CBC says bureau expansion will address ‘news deserts,’ despite concerns from local media outlets

Last week, the CBC announced it would expand into 11 new markets in an effort to provide more “boots on the ground journalism,” but some local media outlets are concerned there won’t be enough room for everyone. Some local journalists say they are worried CBC/Radio-Canada's recent decision to stand up new bureaus across the country could undercut community-based reporting by overpowering existing news outlets. “I think the CBC coming in just muddies the waters,” Jason Antonio, a reporter with moosejawtoday.com, told The Hill Times. “Having the CBC come into a community like Moose Jaw might be harmful to local media because the CBC will attract more eyeballs to its products and take away from the radio station or Moose Jaw Today Online.” Moose Jaw, Sask., was among the 11 communities included in a recently-announced CBC expansion that will bring newsrooms to areas identified as needing more local coverage. Other affected localities include Dawson City, Yukon; Flin Flon, Man.; and Châteauguay/Montérégie, Que. In last week’s announcement, the CBC also committed to hiring 33 journalists that will be spread across new and pre-existing bureaus, which now total 77 locations. “These are places where we have little or no presence on the ground,” said Brodie Fenlon, general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News, in an interview. “Some of these places are what you might define as a ‘news desert,’ as in there’s very little or any journalism happening there.” Originally coined in the 1980s, a ‘news desert’ refers to a geographical area where community-based coverage is practically non-existent. “Writ large, we know journalism is in decline right across the country, so this is a way of stepping in and adding … boots-on-the-ground journalism in what are often smaller communities or more remote communities,” said Fenlon. This is the second wave of the CBC’s local news expansion, as the broadcaster announced the opening of more than 20 local and regional bureaus early last year, which have been populated by 30 recently-hired journalists. Fenlon said the expansions have been possible because of the Online News Act, legislation introduced by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which required large platforms to pay for news content that appears on their websites. While Meta Platforms Inc., Facebook’s parent company, responded by blocking Canadian news from appearing on its social media platforms, Alphabet Inc.'s Google negotiated a $100-million media fund that would be annually dispersed amongst Canadian outlets—including the CBC—which can receive a maximum of seven per cent of the pot. “The settlement from Google provided some funding that allowed us to make a more significant move,” said Fenlon. “ we would have had to stop a bunch of things to make this happen.” Teamwork makes the dream work? In its announcement, the CBC promised to “champion the work of other community news organizations” and, where possible, form partnerships with other outlets, but reaction from current local news media has been mixed. “I don’t really think the CBC is needed, but rather we need an extra reporter or two at the current news outlets,” said Antonio, who has worked as a journalist in Moose Jaw since 2019. “The CBC also has way more money and way more resources, so that could be a hurdle for local news organizations.” Antonio acknowledged that there will be benefits, as the CBC will help “apply more pressure” to local institutions, like the municipal government or police service, but said he’s skeptical of the public broadcaster’s pledge to collaborate with other outlets. “If the CBC has the reporters, they can just do the work themselves,” he said. “I can’t imagine a big behemoth like the CBC wanting to collaborate with other smaller news outlets.” Other local media veterans were more optimistic, including Brook Jones, editor of the Selkirk Times, who said he was “surprised” to hear that the CBC would establish a bureau in the Manitoba community, located 40-minutes northeast of Winnipeg, but said that “everyone” is excited about the idea. “Having served the Selkirk community for so many years, people here value news outlets covering their stories,” said Jones, who founded the Selkirk Times after the Postmedia-owned Selkirk Journal closed in 2020. “I even got a message from the mayor about it … so I take it very much as a positive.” “Different news outlets have different specialties …, so I don’t look at it as competition. I look at it as everybody trying to do the same thing, which is covering the news.” In Richmond, B.C., Maria Rantanen, editor of Richmond News, said local journalism has been struggling for years, so the equation is very simple: “the more reporters, the better.” “It’s sad to see that so many newsrooms have declined …, so it’s positive to see resources being put into Richmond,” said Rantanen of the 200,000-person town located just outside Vancouver. “When you’re a local news outlet, you get into the minutiae of that community. It supports democracy, it supports citizen engagement, and it’s what citizens need to know.” “So, I think will be a complement to what’s already being done.” The CBC’s Fenlon emphasized that the broadcaster has “no interest” in hurting local media, but rather it’s making a concerted effort to provide more community-based coverage. He noted that “proximity” was a major priority of the CBC’s new five-year strategic plan, released this past October. In recent years, continued Fenlon, the CBC has relied on “temporary” bureaus to provide coverage of various communities. “This is a shift in terms of trying to create a more permanent presence,” he said. “And we believe strongly that the more players there are in news and media, the better it is for the country.” Meanwhile, David Hutton, senior managing director of CBC News in the Prairies, said the broadcaster’s local affiliates will work with existing outlets on coverage and personnel issues. “We’re looking at what we will do, like co-production, training , or other things that will help contribute to a healthier media landscape,” Hutton said. “What will that look like? We’re just getting it set up, so we haven’t really developed it yet.” Over 600 local news outlets have closed since 2008: data Recent research suggests local news outlets are quickly becoming an endangered species in Canada, as declining advertising revenues have contributed to newsroom closures across the country. According to the Local News Research Project, an exploration into “news poverty” housed by Toronto Metropolitan University, 603 community-based outlets have closed in 388 communities since 2008, compared to only 264 outlets that have launched during that period. The trend has been particularly felt in sparsely-populated areas as, over the same timespan, 273 outlets have closed in places with fewer than 20,000 people, while just 82 news stations and publications have opened. “One of the obvious reasons why having a vibrant local news environment matters is because it gives people the information they need to participate in local democracy,” said April Lindgren, the project’s founder. However, Lindgren said her research suggests the CBC’s entrance into new, smaller markets might have a positive effect on the local journalism ecosystem. “When a public broadcaster is in a market, it forces all the news organizations to up their game and do a better job,” she said. “So, I think is good news for these communities.” Lindgren also explained that more densely-populated areas can also suffer from ‘news poverty,’ which is why she was encouraged to see Peel Region, Ont., which includes Brampton, Mississauga, and a regional population of 1.5-million people, featured in the broadcaster’s expansion. “A lot of big suburban communities outside of major cities tend to have relatively limited homegrown local media that are devoted to covering those communities,” she said. “You think about Brampton and Mississauga with their large populations, but the amount of local media focused on them is extremely limited, so that might be an explanation for that.” The advocacy group Friends of Canadian Media called the CBC’s announcement a “welcome and necessary step,” but cautioned that the broadcaster could upend the news market in impacted communities. “It’s important that public policy strikes the right balance between strengthening public service journalism and maintaining space for a healthy, pluralistic private media sector,” said Sebastien Higgins, the group’s spokesperson, in a statement. “Expansion by the public broadcaster inevitably raises important questions about its impact on the broader media ecosystem.” “These competitive dynamics deserve careful, evidence-based examination, and a comprehensive CBC/Radio-Canada mandate review is the appropriate forum to assess whether current structures and guardrails remain fit for purpose in today’s media environment.” Go west, young man According to CBC officials, another motivation behind the decision to expand was a desire to increase the broadcaster’s presence in western Canada. Among the 11 communities set to receive CBC bureaus, eight are located west of Ontario, while none are in Atlantic Canada. The CBC is also planning to hire 11 journalists to “bolster” one-person newsrooms in another 11 bureaus located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. “There are some major cities that have had no CBC presence, like Red Deer, Alta.; Medicine Hat, Alta.; and Prince Albert, Sask.; and these are places where the population is growing fast,” said Hutton, who’s helmed the CBC’s Prairies coverage since 2023. “So, we’re trying to have more reporting in places that have, over time, seen less reporting on their communities.” When asked if CBC was “playing catch-up” in Western Canada, Fenlon acknowledged the region had become “more of a focus” for the broadcaster. “There are a number of communities where we are just not there, and many of them happen to be in central and western Canada,” said Fenlon. “That’s just the way the CBC has developed since the 1930s, where a lot of growth through Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.” NDP MP Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, B.C.) said he “appreciated” that the CBC was placing more emphasis on local news coverage in western Canada, but many gaps still remain. “I am disappointed that central and northern Vancouver Island wasn’t included among the 11 new bureaus,” said Johns, who represents a riding on the island, in a statement. “ communities include many rural and remote towns with multiple Indigenous cultures and languages that deserve stronger local media coverage.” “I will continue to advocate for that investment so residents here aren’t left without the coverage they need.” dlegree@hilltimes.com This story has been cross-published with The Hill Times.

CBC says bureau expansion will address ‘news deserts,’ despite concerns from local media outlets

Broadcast |
By Davis Legree
|January 22, 2026

Last week, the CBC announced it would expand into 11 new markets in an effort to provide more “boots on the ground journalism,” but some local media outlets are concerned there won’t be enough room for everyone.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

CBC says bureau expansion will address ‘news deserts,’ despite concerns from local media outlets

Broadcast | By Davis Legree |January 22, 2026

Last week, the CBC announced it would expand into 11 new markets in an effort to provide more “boots on the ground journalism,” but some local media outlets are concerned there won’t be enough room for everyone.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

‘A catalyst for change’: MPs bullish on Heated Rivalry’s impact on Canadian hockey culture

CRTC lifts moratorium on radio applications

Opposition MPs, media veterans call for ‘long overdue’ CBC mandate review

Related Stories

Opposition MPs, media veterans call for ‘long overdue’ CBC mandate review

Bloc Québécois calls on federal government to support private broadcasters following TVA layoffs

UPDATED: Federal budget aims to boost affordability, productivity in Canadian telecom, AI, cultural sectors

CBC’s ‘fast pivot’ strategy to capture new audiences online could prove difficult without reprioritizing resources, says media expert

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Broadcast |
By Davis Legree
|January 22, 2026