CBC President Hubert Lacroix send out a note today with a bit of good news.

After months of strict spending controls and cost-cutting measures, it looks like our year-end results will be slightly better (by a few million dollars) than anticipated. We are still going through our year-end audit with our auditors so I don’t have final numbers for you but I can confirm that we delivered on our promise to balance our 2008-2009 budget. We have thus created a bit of flexibility.

The savings mean that the CBC Radio operations in Thompson, Manitoba and and La Ronge, Saskatchewan will be saved.

Lacroix also said that about 40 per cent of employees eligible for the retirement package applied for it. The applicants will hear about the status of their application by the end of next week. Once the numbers are finalized, then the axe will fall – and that’s the hard part. “This is when the magnitude of the situation sinks in,” he said.

“In the week of May 25, the majority of people affected by the cuts will be given notice,” Lacroix said. Like pulling off a band-aid quickly, he said that they are trying to notify people of the layoffs as quickly as possible to cut down on the anxiety.

Otherwise he said the CBC is trying to sell some assets, and discussing the issue with the government. But there’s nothing to announce.

Hubert’s full letter is available on the corporate web site here.

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