This is a timeline of the history of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
1901–1925 1901 First transatlantic wireless signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland. 1902 First wireless telegraphy station at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. 1905 Canada's first Wireless Telegraph Act. 1913 Radio Telegraph Act includes voice transmission. 1919 First broadcasting licence issued to XWA Montreal (later CINW). 1922 First licensing of private commercial stations. 1923 Canadian National Railway starts radio service to trains. 1924 CN Radio opens its first stations (Ottawa and Moncton) and gradually develops service on about 15 stations.
1926–1975 1927 First national broadcast: July 1, Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. 1929 Aird Commission recommends setting up a nationally owned company to operate a coast-to-coast system. 1930 Canadian Radio League is organized. First Canadian television experiments are conducted. 1932 First Parliamentary Committee on Broadcasting. Canadian Broadcasting Act creates the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC). 1933 The CRBC acquires CN Radio facilities, improves coverage and continues program development. 1936 November 2, the Canadian Broadcasting Act replaces the CRBC with a Crown Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC takes over CRBC staff and facilities (eight publicly owned or leased stations and 14 private affiliates). 1937 Opening of the French station CBF Montreal. New transmitters in Toronto and Montreal increase national coverage to 76% of the population from 49%. The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (Havana Treaty) gives Canada better frequencies (ratified 1941). 1938 Farm broadcasts begin on the French radio network. 1939 Full coverage of the six-week visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Declaration of war: a CBC reporting unit goes overseas, and all departments begin special wartime broadcasts. Farm broadcasts begin on the English radio network.
1940 Low-power relay transmitters installed for remote communities. First provincial school broadcasts begin in Nova Scotia and B.C. The CBC symbol showing radio waves and a map of Canada is adopted.
1941 Formal opening of CBC News Service. Special broadcasts include Winston Churchill's speech from the House of Commons in Ottawa. 1942 A total of 43 hours of French and English programs are broadcast daily, compared with 10 in 1936. Special broadcasts include the opening of the Alaska Highway. 1943 Establishment of English School Broadcasts Department. 1944 The basic national network is renamed the Trans-Canada Network. The Dominion Network is formed, linking CJBC Toronto with 34 private stations to offer an alternative lighter service. 1945 Official opening of CBC International Service, later becomes Radio Canada International in 1972. 1946 Opening of first CBC FM stations in Toronto and Montreal. First fishermen's broadcasts in the Maritimes. 1947 The CBC presents a 15-year plan for the development of television in Canada. 1948 First issue of the weekly program guide CBC Times. 1949 The CBC acquires the facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, as the province joins the Confederation. 1950 First issue of the program guide La Semaine à Radio-Canada. Special coverage of the 1950 Red River Floods 1951 Massey Commission endorses regulatory role of the CBC. Special coverage of the four-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. 1952 Opening of Canadian TV service (CBC): CBFT Montreal (bilingual) September 6, CBLT Toronto (English) September 8. The CBC supplies radio programs to Canadian troops in Korea. First Canadian urban cable TV is launched in Guelph, Ontario. 1953 Opening of CKSO-TV in Sudbury, first private television station in Canada and first CBC TV affiliate. CBFT Montreal begins full French service with opening of English station CBMT. The CBC is host broadcaster for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver. Opening of CBUT in Vancouver, first CBC TV station in Western Canada 1955 First telecast of the opening of Parliament. CBC Television is available to 66% of the population. 1956 Special coverage includes the Hungarian uprising, the Suez Crisis, and the Springhill mining disaster. 1957 The Fowler Commission on Broadcasting recommends transferring regulatory authority from the CBC to a separate body. Major political coverage includes the five-hour federal election telecast and the first opening of Parliament by a reigning monarch. 1958 New Broadcasting Act establishes the Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG) to regulate all Canadian broadcasting. First coast-to-coast live TV broadcast with completion of the microwave network from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. Opening of Calgary delay centre for western time zones. CBC Northern Service (radio) is established. The CBC begins broadcast of the children's program, The Friendly Giant starring Bob Homme on September 30. 1959 The microwave network is extended to Newfoundland. Special programs include the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1960 BBG recommends licensing second TV stations in major cities and invites applications for Canada's first private network. Opening of the CBC shortwave service to the High Arctic. Experimental bilingual FM network links Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. (Suspended temporarily in 1962) 1961 CTV Network begins broadcasting. The CBC issues proposals for satellite use in Canada. 1962 The Trans-Canada and Dominion networks are consolidated. 1963 The CBC hosts the three-week Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference. 1964 The FM network resumes in English, adding Vancouver by tape; local French FM continues in Montreal. CBC Corporate Headquarters now to CBC Building in Ottawa at 1500 Bronson Avenue 1965 The Fowler Committee on Broadcasting recommends a new regulatory and licensing authority. Government announces colour TV policy. First regular CBC stereo broadcasts from a single station in Winnipeg. 1966 Colour TV introduced in Canada. 1967 The CBC is host broadcaster for Expo 67 in Montreal and Pan American Games in Winnipeg. First taped television in the North. CBC children's program Mr. Dressup, starring Ernie Coombs, began broadcasting. 1968 New Broadcasting Act confirms the CBC's role of providing the national service and establishes the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) as the regulatory and licensing authority, including cable systems. Government issues White Paper on satellite communications. Pre-release facilities are installed for Atlantic time zones. First televised national debate among Canadian political party leaders: a CBC/CTV coproduction. 1969 Radio-Québec is established. The CBC discontinues tobacco advertising.
1970 CRTC introduces Canadian content regulations (60% overall) for public and private TV. TVOntario is established. The Report of the Special Senate Committee (Davey) on Mass Media is published. The CRTC issues network licences to the CBC for the first time. 1971 Canadian content regulation (minimum 30%) in force for AM radio music. First French-language private TV network (TVA) opens. Experimental radio and TV from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. 1972 CRTC invites proposals for future development of pay television. Anik satellite launched: CBC rents three channels for radio and TV network distribution. Special coverage includes Canada-Russia hockey series. The CBC's International Service is renamed Radio Canada International (RCI). 1973 First live TV to the North, via Anik satellite. Official opening of La Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal. Government issues a position paper entitled Proposals for a Communications Policy for Canada. Access Alberta is established. 1974 Introduction of new CBC symbol based on "C" for Canada, designed by Burton Kramer. Opening of French FM stereo network. The CBC discontinues most radio advertisements. Government announces Accelerated Coverage Plan to extend CBC radio and TV to small unserved communities. Global Television Network launches. 1975 English FM stereo network opens. Airing the Juno awards the first time on TV
1976–2026 1976 CRTC becomes Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The CBC is host broadcaster for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. 1977 CRTC hearings on pay TV. The CBC designs and installs broadcast facilities in the House of Commons of Canada at Speaker's request. 1978 CRTC denies pay TV applications. First TV production facilities in the North (Yellowknife). The CBC is host broadcaster for Commonwealth Games in Edmonton. 1979 Clyne Committee publishes report on implications of telecommunications for Canadian sovereignty. Start of live TV coverage of House of Commons via satellite and cable.
1980s - present Its believed that around the 1980s, the CBC began converting low-power, medium and high-powered transmitters from the AM band to the FM band in which the trend continues today. 1980 B.C. Knowledge is established. 1981 The CBC introduces closed captioning on Canadian TV programs. The CBC is asked to manage the installation of a telecommunications system (OASIS) in Parliamentary offices. Government announces a three-year CBC trial of Canadian teletext system (Telidon). 1982 The Report of the Applebaum-Hébert Committee is released. Opening of Cancom to provide remote communities with additional TV services by satellite. 1983 Government creates Broadcast Program Development Fund. Opening of first pay TV (general channels). 1984 CBC stereo networks start 24-hour broadcasting and supplementary cable distribution. The CBC is host broadcaster for the 12-day papal visit. First pay TV specialty channels open. Federal-provincial committee publishes report on future of French-language TV in Canada. The CBC and other broadcasters join TV5, a European French-language satellite service. 1986 Federal Task Force on Program Review (Nielsen) publishes recommendations on culture and communications. Opening of 2nd private French TV channel (Quatre Saisons) in Montreal. The Federal Task Force on Broadcasting Policy (Caplan/Sauvageau) publishes its recommendations. A commemorative postage stamp is issued for the CBC's 50th anniversary. 1987 The CRTC licences 10 new specialty channels: nine on basic cable at the option of cable distributors (CBC All-News Channel (CBC Newsworld), Vision TV, YTV, MeteoMedia: Weather Now, TV5, Le Canal Famille, Musique Plus, Le Réseau des sports, MétéoMedia: Mété-Instant), and one pay TV service (Family). The CRTC also authorizes distribution of The Sports Network (TSN) and MuchMusic on basic cable. 1988 The CBC Broadcast Centre Development Project in Toronto gets Cabinet approval in April, and work starts in October. The International French-language channel TV5 starts broadcasting in Canada in September. Cabinet approves CBC licence to operate an English all-news channel. 1989 The CBC English all-news channel, Newsworld, is launched on July 31. The CRTC holds hearings to consider CBC's application for an all-news channel in French. This first proposal is rejected. The French private channel Le Réseau des Sports goes on air September 1.
1990 The CBC publishes its vision for the future in a document entitled Mission, Values, Goals and Objectives. CBC Engineering plays a proactive role in the development of Digital Audio Broadcasting. The CBC closes eleven regional stations as a result of budget cuts. 1991 CBC Toronto consolidates its operations into one downtown location, the new state-of-the-art Canadian Broadcasting Centre. Bill C-40 on broadcasting receives royal assent on February 1 and is proclaimed Law on June 4. 1992 The CBC develops a new identification program. The CBC introduced a simplified version of the iconic gem symbol, designed by Gottschalk + Ash. 1994 The CBC is host to the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. The CBC, in partnership with Power Broadcasting Inc., launches two new specialty channels to the United States: Trio and Newsworld International. 1995