Rogers yanks News 1130, Sportsnet 650 from the radio

VANCOUVER – Rogers Sports and Media has shut down News 1130 and Sportsnet 650 radio stations in Vancouver and other other radio stations across Canada.

Calgary’s 660 NewsRadio is also being closed, along with Halifax’s 95.7 NewsRadio, and Kitchener’s 570 NewsRadio.

The company said 80 total employees are affected by the closures.

It cited declining audience numbers and lower advertisement revenue for the decision.

“The media business continues to face headwinds driven by declining advertising revenue and changing audience habits. These changes are part of our plan to focus our investment in areas that will drive growth long-term,” said Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro in an emailed statement.

“After a thorough review of our radio stations, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close six radio stations in four markets due to declining audience and revenue trends.”

Carreiro said Rogers will continue to own and operate 44 radio stations in nearly 30 communities and would “invest in local news in the impacted markets.”

Rogers will continue broadcasting Vancouver Canucks games on one of its radio properties in that city but will no longer produce Calgary Flames broadcasts for radio.

It added that from October to May of this past year, its Calgary sports radio station had an average of just 1,200 listeners. The Vancouver sports station had an average audience of 2,100 listeners during that same period.

Rogers said its Sportsnet 590 station in Toronto will continue to operate.

There are 230 jobs across Rogers Sports and Media, about half of which are corporate and support roles such as sales, marketing and programming.

Rogers said cuts would affect a “small number of other on-air jobs across TV and radio” due to programming changes. That includes some unionized TV newsroom positions in Toronto and Vancouver.

The TV newsroom changes will begin with a voluntary departure program, with departures taking place in August.

The company is also making “adjustments” on the non-media side of its business “to reflect current market realities as part of our multi-year plan to drive growth long-term.” It said the changes affect a small percentage of its workforce, including corporate and frontline roles.

For Vancouver, the news marks the latest blow for sports radio in the city after Bell Media shuttered rival station TSN 1040 in 2021.

Rogers launched Sportsnet 650 in 2017 as it acquired the radio broadcast rights to Vancouver Canucks games. The company signed a deal with Canucks Sports & Entertainment four years ago to remain the team’s regional TV and radio rights holders through 2033.

A day prior to the announcement, Rogers announced it will acquire the remaining 25 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment that it didn’t yet own for $4.35 billion.

MLSE owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, MLS’ Toronto FC and the CFL’s Argonauts. Last year, Rogers closed a separate $4.7-billion deal with rival BCE Inc. to buy its 37.5 per cent stake in MLSE, making it the sports conglomerate’s majority owner.

In April, Rogers reported its profit rose in its latest quarter as total revenue was up 10 per cent year-over-year.

Rogers’ profit attributable to shareholders in its first quarter was $438 million, compared with $280 million a year earlier, as its revenue totalled $5.48 billion, up from $4.98 billion.

Despite higher media revenue overall, Rogers said its advertising revenue was lower for the quarter.

In 2024, Rogers cut what it said was “a few dozen” jobs in its audio business, citing an unpredictable advertising market that had led to declining revenue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B)

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press