‘A tricky situation’: SaskTel steps back as title sponsor of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival

WATCH: Crown corporation SaskTel is stepping back from its role as title sponsor of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, SaskTel won’t be attached to the name of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.

The Crown corporation has held naming rights since 1998, part of a sponsorship package of $150,000 a year.

Shannon Josdal, executive director of the festival, said organizers are busy searching for a new title sponsor and developing new branding.

“It puts us in a tricky situation, and it’s a vulnerable situation,” Josdal said.

“We’re the 10th jazz festival in Canada to have lost our title sponsor in about the last two years or so. This is something that’s been endemic to the industry.”

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Josdal said there’s no bad blood with SaskTel, pointing to the company’s ongoing support over the decades.

In an email to CTV News, SaskTel said it will still be involved in the festival, just at a smaller scale.

“This change is in no way a reflection of the quality or impact of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, which we continue to respect and admire,” SaskTel said.

By backing off as title sponsor, SaskTel said it’s better positioned to “develop sponsorship agreements with other organizations and consider supporting new events and causes across Saskatchewan.”