The roots of Canadian Television

1952 was a banner year. For what, you might ask? The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II? An Eddie Fisher hit record? The premiere of ‘The African Queen’? Yes, all true and good enough, but it is also a double-barrel kickstart for Canadian television in both programming and carriers, as network television and coincidentally cable television both launched in Canada during the fall that year. London Cable TV began in August 1952 and CBC Television followed a month after. A half-century later, we look back with awe at the accomplishments achieved over 5 decades; 50 years. But first comes the pre-history. BC. Before Canadian-television-officially-began.

Canadian experiments with mechanical television begin in Montreal in 1926 through the French Canadian radio station CKAC, which was operated by the newspaper La Presse. Work was done with a Baird disc camera and Jenkins drum scanner where pictures were transmitted over wire.

In 1931, CKAC purchased a television system manufactured by Western Television Limited of Chicago, and Canadian telecasting began with a test telecast over experimental station VE9EC on July 20, 1931. The live program went out to a viewing audience of approximately twenty, and the studio used four 20 watt red lightbulbs to illuminate the talent, that included Mariette Mineau on violin, her sister Francoise, singer Violet Gridley, Douglas Reid and cartoonist Edward Picard — Canada’s first television troupe.

Leonard Spencer, chief technician of CKAC, and a young J. Alphonse Ouimet, worked as technicians on that broadcast, where the neon red and black 40 by 40 mm picture was sent separately on shortwave from the sound, with the vocal and music element broadcast on CKAC radio. The La Presse Studio continued to telecast primarily musical programs twice a week through 1932 and weekly through the next year, then sporadically afterward until its demise.

In 1932, Canadian Television Limited (CTL) was founded by Douglas West, an engineer for the Baird company, and as a CTL employee, Ouimet built a mechanical television receiver which is on display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. John Logie Baird and Jenkins Laboratories both owned substantial shares in CTL, and there was a technology-sharing occurring to combine the British and American systems in Canada. CTL replaced the 45-line Western Television system with a Baird 60-line system and single lens-disc receiver. However, with the Great Depression, CTL could not raise sufficient capital for mass production of television sets, and the company folded.

Canadian radio inventor E.S. ‘Ted’ Rogers, Sr. won a license for experimental television on September 25, 1930. The license was VE9RM — RM for Rogers-Majestic, the radio manufacturing corporation owned and operated by Rogers, and the experimental work would be conducted through his Toronto radio station, CFRB. Rogers was well known internationally for his groundbreaking invention in 1924 of the world’s first successful alternating current radio tube which revolutionized home radio.

In August 1933, Rogers conducts the first public demonstration of television in Toronto. CFRB personalities Foster Hewitt and Gordon Sinclair are in a closed-circuit mechanical television projection at the Eaton’s store on College Street. The successful exhibit is done in association with Western Television Limited of Chicago. In an article in a July 1934 issue of The Toronto Evening Telegram newspaper, Rogers predicts “What we shall see will be a lofty tower in Toronto, for instance, with an operator flashing out the spectacle of hockey games, prize fights, wrestling matches, political meetings, or other such entertainment for the multitude, while people look on with their home apparatus.” Rogers also believed that people would watch via television then tune their radio to the same station to hear the audio portion of the broadcast.

Also in 1933, Western Television tours its exhibit to Eaton’s stores in Montreal and Winnipeg, and the first substantial display of all-electronic television in Canada occurs at the 1939 CNE with a closed-circuit RCA demonstration. As World War II occurred, any real television experimentation or development in North America was put on hold.

First TV manufactured in Canada

The first television manufactured in Canada was in 1948 at Canadian Westinghouse in Hamilton. Another early Canadian television set was the Viking Console, appearing in 1952. The stylish set was sold by Eaton’s and manufactured by Electrohome in Kitchener. There was also the Rogers-Majestic brand of television produced by Phillips Electronics Canada. RCA opened a television production plant in Prescott, Ontario in 1953. The television set production and acceptance by these well-established Canadian businesses was a great boon to the Canadian television industry. In 1951, there were in excess of 90,000 television sets in Canada, and by 1953 this increased to over 300,000.

Between 1947 and 1950, several border stations sent television signals into Ontario, originating from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Detroit. KING-TV Seattle telecast into Vancouver in 1948. All the Canadian viewers were watching American television.

CBC-TV is launched

On Monday September 6, 1952, CBC-TV is launched over CBFT Channel 2 in Montreal. The inaugural programming involves a newsreel, a bilingual variety show, a documentary about the city of Montreal, a film about television itself called Kaleidoscope, and a French production of Oedipus Rex. On September 8, CBC station CBLT Toronto signs on. Their first telecast image is the station identifier, shown upside down and backward. Programming begins with Let’s See with host Percy Saltzman (who diplomatically overlooks the logo error), then a news program, and a variety show sent from Montreal. Alphonse Ouimet acted as the chief engineer and television coordinator for CBC-TV, and goes on to become its president in 1958.

As the stations developed, each came to provide 18 hours of programming per week, and together, could reach approximately 30 per cent of Canadian households. By 1955, with the addition of other stations to the network, this had increased to 66 per cent. On July 1 1958, Ouimet and the CBC unveiled Canada’s first microwave relay system. The first program is telecast live from Victoria to Halifax on this, the longest microwave television network in the world — a great triumph of engineering and source of national pride.

In 1948, Manitoba businessman John B. Craig and partners form Western Manitoba Broadcasters, with Craig as managing director, and acquire CKX-AM in Brandon, Manitoba, with a personal investment from Craig of $22,000. CKX had made its first broadcast on December 1, 1928, owned and operated by the Manitoba Telephone System. CKX-TV launched its first telecast on January 28, 1955 as a CBC affiliate with John’s son, Stuart, acting as cameraman.

Stuart Craig became managing director in 1969, and in August 1973, CKX completed a 1350-foot antenna tower, which at the time was the tallest in Canada. In October that year, the station began colourcasting with a new studio and equipment. In 1986, Craig began the Manitoba Television Network (MTN) with the launch of independent station CHMI-TV, Portage la Prairie, in October. CHMI was linked to Brandon CKX, and formed the first regional network in Manitoba.

Craig Broadcast Systems

In 1991, the company name became Craig Broadcast Systems Inc., and in 1997 the headquarters were relocated to Calgary. Also in 1997, Craig launched SkyCable Digital Wireless, a groundbreaking wireless multi-point distribution technology which can deliver television and internet services.

On September 18, 1997, Craig Broadcast station CKAL-TV Calgary and CKEM-TV Edmonton went on the air under the A-Channel banner. The A-Channel format is energetic, fresh and hip, bringing a re-focused approach to local television. As well in 1997, Craig established the A-Channel Drama Fund (later ‘Drama’ was replaced by ‘Production’) to encourage and support independent productions in Alberta, and has since brought about eighteen new Canadian programs and telefilms. In 1999 Drew Craig was named as president and CEO of Craig Broadcasting after having served the company in various capacities since 1980, and CHMI was re-christened as A-Channel Manitoba.

In Summer 2024, Craig unveiled a newly constructed state-of-the-art digital playout centre in Calgary, then in October, launched music/lifestyle stations MTV Canada and MTV2, and TVLand Canada, a nostalgia channel. Craig is currently making arrangements to launch the toronto|one channel to serve the GTA and Hamilton. Spanning three generations, the Craig Family has been involved in television longer than any other broadcaster in Canada, and is currently the fourth largest broadcaster in the nation.

Baton-Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting

In December 1959, John W.H. Bassett, Joel Aldred, and E.S. ‘Ted’ Rogers, Jr., in the form of Baton-Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting, submit an application to the board of Broadcast Governors to establish a private television station in Toronto. ‘Baton’ is a Bassett-Eaton family partnership for broadcasting interests. The application was approved in March 1960, after a particularly impressive programming demonstration over closed-circuit television.

CFTO airs

On January 1, 1961, CFTO goes on the air from newly constructed studios at 9 Channel 9 Court in Agincourt with an 18-hour telethon which raises $210,000 for the Ontario Association for Retarded Children. In May 1962, Aldred sells his interest in CFTO to Rogers, and in 1970 Rogers divests his holdings to Baton at the request of the CRTC. In September 1966, CFTO becomes fully equipped for colour telecasting, and promotes the channel as being “Colourland.” Of particular interest is that CFTO uses an 816-foot tall antenna tower to transmit its signal, and in so doing, Ted Rogers Jr. fulfills his father’s prediction of some thirty years earlier about how telecasts would occur.

In 1960, the BBG invited applications from independent stations regarding network creation and grant a license to Spence Caldwell and Gordon Keeble, both longtime broadcasting businessmen in Toronto, and business partners. Caldwell acts as president of the new network, called the Independent Television Organization (ITO). John Bassett and CFTO had purchased telecast rights to the 1961 and 1962 Eastern CFL games and to the national championship Grey Cup game each season by doubling the CBC’s offer to the League to $750,000. As Bassett was also the Chairman of the Toronto Argonauts CFL team at the time, this suited things well. However, there was a condition that the CFL games must be shown by a network to a nationwide audience, particularly the Grey Cup, which was a major national event. This encouraged CFTO’s alliance with ITO.

With CFTO as the flagship station, on October 1, 1961 at 6:30, the Canadian Television Network is officially launched as the operating arm of ITO. This is the first private television network in Canada, linking eight of Canada’s newest stations from coast-to-coast: CFTO (Toronto) CJCH (Halifax) CFCF (Montreal), CJOH (Ottawa), CJAY (Winnipeg), CFCN (Calgary), CHAN (Vancouver), and CFRN (Edmonton) who joined on October 1. The stations had a vested interest in the network, as they became its shareholders. The following Fall, CTN is renamed as CTV. In 1964, CJON St. John’s and CKCO Kitchener join CTV.

In 1968, CTV initiated its Twin-Stick system in Lethbridge, where local station CJLH-TV, permitted CTV to share its tower and place some equipment in CJLH’s facilities; in the end, CFCN was able to be telecast in Lethbridge by this arrangement. CTV goes on to establish other twin-stick operations in Northern Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta through the mid-1970’s. Interestingly, on June 9 1968, the CBC and CTV networks partner in a special production to show the first televised debate by the leaders of the four political parties in Canada.

In 1969, CKCK Regina becomes an affiliate, and in 1971, CKSO Sudbury and CFQC Saskatoon connect to CTV. CHEK Victoria joins in 1981, and CJBN Kenora partners in 1983. In 1990, Baton acquires Mid-Canada Television, who owns CHRO Pembrooke as well as the CTV twin-stick operations in Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie. In 1993, Baton (through South Western Ontario Broadcasting) buys CFPL London and CKNX Wingham, and launches CHWI Windsor in October. In 1995, Baton acquires CFCN Calgary from Rogers Communications (CFCN formerly being a Maclean-Hunter station). In September 1997, Baton launches CIVT in Vancouver.

CTV program W5 (representing Who, What, Where, When and Why? — the classic questions of journalism) debuts in September 1966, as does Canada AM. In 1973, CTV created the science fiction mini-series The Starlost, and such popular Canadian programs as E.N.G. and The Littlest Hobo were produced by CTV beginning in 1989. Douglas G. Bassett succeeded his father as President of Baton Broadcasting in 1979. Baton Broadcasting began buying CTV affiliate stations in 1985, and by August 1997, after an exchange arrangement with CHUM Television for stations, Baton had full control of CTV.

In September 1996, Ivan Fecan is named as president of Baton, and in October 1997, Baton launches specialty channels The Outdoor Life Network: Canada’s Adventure Destination, and The Comedy Network. In December 1998, Baton Broadcasting is renamed as CTV Inc. and in March 2024, Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) acquires CTV Inc. In May 2024, CTV acquires Netstar Communications and renames it as CTV Specialty Television Enterprises Inc. to manage CTV’s specialty channels.

A Global Network

Television innovator Al Bruner establishes Global Communications Limited in 1970 with partners Maclean Hunter Limited and the Odeon Theatre Corporation. The ultimate intent was to establish a Canada-wide UHF network. CKGN (GN representing Global television Network) made its debut on January 6, 1974, telecasting from its Toronto studio headquarters, beginning at 4:30 p.m. until midnight.

The Global Network had transmitters in Toronto, London, Sarnia, Windsor, Uxbridge, and Bancroft; three operated on VHF, three on UHF. Though with good intentions, Global was losing approximately one million dollars a month. On March 31, 1974, Global Communications enters in to a re-financing plan as proposed by Global Ventures Western Holdings Limited headed by I.H. ‘Izzy’ Asper, then leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, wherein Global Ventures holds a 45 per cent interest in Global Television. Other partners are IWC Communications Inc. and Imagineering Limited. The Asper partnership assumed control on April 15. In 1975, Asper and partners form the CanWest Capital Corporation in Winnipeg, where CanWest owns 61 per cent of Global Ventures.

Asper had acquired border station KCND-TV in Pembina, North Dakota in 1974, and relocated it to Winnipeg. On September 1, 1975, KCND officially signed off and the new version of this station, CanWest CKND went on the air, on the same channel, being the third television station in Winnipeg (after CBC and CTV affiliates). The first CKND telecast was the Jerry Lewis Telethon from Las Vegas. Political dignitaries and hockey star Bobby Hull attended the opening festivities. In 1985, CanWest acquired the other shares of Global Communications. Also that year, CKVU-TV Vancouver was acquired by CanWest Pacific Television and the channel moved from UHF to VHF. In 1986, CanWest won licenses to establish stations in Regina and Saskatoon, and in 1987, SaskWest Television launches CFRE Regina and CFSK Saskatoon. The following September, CanWest opens CIHF Halifax, the city’s second commercial television station. In 1997, CanWest partnered with TVA Régional Inc. Quebec and added Quebec station CKMI to their holdings. Following this, Global stations begin identifying themselves as The Global Television Network.

In 1991, CanWest purchases 20 per cent of TV3 New Zealand, that nation’s first private network, launched in 1989. The following year, it obtains a majority holding of the TEN network in Australia. In 1997, CanWest completes ownership of TV3 New Zealand, and launches TV4, the second private network for that nation. In September 1998, CanWest partners with an Irish consortium and launches TV3 in Ireland, the first national independent network there. Also in 1998, CanWest invests in Ulster Television, Scotland.

CanWest launches its first cable network specialty channels Global Quebec in September 1997, and Global Prime TV the following month, both providing information services, entertainment, and nostalgic programs.

In May 1998, CanWest Entertainment was formed with the acquisition of Fireworks Entertainment Inc., a leading Canadian television and motion picture production and distribution firm. The following year, Fireworks International is created as a worldwide distribution company, and Fireworks Television U.S.A. is founded as a video production firm. This is followed-up in July 2024 with the purchase of the Endemol International programming library. With rights-holdings of some 600 hours of television movies and series produced for U.S. networks and cable companies by Alliance Atlantis and Lions Gate Films, among others, this was a move that more than doubled the existing program library of CanWest Entertainment.

In June 2024, CanWest Global completes the acquisition of WIC Television, which involves, CHEK Victoria, CHAN Vancouver, CHBC Kelowna, CITV Edmonton, CICT Calgary, CISA Lethbridge, CKRD Red Deer, CHCH Hamilton, and CJNT Montreal, all of which undergo re-branding that Fall. Leonard Asper is named President and CEO of CanWest in June 1999, and I.H. Asper becomes Executive Chairman. In 2024 CanWest Global acquires the Hollinger Newspapers chain and a 50 per cent interest in the National Post. In 2024 CanWest Global purchases the remaining 50 per cent of the National Post.

City-tv everywhere

City-tv first went on the air in Toronto on September 28, 1972 on Channel 79 and is the first commercial UHF station in Canada. The station was owned by Channel Seventy-Nine Ltd. whose chief shareholder was Phyllis Switzer. The new independent channel was the brainchild of television impresario Moses Znaimer, and the hallmark programming was fresh, revolutionary and innovative, with studios in a former nightclub named Electric Circus at 99 Queen Street East. In 1977, City was acquired by Multiple Access Limited of Montreal (a Bronfmann family enterprise), and on July 26, 1978 was acquired by CHUM Limited, with Znamier selling his interest to CHUM in 1981 and he being named president and executive producer of City.

In late April 1987, CHUM-City moved to new studios, “the temple of television,” at 299 Queen Street West. CHUM Television expanded in August 1984 with the launch of MuchMusic, Canada’s first 24-hour coast-to-coast music station, and in September 1986 a French counterpart, Musique-Plus is launched in Montreal.

In 1994, CHUM begins CHUM Television International to introduce the City and MM formats to the United States and South America. In 1995, CHUM launches BRAVO!, promoted as a “NewStyle ArtsChannel,” and also acquires CKVR Barrie which is re-launched as “The New VR.” This is the first of five CHUM re-launched independent stations, which in 1997 form “The New Net” as a network across Southern Ontario from Ottawa to Windsor. In October 1997, CHUM launches Space: The Imagination Station, Canada’s first all science fiction channel, and in March the following year, debuts CablePulse24, the first regional 24-hour English-language news channel in Canada. Star! The Entertainment Information Station hit the airwaves in September 1999, and in September 2024, CHUM introduces seven digital channels, including BookTelevision, SexTV and Drive-in Classics. Jay Switzer was named president of CHUM Television in November 2024.

WIC in the West

Western International Communications (WIC) enters in to Canadian television in 1963 with the operation of CHAN Vancouver and CHEK Victoria. The firm itself began in 1956 when accountant Frank A. Griffiths, Sr., and partners formed Western Broadcasting and bought radio station CKNW, New Westminster British Columbia.

From 1969 until 1975, rebroadcast transmitters for CHAN are constructed in the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan Valley, the Caribou Region and the Northwest Coast. Given this coverage range, CHAN becomes popularly known as BCTV in 1975, at which time the British Columbia Television Broadcasting System Ltd. was a subsidiary of Western Broadcasting, which changed its name to Western International Communications (WIC) in 1983.

In 1981, WIC is a controlling shareholder of satellite services provider Canadian Satellite Communications (Cancom). WIC goes on in 1989 to acquire CHBC Kelowona, CFCA Calgary (later renamed CICT) and CISA-TV Lethbridge from Selkirk Communications, along with Selkirk’s shares of BCTV giving WIC full control of that operation. BCTBS is renamed as Westcom TV Group, a subsidiary of WIC, to manage all the WIC telecasters. With the March 1991 acquisition of Allarcom Limited in Alberta, WIC picks up CITV Edmonton, CKRD Red Deer, Allarcom Superchannel Pay Television, and a stake in the Family Channel and becomes the largest private broadcaster in Canada with both radio and television holdings.

In 1994, WIC obtained CHCH Hamilton, and in 1997 purchased CFCF Montreal, meaning it now had access to roughly three-quarters of the English language television market. Frank Griffiths passed away in April 1994, and his widow Emily eventually sold the WIC properties to Shaw Communications and CanWest Global after a complex legal entanglement regarding the division of assets. WIC was officially disbanded in early 2024.

Alliance and Atlantis

In 1972, Robert Lantos and Victor Loewy co-found an independent feature film distribution company, Vivafilm Ltée, to import foreign films in to the Canadian market, and in 1975 RSL Entertainment is founded by Lantos as a production company. In 1985 the Alliance Communications Corporation is founded by Lantos and Loewy which merges Vivafilm and RSL Entertainment. Alliance Television produces programs ReBoot and Due South, both in 1994, and launches its first specialty channel Showcase: Television Without Borders in 1995. History Television is launched as a partnership of Alliance and CTV in September 1997.

In 1978, Michael MacMillan, Seaton McLean, Janice Platt and others form Atlantis Films Limited, though only MacMillan, McLean and Platt remain with the company. Atlantis begins by producing Canadian documentaries, then expands into dramas. Atlantis Broadcasting is formed with the specialty television channel The Life Network, which launched in 1995. In September 1997, Atlantis debuts Home and Garden Television Canada (HGTV).

Alliance and Atlantis were the largest businesses in Canada for vertically integrated television production, distribution and broadcasting, with Alliance being approximately twice the size of Atlantis. Alliance Communications Corporation and Atlantis Communications Inc. merged in September 1998 to form Alliance Atlantis Communications (AAC), a virtual powerhouse which is the largest television and movie production company in Canada. Michael MacMillan was named CEO of Alliance Atlantis, with Robert Lantos as Chairman Emeritus and Victor Loewy as Chairman of the Motion Picture Group. In May 1999, Alliance Atlantis with partner Astral obtain licenses for French-language specialty channels Historia and Series +. In September that year, Alliance Atlantis launches its children’s label AAC-Kids! for the creation, development and distribution of live action and animated children’s programming from pre-schoolers to teens, and in October obtains an interest from Shaw in the analog channel Headline Sports (renamed The Score in 2024) which telecasts sports news highlights and limited live sporting events. In October 2024, Alliance Atlantis and partners launch Food Network Canada and in September 2024, launches seven new digital channels including Showcase Action, Showcase Diva, The Independent Film Channel Canada, BBC Canada and the National Geographic Channel. Alliance Atlantis also holds an interest in digital channels Pridevision, One: The Body, Mind and Spirit Channel, and Scream. Alliance Atlantis television production itself continued with such series as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Total Recall 2024.

Ontario public TV

In September 1970, Television Ontario (TVO, whose official call letters are CICA) made its premiere broadcast as an official broadcasting arm of the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, itself established in June of that year. TVO was the first UHF station in Canada; it provides commercial free programming and interactive media resources that educate, inform, and entertain with high quality, distinctive educational programming to Ontario residents of all ages. In 1971, 10 per cent of TVO programming was in French, and in 1977 a French Language Division was created. Then, in 1987 TVOntario established TFO, a French-language channel.

In terms of specialty channels themselves, Rogers Broadcasting allies with TVO in September 1979 to launch Galaxie, the first specialty cable service in Canada, consisting of a package of children’s television programs. Other early Canadian television channel specialties are Multilingual Television, whose station CFMT-TV went on the air in Toronto in September 1972 to provide language and culture specific programming to Toronto’s diverse communities, and the Canadian Home Shopping Network, launched in early 1987 to allow viewers to shop by television.

Both CFMT and CHSN were acquired by Rogers Broadcasting in June 1986 and June 1987, respectively. These two channels are now known as OMNI (with OMNI-2 launched in September 2024) and The Shopping Channel (tSc). In September 1987, Youth Television (YTV) is launched as an initiative of Rogers Broadcasting and CUC Limited, and is the first specialty channel dedicated to programming for children, youth and teens in Canada.

First cable system

The first cable system in Canada is built by E.R. ‘Ed’ Jarmain in London in August 1952 when London Cable Television links 15 homes to cable to improve reception from the CBC in Toronto and border stations in Erie and Cleveland by means of a large antenna.

In September 1959, Famous Players Limited partners with London Cable. Famous Players began a pay-television experiment in the Royal York area of Etobicoke by use of Telemeter boxes in February 1960, but discontinued this in 1965. Famous Players forms Canadian Cablesystems Limited in 1971 which operates several local systems in Toronto and across Ontario. Frederick T. ‘Fred’ Metcalf, a friend of Jarmain’s, establishes Neighborhood Television Limited in Guelph in December 1952, partners with Maclean Hunter to launch Maclean Hunter Cable TV in Ontario in 1967, and launches community television in Canada in 1969.

Other early cable companies are established by Syd Welsh in British Columbia and André Chagnon in Quebec. Premier Cablevision of Vancouver becomes the largest in Canada for a time, while Chagnon’s firm, Le Groupe Vidéotron Ltée, becomes the largest cable operator in Quebec, serving 80 per cent of cable homes there as well as several border communities. Chagnon and Vidéotron also own and operate Le Groupe TVA, the most popular French-language television network in Quebec.

In 1971, Famous Players creates Canadian Cablesystems Limited which operates several local systems in Toronto and across Ontario.

In March 1967, E.S. ‘Ted’ Rogers, Jr. forms Rogers Cable as a subsidiary of Rogers Broadcasting, which, at the time, owned and operated stations CHFI-FM and CHFI-AM in Toronto, as well as stations in other markets. As Canada celebrates its Centennial in July that year, Rogers acquires Bramalea Telecable Limited from Noram Cable Construction Limited in Brampton, Ontario. Rogers Cable thus has its first 300 subscribers. Rogers Cable goes active in Toronto the following summer, with a special offer of free antenna removal for new subscribers. The cable company saw an increase in business in the Toronto market as high-rise buildings began to be constructed, which blocked clear reception of television signals.In October 1969, Rogers launches its Community Television Channel 10, and in March 1973, Rogers is the first to offer cable converters in Toronto — 30 channel “brown box” devices provided by Jerrold Electronics. Rogers is also the first in Canada to go beyond carrying 12 television stations, by offering 19 channels. In 1979, Rogers acquires Canadian Cablesystems Limited, and in 1981, Premier Cablevision of Vancouver — making it the largest cable operator in Canada, and one of the ten largest in the world. Rogers used its lucrative cable holdings to expand into other telecommunications ventures, such as Cantel, the first cellular telephone company in Canada, and in 1989 renamed itself as Rogers Communications. In 1994, Rogers Communications acquires Maclean Hunter Limited, vastly increasing its cable operations and launching a print-media division. In September 2024, Rogers launched new channels MSNBC, The Biography Channel, and TechTV.In 1966, James R. Shaw, Sr., forms Capital Cable Television in Alberta and wins his license from the CRTC in July 1970. In September 1971, Shaw connects his first customer in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Shaw Community Programming is launched in March 1972, and 1972 also brings the first acquisition for Capital Cable: SOTV Holdings, which involves systems in Kelowna, Penticton and Revelstoke in British Columbia.Through the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, further licenses and acquisitions are made in Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. In 1984, the company name is changed to Shaw Cablesystems, and through the remainder of the decade and into the 1990’s, further systems are acquired in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. In 1988, Shaw obtains CFCR Red Deer, and in 1993, the company is renamed as Shaw Communications. Shaw acquires CUC Limited, owners of YTV in 1994, and in 1995 creates Shaw FiberLink as a cable internet access service.In 1998, Shaw acquires the majority interest in Teletoon. In September the following year, the company establishes Chorus Entertainment to manage its radio stations and television properties, which include YTV, YTV Treehouse, Teletoon, CMT, Family Channel, Telelatino, The Comedy Network and Headline Sports. In December 1998, Jim Shaw, Jr., is named CEO of the company, while J.R. Shaw becomes Chairman of the Board. In 1999, Shaw acquires three more major systems in Nova Scotia and in 2024 obtains Canadian Satellite Communications (Cancom), making Shaw the first cable operator in North America to also own a satellite television provider. In November 2024, Shaw acquires Nelvana Limited, a producer of family entertainment television. In March 2024, Shaw sells the Family Channel and acquires the Women’s Television Network (WTN).In March 2024, over a dinner meeting, Ted Rogers and Jim Shaw agree to trade, or “swap,” parts of their respective cable holdings. Rogers Cable service areas in British Columbia (Rogers operated since the Premier acquisition in 1981) would be provided to Shaw in exchange for the Shaw holdings in Southern Ontario, Nova Soctia and New Brunswick. The CRTC approves the arrangement in late October, and the transfer begins in November, with the transition officially occurring on December 1.DTH satelliteOn December 7, 1994, an agreement was reached among WIC, Cancom, TeeComm Electronics and BCE Inc. to form Expressvu Inc., a direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distribution company. Earlier in 1994, Rogers, Shaw and Astral were also partners but they collectively ended their participation. The Expressvu plan is to launch a 100-channel service using 24-inch dishes in 1995. Transmitter testing with Telesat begins in July 1997, and the service launches in September 1997 with up to 69 video and audio channels. Direct TV, parent company to Star Choice Communications, was established in New Brunswick in 1995 by J. Brian Neill and Greg Walling.In March 1997, Star Choice begins system tests and partners with Shaw Communications, wherein Shaw becomes the majority shareholder and merges its fledgling HomeStar service (just begun in January that year) into Starchoice. Starchoice launches its satellite service nationwide in July 1997 with up to 60 channels. In July 1999, Cancom and Star Choice merge where Star Choice becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Cancom. In November 1999, Star Choice offers in excess of 200 channels.In 1996, AlphaStar Canada Inc. is established in Milton, Ontario as a subsidiary of TeeComm Electronics. In February 1997, Alphastar Canada Inc. is the first satellite television company in Canada when it begins direct-to-home satellite television service testing. On March 3, it officially launches its service with 45 channels via a digital set-top receiver and a satellite dish for $499.00 and an annual $300.00 basic programming package. Alphastar closes on August 7, 1997.The birth of CanconCanadian content (Cancon) legislation was created by the 1958 Broadcasting Act that set a 45 per cent quota for Canadian content on television as a condition of license for Canadian television stations. Cancon rules were intended to encourage Canada’s cultural production by guaranteeing a certain amount of exposure for Canadian artists in Canada’s broadcast entertainment market. This was increased to 60per cent with the Broadcasting Act of 1968. This same Act also establishes the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) as a government regulatory agency to oversee foreign ownership restrictions and ensure a majority use of Canadian productions and talent. In 1976, this body is renamed as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.In 1957, the Canadian cable operators formed the National Community Antenna Television Association of Canada as a national industry group to represent their collective interests to the public and government. In 1971, following the Broadcasting Act, the Association renamed itself as the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA).The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television was established in June 1979, founded by Al Waxman and industry partners. The Gemini Award for English Language Television was first presented in November 1986, and the Prix Gémeaux for French Language Television made its debut the following year.On November 10, 1972, Telesat Canada launched the Anik A1 telecommunications satellite from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 1914 rocket. This, the first generation of the Anik model, acts as an orbital space repeater for receiving and retransmitting Canadian based telecasts. Anik 1 weighed 1240 pounds, and had 12 RF channels. Broad antenna coverage allowed it to serve virtually the entire nation. Anik 1 makes Canada the first in the world to have a satellite in geostationary orbit for domestic commercial communications (interestingly, when Canada launched the Alouette research and radio satellite in September 1962, it became the third nation to have a satellite in orbit).In March 1979, Rolf Hougen, owner and manager of WHTV Whitehorse made a presentation in Ottawa about his satellite television distribution program which he called Down To Earth. Hougen owned The Hougen Center, the largest department store in the Yukon, and since acquiring the station in 1965, he had television programs shipped up to him from Vancouver, but believed there had to be a better way.In 1980, Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (Cancom) is founded by Hougen and formed by a consortium of three other private Canadian broadcasters including WIC and Allarcom as a satellite services provider. Cancom wins its license from the CRTC in April 1981, and begins using Anik to broadcast three television and seven radio stations to remote, rural and under-served areas beyond the reach of cable in Canada on January 1, 1982 with both English and French signals from its Whitehorse headquarters. Cancom goes on to operate the most extensive satellite distribution service in the world and links communities which represent a third of the Canadian population.In 1983, Cancom begins telecasting the four major U.S. networks. Cancom is a strong supporter of Aboriginal broadcasting, and provides a free uplink for TVNC (Television Northern Canada) Whitehorse, when this, the first Aboriginal satellite network in the world, launches in January 1992. TNVC later becomes a cornerstone for the premiere of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in September 1999.BCN Fibre Optic Inc. complete their research and development of fibre optic cable in London, Ontario in March 1979. Fibre optic cable is a great advancement over coax cable as it requires fewer repeaters, provides a clearer signal, and more channel capacity. BCN was formed by a consortium of Canadian cable operators, and is the first to develop this technology for cable applications in North America.Interactive TVIn February 1990, Vidéotron was the first Canadian cable company to introduce interactive television, by using a two-way analog terminal. Called “Videoway,” it allowed viewers to multiplex telecast signals to increase feeds through a specialized decoder, meaning a home audience could have four different camera angles of a sport event. Videoway potentially allowed for internet access, telephone use, interaction with game shows, shopping, and voting.Also in 1990, Rogers launches a hybrid fibre co-axial (HFC) distribution network, which becomes the industry standard across North America, and allows for several rapid and economical cable services. In 1994, Rogers begins testing its internet service, named CableLink, which permits high-speed internet access through cable lines; today, the division is known as Rogers Hi-Speed Internet.In March 1982, the CRTC grants licenses for the creation of the pay television channels in Canada. These are to be First Choice/Premier Choix, the Star Channel in the Atlantic area, and the C-Channel. The latter two closed shortly after going on the air. First Choice, with its stylish and colourful logo incorporating a maple leaf and a “1,” launched on Tuesday, February 1, 1983 with the ever-popular Star Wars as its first movie. First Choice Canadian Communications Corporation, owned by Harold Greenberg, provides premium unedited, uninterrupted films English and French, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, commercial free.In 1984, Premier Choix acquired TVEC Inc., a Quebec service. In 1992, the network became the first in Canada and second in North America to offer multiplexing. By using digital video compression, subscribers obtained four additional channels at no extra charge, where the extra channels carry reorganized lineups of the main First Choice schedule. In 1993, a reorganization occurred with regionalization. First Choice became The Movie Network (TMN) to operate in Ontario and the Maritimes, SuperChannel was the new name in the West, and SuperEcran in Quebec. Moviepix, a classic/vintage film service, is launched on Saturday, October 1, 1994 and first shows The Godfather. Moviemax is launched at the same time for Western Canada. First Choice Canadian Communications is a subsidiary of Astral Television Networks, itself owned by Astral Media Inc.TMN goes on to deliver the widest variety of programming of any pay television network in the world, offering first-run Hollywood films, independent mini-studio pieces, and international fare. It is the only telecaster to air all theatrically released Canadian feature films and becomes a key sales-source for Canadian film and television projects. TMN’s Foundation to Underwrite New Drama (FUND) for Pay-TV assists the Canadian film industry by providing interest-free loans for script development and film production, exhibition, and preservation.In September 1991, Astral Communications, Rogers Communications and TSN Enterprises launch Viewer’s Choice Canada Pay-Per-View (VCC) in Eastern Canada, Home Theatre in Western Canada, and Canal Indigo in Quebec. This service delivers films, sports events, music concerts, and comedy specials commercial free.TV gets specializedWith detailed intricacies and intense planning comparable to a NASA mission, the Canadian television community virtually exploded into a vast array of channels with the launch of digital television on Friday September 7, 2024. Canada made unprecedented television history with the largest digital channel launch in the world and the largest single development in the history of specialty television. Over fifty specialty channels catering to practically every interest imaginable were suddenly available, along with specialty features such as an on-screen programming schedule, complete with show descriptions. Most recently, the industry took another leap forward with the introduction of Video On Demand (VOD). Here the customer can order a particular film from a vast library of titles with convenience and ease directly through the television; there is even a “pause” feature to allow trips away from the VOD channel for up to an entire day.What is the future for Canadian television? The industry as a whole has gone from blurred images of a ventriloquist dummy and a papier maché cat in the 1920’s to live-action, full-colour, multi-channel diversity. If this illustrious past is an indicator, then the audience, telecasters and cable companies are promised to experience more exciting times ahead. New, astounding services and features will be brought forward with a belief that improvement can always occur, and the best is yet to come. There will be more pilot projects, more special presentations, more spin-offs. Be assured though, there will never be a final episode.Great Canadian programmingCanadian news programs have kept the nation informed about current events and displayed exceptional examples of investigative broadcast journalism. There is the ingeniously titled This Hour Has Seven Days, as well as The Journal The Fifth Estate W5 and Canada-AM. Canadian viewers were given an all-news channel when CBC Newsworld debuted in August 1989, being the second all-news channel in the world (after CNN). The second Canadian all-news channel, CTV News 1, went on-air in October 1997 (later renamed CTV Newsnet). Favorite newscasters in Canada include Knowlton Nash, Barbara Frum, Peter Mansbridge, Lloyd Robertson, Leslie Roberts, Peter Trueman and Peter Kent, while hosts Peter Gzowski, David Suzuki, Pamela Wallin, Shirley Solomon, Dini Petty, and Camilla Scott have long attracted loyal audiences.Canadian television actors have become famous across North America, including Lorne Greene, Raymond Burr, Jay Silverheels, William Shatner, James Doohan, Alan Thicke, Susan Clark, Michael J. Fox, Paul Gross, Jill Hennessy, Matthew Perry, Eric McCormack, and Hayden Christensen. Crooner Paul Anka and pianist Glenn Gould also became stars by the glowing screen, as did emcees Monty Hall and Alex Trebek, and impressionist Rich Little.Canadian television comedy provides sidesplitting humor. SCTV, Kids in the Hall, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Royal Canadian Air Farce, and The Red Green Show have all provided hours of laughter, as have the comedians themselves, Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Leslie Nielsen, Tom Green, Jim Carrey, Phil Hartman, Rick Mercer, Dave Broadfoot, Mike Bullard, and Carla Collins. Lorne Michaels brought Saturday Night Live to the air in 1975, and there is also the hilarious The Canadian Conspiracy 1985 made-for-television movie with Eugene Levy.CBC first telecasts Hockey Night In Canada from Montreal on October 11, 1952; the Canadiens played the Detroit Red Wings with the Canadiens winning 2-1. The first Toronto HNIC telecast came on November 1. Forster Hewitt and his son Bill are the first play-by-play television commentators. At first, CBC uses three overhead cameras, but in 1956, adds a fourth “goal camera” at ice-level to feature the action at the nets. CBC introduced its colour telecasts to Canada by showing the Stanley Cup playoffs.The 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR National Team through September brought high ratings for the CBC, especially when Canada won the heralded 8-game series thanks to Paul Henderson. The Sports Network (TSN), “Canada’s Sports Leader,” is Canada’s first 24-hour all-sports specialty channel, goes on the air in 1984 (where Terry Leibel becomes the first woman to host a national sports program, Sportsdesk), and in 1989, Les Reseau des Sport (RDS) a French language all sports network is launched.Headline Sports came in May 1997, and in October 1998, CTV Sportsnet (now Rogers Sportsnet) makes its debut telecast. In September 2024, ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ was launched on Canadian cable, and the following month, ‘NHL Centre Ice’ debuts. ‘Major League Baseball Extra Innings’ comes to the screen in April 2024. These services allow fans to watch multiple games per week from outside their local viewing area. In September 2024, a Canadian television innovation was launched through Leafs TV, the first specialty channel in North America dedicated to a single sports team. 24-hour coverage allows fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs to watch all aspects of the them, and relive classic games. At the same time, Raptors NBA TV was launched to telecast Raptors games, as well as regular NBA and WNBA games, including exclusive speicals.Canadian children’s programming has included such well-known shows as Mr. Dressup, The Friendly Giant and Polka Dot Door. One of the first Canadian-produced television cartoon series was Rocket Robin Hood, created in Toronto in 1966.Advanced Canadian television animation came with ReBoot in 1994, the first computer-animated television series in the world. In September 1995, “Cable in the Classroom” is established as a national educational initiative to enhance curriculum by free cable connections to schools and complimentary educational programming.Ian Anthony is the author of Radio Wizard, a biography of inventor E.S. Rogers Sr., and the award-winning science fiction novel Ace Run, and is the Historian for Rogers Communications.