Quebecor has paused its plans to end weekend newscasts for TVA’s station in Quebec City, but said it would result in further staff reductions.

“We acknowledge the Commission’s request and suspend our decision to withdraw the weekend newscasts from TVA Quebec,” Quebecor said in a letter addressed the CRTC, saying it would “put in place the necessary efforts to continue to meet” its local programming requirements until the regulator renders a decision.

Earlier this month, TVA announced that it would be ending Saturday and Sunday news broadcasts on CFCM, its TV station in Quebec City, effective the week beginning June 19.

In a letter sent to Quebecor last week, the CRTC said it was “greatly concerned” by the plan, as the company’s application to modify its local programming obligations was still under review. The regulator warned that, should the broadcaster follow through on ending weekend broadcasts prior to a decision, it could be in violation of the Broadcasting Act.

CUPE, the union that represents TVA Groupe workers, also made a CRTC application to prohibit TVA from ending its weekend newscasts after the company made its announcement.

Bell submitted an intervention in the case to the CRTC, saying that the regulator should fine Quebecor if it were to violate the act, or else allow all broadcasters to implement changes while still seeking approval. It also pointed to its own previous carriage disputes with Quebecor as a history of repeat violations of the Broadcasting Act.

In its letter to the CRTC, Quebecor took a shot at Bell, referring to a recent round of job cuts and shuttering six of its radio stations.

“Instead of completely abandoning station operations as Bell recently did by closing six radio stations, we are acting in the public interest by making responsible decision to avoid such an unfortunate scenario,” Quebecor said.

The company said its plan would actually increase the amount of local news content for Quebec City, as reporting teams would still be on the ground to contribute news about the capital city to broadcasts on other channels, province-wide broadcasts and online platforms. Having to maintain the dedicated Quebec City weekend broadcasts would contribute more to costs, and that would result in “further staff reductions.”

Earlier this year, TVA cut 200 jobs following a Q4 loss. Among the reasons cited for the cuts were competition from streamers who do not have the same Canadian content requirements and the CBC, which receives both government funding and ad revenue. These factors were also cited by Quebecor in its letter to the CRTC.