Thousands sign petition for Meehan’s return

A petition urging Bell Media to reconsider its decision to axe CTV’s Ottawa co-anchor Carol Anne Meehan had reached more than 12,590 signatures by Wednesday night.

Meehan was laid off Tuesday in a swath of job cuts at Bell-owned CTV and radio station CFRA, and at other stations across the country.

She had been at the TV station for almost 27 years.

Also fired was longtime sportscaster and Olympic gold medallist Carolyn Waldo, who had been at CJOH/ CTV for almost 26 years.

Bell Media refuses to say how many people it laid off at the two outlets.

While Meehan’s firing has drawn the most attention, and a tsunami of viewer anger, many of those let go were behind-the-scenes employees, including a married couple in sales at CTV Ottawa.

Dominic Stewart, a CTV Ottawa news viewer who started the petition, said Meehan had a strong bond with the community.

“Like most people who tune into broadcast media, I want to trust the person delivering the news,” he said. “It’s a big loss to the community because she was the one person left on local news media that people really felt a connection to.”

Stewart said he hopes the petition results in Meehan’s being rehired or hired by another outlet, if that’s what she wants.

“It’s obviously very sad that other people also lost their jobs, but it’s symbolic that there are more than 5,000 signatures on the petition in less than 24 hours,” he said Wednesday morning. “It shows the connection she has with the community.

“I hope the petition will have a positive outcome," he said, “even if it just tells her that Ottawa loves her and isn’t taking this lightly.”