Moore wouldn't disclose financial numbers, but it's believed the CBC paid about $3.6 million in rights fees last year.

The 24 games that CBC carried last season have been absorbed by Rogers Sportsnet, which will air 125 games in 2009.

TSN will handle 20, meaning there will be no fewer games televised this season.

But all will be broadcast on specialty channels, as they were from 2003 to 2006 when CBC abandoned Baseball the first time.

"We're a little disappointed," Jays CEO Paul Beeston said.

"The good news is that we're staying where we were last year with 145 games."

Most of the other 17 games have ended up on a Rogers promotional channel in recent seasons, but Beeston said plans for 2009 haven't been finalized.

The move means that analyst Jesse Barfield is probably out of a job, while colleague Rance Mulliniks will continue to work Sportsnet games. Play-by-play man Jim Hughson will restrict himself to hockey, where he has become CBC's lead announcer.

Moore said economic issues spelled the end of Baseball at CBC.

"Conventional ad sales are down significantly," he said. "Whatever pro sports we're going to be into, there's an expectation that we should at least break even with them.

"... We'd like to be in pro sports, but only where it makes sense and, unfortunately, we couldn't make this work financially."

Part of the problem, Moore said, is that three networks were competing to sell advertising on the team's 145 games.

With advertisers being able to play off one against the others, networks seldom got top dollar.

Filling holes in CBC's summer lineup won't be a problem, Moore said. With world championships in amateur sports, the Confederations Cup soccer tournament and a slate of Toronto FC games available, filling air time will be easy.

But CBC will have problems matching the Blue Jays' audiences.

The team's games averaged 350,000 viewers on CBC last season.