Claude Galipeau ended his brief tenure at Alliance Atlantis Communications on Friday, joining the exec-odus of new-media heads from CHUM, CTV, CanWest and Corus, which – in a wave of post-takeover belt-tightening – appear to be gutting their online departments.

The SVP of digital media joined the company in March 2006, coming over from a similar post at CBC. Earlier this year, he oversaw the launch of blogtv.ca, the social networking site that AA’s new owners at CanWest Global are preparing to shut down, citing low traffic and sales. The takeover deal still awaits regulatory approval.

Other new-media execs who have recently departed their posts include CHUM VP of content business management Maria Hale, who is now at Telus; CTV’s VP of digital media Kris Faibish; Arturo Duran, president of digital innovation and ventures at CanWest MediaWorks (who has taken a job at ImpreMedia in the US); and Corus Entertainment’s VP and GM of interactive TV Lucie Lalumière. Earlier this week, Corus merged the interactive team of its television division with Nelvana Studios.

From Playback Daily