CTV’s flagship investigative program W5 faces a sweeping transformation after BCE Inc. slashed nine percent of its workforce, marking the end of the show’s 58-year run as a standalone series.
The restructuring comes amid a broader wave of cuts across Bell Media, which include the sale of 45 regional radio stations from its fleet of 103. An internal memo distributed to staff on Thursday outlined that W5 will morph into a multiplatform investigative unit rather than continue as an independent documentary program.
As a result, future W5 reports will air within CTV National News broadcasts and appear on the CTV News website alongside other CTV digital properties. Bell Media has not yet clarified whether the transition involves personnel reductions or how many staff members may lose their positions.
Launched in 1966, W5 built a reputation for deep-dive journalism spanning cold cases, political corruption, sexual abuse coverups, international drug trafficking and money laundering operations. Over the decades, the show featured some of Canada’s most recognizable broadcast journalists, including Lloyd Robertson, Kevin Newman and Lisa LaFlamme.
Meanwhile, the Bell memo confirmed that other CTV and BNN Bloomberg programs face immediate changes. Several local newscasts will see adjustments as part of the cost-cutting measures.
In an open letter, chief executive Mirko Bibic disclosed that 4,800 positions will be eliminated across all levels of the company. Fewer than ten percent of those cuts affect Bell Media specifically.
The move raises questions about the future of long-form investigative journalism within Canada’s private broadcast landscape. With W5 absorbed into daily news operations, observers will watch whether its signature depth survives under a multiplatform format.
