After 10 seasons on Télé-Québec, BazzoTV will disappear from the airwaves at the end of March.
Producer and host Marie-France Bazzo says that because of a “strict application of Canadian Heritage funding rules,” the show, which covers culture and politics, will not receive a production tax credit.
Financial difficulties at the station mean that without the tax credit, BazzoTV will cease production.
The show will air its 400th episode on Jan. 7.
The provincial Liberal government has cut Télé-Québec’s budget since its election in 2014. The Quebec take on Saturday Night Live will also air its last episode on the channel in March despite its success. SNL Québec will continue on Radio-Canada.
Bazzo said that Canadian Heritage considered BazzoTV to be a talk show, a genre not eligible for the tax credit. The production house maintains the BazzoTV formula has not changed in its 10 years on the air, saying their newsmagazine format does not qualify as a talk show.
“It is getting more and more difficult to produce opinion and debate shows,” said Bazzo.
The final episode of BazzoTV is scheduled to air March 24.
