TORONTO -- Hamilton's CHCH channel is cutting back on local news in an attempt to right its troubled finances.
The broadcaster broke into its regular news programming on Friday to announce the changes.
Romen Podzyhun, chief executive of CHCH's parent company Channel Zero, told viewers the channel would not be airing its 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news broadcasts on Friday.
Podzyhun did not give a reason for the one day stoppage, but said the station would resume reduced local coverage on Monday.
He says CHCH will air fewer overall hours of news programming, but will be able to continue to deliver local stories to the community.
Unifor media sector director Howard Law told The Canadian Press that in a briefing with a lawyer for Channel Zero he was told CHCH was planning to reduce its local programming from 80 hours to 25 hours a week.
CHCH has been in operation since 1954, covering the Hamilton, Halton and Niagara region.
The channel has faced financial turbulence over the past decade. In 2009, Channel Zero snapped up CHCH-TV from struggling media giant Canwest Global Communications Corp., turning it into an over-the-air news station which aired older Hollywood movies in the evening.
Eventually that business model shifted to airing more popular TV shows alongside news programming.
