Rogers shutters radio stations in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Kitchener

Listeners in Vancouver heard re-runs, recorded message Tuesday morning

Rogers Sports & Media is shuttering six radio stations in four Canadian cities.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said the closures affect stations in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Kitchener.

In a statement to CBC News, a Rogers spokesperson said the "difficult but necessary decision" followed a "thorough review of our radio stations across the country."

"We are grateful to our listeners and to our team for their contributions to the local community.”

In Vancouver, the move means the end of Sportsnet 650 and News 1130, while in Alberta, 660 NewsRadio Calgary and Sportsnet 960 are affected.

Listeners in Vancouver tuned in Tuesday morning to hear a recorded message on News 1130, and re-runs on Sportsnet 650.

NewsRadio Halifax and NewsRadio Kitchener will also close.

In its statement, Rogers said the decision was due to "declining audience and revenue trends."

In Vancouver, Rogers added that it would move radio production of Canucks games to another Rogers Sports & Media owned station.

Rogers continues to operate 44 radio stations in close to 30 communities in Canada.

The moves comes one day after Rogers Communications announced it had become the sole owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors.

That deal saw the company pay $4.35 billion to buy out Kilmer Sports Inc. from its 25 per cent stake in the company.