On May 26th, 1932, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Act was passed by Parliament which had established the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC). Celebrations to be kept to a minimum. It’s Monday, after all.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 12:44 pm (26 May 2008)

On this date in 1965, Cross Country Checkup debuted with a debate on a national, publicly funded health care system. Years later, we have the national health care system and a radio program that continues to entertain and provoke. (Although I really do miss the standard two-question opener to each caller from years back: “Cross Country Checkup, where are you calling from? What do you think about ________”)

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	Asides, CBC Radio 1, Cross Country Checkup, Today In CBC History	Posted at 11:08 am (16 May 2008)

The CNR Radio system dies in name only. The CRBC got the three CNR-owned stations, the Montreal studios and some extra control gear in Winnipeg for $50,000.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 6:59 am (02 Apr 2008)

In 1928, children’s TV host Frederick McFeely Rogers (Mr. Rogers) was born in Latrobe Pennsylvania.  After developing the Mr. Rogers personna with the CBC, his PBS half-hour Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was in production from 1968-2001. He died of stomach cancer Feb 27, 2003 at age 74.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 10:56 am (20 Mar 2008)

On this day in 1952, at 8.30 pm, Vancouver’s CBR 1130 became CBU 690. There was a 30-minute CBU Special at 8:30 followed by a Robbie Burns Special at 9:05 pm. The launch of CBU meant a power increase from 5000 watts to 10,000 watts. At this point CBC Radio had just 17 low-power relay transmitters throughout B.C.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History, Transmission, Vancouver	Posted at 12:02 pm (25 Jan 2008)

On this day in 1930, CPR applied for seven 50 kW transmitters to be located to serve Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and either Halifax or Saint John. 15 kW transmitters were proposed for Fort William, Sudbury, Quebec City and Prince Albert. However, on April 2nd, eight of the applications were withdrawn “until a decision was made by Parliament” (on the future of radio). However, three applications were left standing for stations in Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg but, apparently, never re-surfaced. On the same date, Canadian Pacific was issued a license for a “phantom” station (CHRY – later changed to CPRY) which would be based in studios in the new Royal York Hotel in Toronto and which would lease time for its programs from CKGW or CFRB.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 8:54 am (17 Jan 2008)

On this day 25 years ago, CBC Television moved the national news to 10 pm and introduced a new public affairs program The Journal, hosted by Barbara Frum, which would last for a decade.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 1:18 pm (11 Jan 2008)

Also this day in 1927, singer & program host Gisele MacKenzie was born Marie LaFeche in Winnipeg. After having her own daily CBC radio show the high points of her career include starring on TV’s Your Hit Parade & playing the violin on the Jack Benny Show. She also had a top 10 hit recording, Hard to Get. She died Sep 5, 2003 at age 76

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 12:39 pm (10 Jan 2008)

On this day in 1955, TV cameras were first allowed to enter the Canadian Houses of Parliament in Ottawa.  The Speech from the Throne and the opening pomp & circumstance were broadcast live on television for the first time.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 12:54 pm (07 Jan 2008)

In 1981 on this date, CHEK TV 6 in Victoria dropped all CBC programming and became a full time CTV affiliate. It is now an affiliate of the E! network.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 8:54 am (04 Jan 2008)

Today in 1928, the first regularly scheduled, coast-to-coast network program aired on CN (rail) radio.

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	Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 12:58 pm (27 Dec 2007)

On today’s date in 1902, the first transatlantic wireless message was exchanged between Canada and England, via Signal Hill in Newfoundland. Contrary to popular belief, the first words spoken were not: ” ‘Allo? Is this the 1XB line? Winnipeg? Are you there? “

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	Archives/Vintage Media, Asides, Today In CBC History	Posted at 10:56 am (21 Dec 2007)

December 5:

1973:

The Montreal skyscraper that serves as the headquarters for CBC’s French-language operations (and some of its English ones), Maison Radio-Canada, was officially opened. You can listen to its inauguration (in French) here.

1990:

Another round of budget cutting at the CBC as the corporation announced layoffs of 1,100 employees.

1902:

Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first readable wireless radio signals 3,200 km across the Atlantic from his station at Glace Bay, Cape Breton to Poldhu in Cornwall, England. A year earlier he had sent the first transatlantic wireless test signal – the letter ‘S’ repeated over and over – from Poldhu to his assistant Percy Wright Paget flying a box kite trailing a 121 metre long copper wire antenna on Signal Hill, St. John’s. Nfld.

Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden sent a radio signal in 1900 from his lab near Washington, D.C. to a receiving station 80 kilometres away. See this clip for more on the Marconi-Fessenden debate.

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	Today In CBC History	Posted at 9:42 am (05 Dec 2007)

On Nov. 29, 1912, broadcaster John Fisher was born in Sackville, N.B.

In 1943 John became CBC Radio’s “Roving Reporter”, travelling Canada from the Magdalen Islands to the Queen Charlottes to tell stories about the nation’s people in the three-times-a-week series John Fisher Reports. It was during this time that he got his nickname “Mr. Canada.” He died Feb. 15 1981 at age 68.

You can listen to reports from John Fisher on the CBC Digital Archives site.

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	Today In CBC History	Posted at 4:52 pm (29 Nov 2007)

On this day on 1997, CBC broadcaster and film critic Clyde Gilmour died at the age of 85.  His Sunday music show on CBC Radio, Gilmour’s Albums, ran for more than 40 years.

Much of the longevity of Gilmour’s Albums, besides its low cost, can be attributed to Gilmour’s quiet demeanour, knowledge of his subject and respect for his audience. “I always think of my audience as just one person,” he told the CBC’s Knowlton Nash. “Radio after all is just one person talking to another. I don’t talk down. I don’t talk up to the listener. I just say ‘hello’ and have a conversation.”

More at the CBC Archives web site.

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	Obits, Today In CBC History	Posted at 9:53 am (08 Nov 2007)