More hard times for “The Corporation.”

The CBC says it’s eliminating 657 positions over two years.

The cuts come in response to a $130 million dollar budget cut.

The belt-tightening will result in less sports coverage – and the network will no longer go after the rights to broadcast professional sports – saying it cannot compete with private rivals who have specialty channels and multiple media platforms.

CBC recently lost the rights to broadcast Hockey Night in Canada – to Rogers Media.

A softened ad market is also affecting CBC – along with the loss of $115 million in government funding announced in the 2012 federal budget.

Ironically, the clawbacks come as a Senate committee calls on the public broadcaster to do more to deliver francophone programming across the country.

Senator Claudette Tardif is chair of the Senate Committee on Official Languages.

She says in many parts of the country, CBC is the only French presence, whether on radio or television.