizing our business to position us for growth as we face the continued effects of a seismic shift in the media industry from traditional to digital and the challenges of the global pandemic," said Andrea Goldstein, senior director of communications for Rogers Sports and Media, in an email to SooToday Thursday. "These changes allow us to prioritize our focus in areas where we have the assets and capabilities to deliver best-in-class multiplatform experiences."  

Several Rogers Sports and Media employees took to Twitter this week to say they'd be leaving the company, including Steve MacArthur, who has been a news editor at News 95.7 in Halifax.

"I was among the cuts today and "small percentage" of people let go across the country. I'm not surprised, doing fine and look forward to a nice break," MacArthur tweeted late Tuesday.

Rogers Sports and Media, a fully owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., owns 56 radio stations and seven television stations, according to its website.

- with files from The Canadian Press