There were layoffs at Citytv stations across Canada on Tuesday, which included the loss of many of its locally produced news programs.

In Toronto, the losses include CityNews at Noon, CityNews at Five, City News Weekend, which runs at six and 11 p.m. and CityNews International, which was available across the country, according to Koreen Ott, spokesman for Rogers Media TV, which owns Citytv.

Stations in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver will no longer produce a 6 p.m. newscast, effective immediately. Calgary and Edmonton have lost their noon news shows, Your City, and The City Show and Vancouver lost Lunch Television and City News List. Winnipeg was unaffected by the layoffs.

Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver will also see cuts to the Breakfast Television broadcast, which is to be shortened from four hours to three.

Citytv issued a news release Tuesday confirming it was "restructuring" operations.

Ott told CBC News six per cent of the Citytv workforce of 1,000 employees — or 60 people — were laid off.

Ott said Citytv believes in local news, but that viewers in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver would have to get their local updates through Breakfast Television.

She wouldn't discuss ratings or the profitability of the stations involved, but said Citytv is "focusing on areas of the business where we are getting best results."

On-air personalities, including Anne Mroczkowski and Laura DiBattista in Toronto and Aisling Slattery in Calgary, were reported to be affected, as well as writers, producers, editors and camera people.

Citytv will continue to produce Breakfast Television and CityLine for all markets and CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight in Toronto, it said.

"Shifting viewer patterns coupled with the overall state of the economy required the company to rethink its programming lineup," the Citytv news release said.

The change is part of a trend toward the disappearance of local news because of declining ad revenue and the unprofitability of local TV stations. CTV put several of stations up for sale last year, and closed others, saying they were no longer viable.

Locally produced late-evening news was cut from every Citytv station but Toronto in 2006, before the stations were taken over by CTVglobemedia.

Rogers Media bought the five Citytv television stations in 2007, after the CRTC ordered CTVglobemedia Inc. to sell some of its stations because of concerns about concentration of ownership.

The stations that changed hands included the original Citytv in Toronto, as well as Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

Rogers laid off about 900 employees, mainly in its cable and wireless divisions, in November. A round of layoffs in December 2008 cut 100 jobs in its media division, including Citytv.