![\"pioneers_cover-v3\"](\"https:\/\/radio100.moeb.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pioneers_cover-v3-1.png\" "\\"pioneers_cover-v3\\"")
\n2020 marks the 100th anniversary of broadcasting in Canada. The\u00a0Mus\u00e9e\u00a0des\u00a0Ondes\u00a0Emile Berliner and the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise de\u00a0Collectionneurs\u00a0de Radios\u00a0Anciens\u00a0(Quebec Society for Vintage Radio Collectors) have joined forces with other organizations in the Montreal region to celebrate this event.<\/p>\n
In Canada, XWA was the first station to produce programs. It was located on William St in Montreal, and began broadcasting experimentally in December 1919. In May 1920, at the annual meeting of the Royal Society of Canada in Ottawa the members had the opportunity to listen to speech and a brief recital transmitted from Montreal. This program was a first and the feat was featured on the front pages all of the newspapers of the time.<\/p>\n
This exhibition presents the pioneers of broadcasting and the first manufacturers of radio receivers in the Montreal region.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n
The experimental\u00a0radio\u00a0station\u00a0XWA\u00a0of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company\u00a0began\u00a0performing\u00a0transmission tests\u00a0in December 1919.\u00a0For two years, XWA was the only Canadian radio station. However,\u00a0its\u00a0few listeners were also able to\u00a0receive\u00a0a growing number of American stations.<\/p>\n
After the end of the First World War, XWA was once again able to carry out tests. They began using\u00a0a\u00a0500Watt\u00a0transmitter\u00a0obtained from the British\u00a0subsidiary\u00a0of the Marconi company.<\/p>\n
In November 1920, “concerts” were announced via “wireless telephone.” They consisted of playing records on a mechanical gramophone which was placed near a microphone.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n\t\t\tThe first commercial stations<\/a>\n\t\t In 1922, the Canadian government authorized commercial radio broadcasting. By the end of the year, there were approximately sixty stations across the country, including eight in Montreal, and one in Quebec City.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_1_placeholder\n How many of these stations from Quebec do you know?\u00a0<\/p>\n CFCF\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CKAC\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CJBC<\/p>\n CHYC\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CFZC\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CHCX<\/p>\n CKCS\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CFUC\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CFCJ<\/p>\n\t\t\tCFCF – Marconi<\/a>\n\t\t In 1922, the experimental station XWA became CFCF, a Marconi owned and operated commercial radio station.\u00a0The new station was installed in a completely new building. The Canada Cement company building located at 600 Cathcart St facing Philips Square. It would become the home of CFCF for the first five years of its existence.<\/p>\n From 1922 to 1927, the station’s\u00a0antenna\u00a0could be\u00a0seen on the roof of the\u00a0building. In 1927, CFCF moved west\u00a0to a new location in\u00a0Mount-Royal hotel at 1455 Peel St (today\u00a0known as Les\u00a0Cours\u00a0Mont-Royal). The\u00a0CFCF studios were\u00a0located\u00a0on the\u00a0top\u00a0floor of\u00a0that\u00a0building from 1927 to 1931.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_2_placeholder\n <\/p>\nngg_shortcode_3_placeholder\n En 1927, CFCF d\u00e9m\u00e9nage vers l’ouest et sera situ\u00e9 \u00e0 l’h\u00f4tel Mont-Royal, au 1455 de la rue Peel (Aujourd’hui les Cours Mont-Royal). Sur le toit de l’\u00e9difice on voit tr\u00e8s bien les antennes de la station. Les studios de CFCF \u00e9taient situ\u00e9s au dernier \u00e9tage de l’\u00e9difice de 1927 \u00e0 1931.<\/p>\n In 1931, the station moved again, this time to the Kings Hall Building located at 1231 St Catherine West. It was also at the beginning of the 1930s that the station became affiliated with the American NBC network. This gave it access to a wide range of programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n After a fire in 1947, the studios relocated to 4824 Cote-des-Neiges\u00a0Road. In October 1958,\u00a0another fire occurred\u00a0in this building,\u00a0causing\u00a0serious\u00a0smoke and water\u00a0damage\u00a0to the studios and equipment.\u00a0However,\u00a0programming\u00a0was still able to continue thanks to the support from other stations like CJAD (founded in 1944) and CKVL (founded in 1946.). After that\u00a0the station\u00a0moved yet again, this time to\u00a0the\u00a0Dominion Square\u00a0Building\u00a0at the corner of Peel and Saint-Catherine. \nngg_shortcode_4_placeholder\n\t\t\tCJBC – Dupuis Fr\u00e8res<\/a>\n The station belonging to the Dupuis Fr\u00e8res Department Store began transmitting on May 19, 1922 making it the first French language radio station in North America.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_5_placeholder\n <\/p>\n A few days after its inauguration, La Presse newspaper reported the following: “The Dupuis Fr\u00e8res Lt\u00e9e the Grand Department store of the East end, was the first commercial establishment of our metropolis to inaugurate a series of concerts by means of radio.”<\/p>\n At the same time, it was announced that the store had a department specifically for selling radios. As was the case in other department stores, such as the T. Eaton Company in Toronto (CJCD), the store wanted to use entertainment to advertise for its goods. At the beginning of the summer of 1922, CJBC transmitted a few hours a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 pm. However, by the end of 1922 this Montreal station had gone off the air.<\/p>\n To publicize its programs, Dupuis Fr\u00e8res\u00a0added information about their shows to their regular clothing ads in the major newspapers of the time.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_6_placeholder\n\t\t\tCKAC – La Presse<\/a>\n\t\t In May 1922, La Presse announced that it would have its own radio station: CKAC. During the weeks following this announcement, the newspaper published step-by-step instructions for its readers about how to pick up the station. The station went on the air officially on September 30.<\/p>\n Movie stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were invited to the studio. As was the custom then, there was a piano in the studio. At the beginning of 1923, an electric Casavant organ was even installed! Both CKAC and CFCF regularly invited the Dow Brewery orchestra into its studios as well.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_7_placeholder\n <\/p>\n In 1929, the CKAC studios moved to Sainte-Catherine St., at the corner of Stanley. CKAC built a much more powerful 18,000Watt transmitter in Saint-Hyacinthe.<\/p>\n It should be noted that another Montreal daily newspaper, “La Patrie,” also had its own radio station. It was called CHLP and was launched on New Year’s Eve 1933. The station would remain on the air until 1957.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_8_placeholder\n\t\t\tUnknown stations<\/a>\n\t\t Not much is known about radio stations CHYC, CKCS, and CFZC except that they belonged to Northern Electric, Bell Telephone, and Westinghouse. It is possible that these companies may have thought it useful to offer programs to satisfy the buyers of the radio receivers they manufactured.<\/p>\n In 1927, CHYC broadcast for four hours a week and shared the\u00a0same\u00a0 frequency\u00a0as CKAC (La Presse), CFCF (Marconi), and CNRM (Canadian National). CHYC was located in the Northern Electric plant on Shearer Street in Pointe-Saint-Charles\u00a0and remained\u00a0on the air until 1932.<\/p>\n CHCW, CFUC, and CFJC did not last very long. In 1922, while La Presse was publishing daily programing guides of American Stations as well as CFCF, CJBC, CKAC, there was no mention of these other stations.<\/p>\n In the 1920s, the radio was a curiosity. The receivers were relatively complex. Often professional help was required to set it up and get it working. Large public presentations were organized in movie theaters or in\u00a0\u00a0major Montreal hotels.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_9_placeholder\n\t\t\tRailway companies and national networks\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>\n\t\t Railways, and more specifically the Canadian National Railway (CNR), newly created by the Canadian government, also wanted to\u00a0become\u00a0 a\u00a0broadcaster. Its subsidiary, the Canadian National Telegraph Company, received a mandate to serve all of Canada. The president of the Company, Sir Henry Thornton, created a division called “Radio”. Its goal was to improve the quality of passenger service and as well as the overall image of the CNR with its employees and the general public. A network of stations was formed.<\/p>\n Soon,\u00a0about ten\u00a0stations, including CNRA (Atlantic), CNRM (Montreal), CNRO\/CKCH (Ottawa), CNRT (Toronto) and CNRC (Vancouver)\u00a0were added\u00a0gradually.\u00a0They were interconnected using the company’s wired telegraph network.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_10_placeholder\n In July 1923, the first CNR train equipped with radio receivers left\u00a0Montreal for\u00a0Western Canada.\u00a0All\u00a0 along\u00a0the route, Northern Electric radio stations relayed shows programmed by the CNR.<\/p>\nAboard these cars, operators tuned in to programs from CNR network stations as well as from American stations. The passengers, seated in comfortable chairs in a specially equipped car, could listen to these broadcasts using headphones.\nngg_shortcode_11_placeholder\n \u00a0From 1927, the\u00a0CNR\u00a0linked\u00a0its stations and organized them into a network. The same was true for the CPR. In July, a program was broadcast from coast to coast on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Canadian Confederation.<\/p>\n\n In 1932, the Canadian government acquired the CNR network and formed the first national network under the name of Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission. After criticism of its programming and its operations, the network became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1936.<\/p>\n\t In 1924, four Montreal stations would alternatively broadcast on the same frequency each week.<\/p>\n Here is a typical weekly radio program schedule that would transmit at 410 meters (730 KHz):<\/p>\n\t\t\tMonday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 1:45 pm – CKAC: orchestra<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 7 pm – CFCF: bedtime stories for children<\/p>\n 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm – CFCF: music<\/p>\n 9 pm to 10 pm – CFCF: orchestra<\/p>\n 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm – CFCF: orchestra<\/p>\n\t\t\tTuesday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 7 pm – CKAC: piano lessons<\/p>\n 7:30 pm – CKAC: concerts<\/p>\n 8:30 pm – CKAC: in-studio concerts<\/p>\n 10:30 pm – CKAC: dance<\/p>\n\t\t\tWednesday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 1:45 pm – CKAC: orchestra<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 7 pm to 8 pm – CFCF: orchestra<\/p>\n 8:30 pm – CHYC: program from Northern Electric<\/p>\n\t\t\tThursday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 7 pm – CKAC: piano lessons<\/p>\n 7:30 pm – CKAC: concerts<\/p>\n 8:30 pm – CKAC: in-studio concerts<\/p>\n 9 pm – CNRM : program from CNR<\/p>\n 10:30 pm – CKAC: dance<\/p>\n\t\t\tFriday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 1:45 pm – CKAC: orchestra<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 7 pm – CFCF: bedtime stories for children<\/p>\n 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm – CFCF: music<\/p>\n 9 pm to 10 pm – CFCF: orchestra<\/p>\n 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm – CFCF: orchestra<\/p>\n\t\t\tSaturday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 12:45 pm – CFCF: Stock market quotes, music<\/p>\n 7 pm – CKAC: piano lessons<\/p>\n 7:30 pm – CKAC: concerts<\/p>\n 8:30 pm – CKAC: in-studio concert<\/p>\n 10:30 pm – CKAC: dance<\/p>\n\t\t\tSunday<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExpand<\/i><\/a>\n\t\t 1:45 pm – CKAC: orchestra<\/p>\n 4 pm – CKAC: stock market quotes, weather, market prices, news reports<\/p>\n 4:30 pm – CKAC: sacred music<\/p>\n 7 pm – CHYC: program from Norther Electric<\/p>\n RCA Victor, Northern Electric, and Marconi are the most important. All three companies were located in the South-West borough of Montreal, then the industrial heart of Canada.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarconi Wireless Telegraph\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNorthern Electric\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRCA Victor\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\tMarconi Wireless Telegraph\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Established in Montreal at the beginning of the 20th century, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company occupied several buildings throughout its existence.<\/p>\n [1903 – 1913]\u00a0 The\u00a0British Empire building (St-Fran\u00e7ois and St-Jean) <\/p>\n [1909 – 1916] The\u00a0DeLorimier\u00a0and Sainte Catherine\u00a0factory (Tansley\u00a0Street) <\/p>\n [1916 – 1922]\u00a0 The factory\u00a0and\u00a0studio\u00a0on\u00a0William Street <\/p>\n [1914 – 1918]\u00a0 The Shaughnessy Building<\/p>\n [1919 – 1947]\u00a0 The\u00a0Marconi Building at 211 St-Sacrement, subsequently occupied by Le Devoir<\/p>\n [1930 – 1994]\u00a0 The Marconi manufacturing plant on Trenton Street, Town of Mount-Royal <\/p>\nngg_shortcode_13_placeholder\n <\/p>\n They began manufacturing radio receivers\u00a0around 1921.\u00a0The model C\u202fsold for\u00a0as much as\u00a0195$ (approximately\u00a0$3,000\u00a0today) because it included three modules:\u00a0a\u00a0tuner,\u00a0a\u00a0detector, and\u00a0an\u00a0audio amplifier. <\/p>\nngg_shortcode_14_placeholder\n\t\t\t\tNorthern Electric\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Originally a manufacturer of telephones, Northern Electric diversified its production over the years\u00a0and\u00a0 moved\u00a0to several different places in Montreal:<\/p>\n [1880]\u00a0 The Garth Building<\/p>\n [1886 – 1891]\u00a0 The Warden-King Building<\/p>\n [1891 – 1904]\u00a0 371 Aqueduct street<\/p>\n [1904 – 1928]\u00a0 1600 Notre-Dame West<\/p>\n [1929]\u00a0 The Northern Electric Co. Building\u00a0(now\u00a0Nordelec), corner of Shearer and Saint-Patrick <\/p>\nngg_shortcode_15_placeholder\n At the beginning of the Second World War, Northern Electric began making smaller radios. They proudly displayed a “V” for Victory! And of\u00a0course,\u00a0\u00a0military\u00a0radios\u00a0were also manufactured\u00a0there. Consumer\u00a0radio\u00a0production resumed after the Second World War and the\u00a0Baby\u00a0Champ<\/em>\u00a0became\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0its\u00a0most popular\u00a0models.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_16_placeholder\n\t\t\t\tRCA Victor\nEmile Berliner, the\u00a0inventor\u00a0of the\u00a0phonograph,\u00a0set up his\u00a0first\u00a0record pressing operation at\u00a0367-368,\u00a0Aqueduct\u00a0St. (now Lucien-L’Allier)\u00a0in a building owned by Bell.\u00a0He opened a retail\u00a0store\u00a0at\u00a02315, Saint-Catherine St. Soon after,\u00a0gramophones\u00a0started\u00a0selling\u00a0in other Quebec cities\u00a0as well.\u00a0By 1904, a\u00a0laboratory (possibly a recording studio)\u00a0was\u00a0set up at 138a Peel\u00a0St.\u00a0It was\u00a0moved to 201\u00a0Fortification\u00a0Lane\u00a0for a short time before being\u00a0incorporated into the new factory.\nngg_shortcode_17_placeholder\n <\/p>\nngg_shortcode_18_placeholder\nIn 1908, the company moved into its new factory in Saint-Henri, on Lenoir St. very close to Saint-Antoine St. The construction was probably supervised by Emile’s son Herbert, a mechanical engineer who travelled frequently to Montreal during this time. This plant underwent a number of expansions over the years.\n <\/p>\n In 1924, it merged with its American parent company the Victor Talking Machine Company, founded in\u00a01901,\u00a0and became the Victor Talking Machine Co. of Canada.\u202fLater, in 1929, the Victor Talking Machine Co. was sold to the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became RCA Victor.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_19_placeholder\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tClick here to explore these and other historic locations with our Heritage Trail!\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n In the 1920s, buying an electric radio receiver represented a significant expense. Crystal radios had been around since the early 1900s and those could be had for about $20, whereas amplified devices sold for $200, the equivalent of about $3,000 today.\u00a0There were numerous amateurs who wanted to build their own radios.\u00a0 Businesses specializing in radio and electronics began to appear in Montreal, and plans and diagrams on radio building were published in newspapers and magazines of the time.<\/p>\nIn 1922, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph opened a subsidiary to sell radio parts. They opened stores in Toronto and on McGill College Avenue in Montreal. Marconi’s store, The Scientific Experimenter, had a very extensive catalogue of parts.\nngg_shortcode_20_placeholder\n\t In addition,\u00a0numerous books were published explaining\u00a0the operation and\u00a0building\u00a0of radio receivers.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_21_placeholder\n Even\u00a0the daily newspaper\u00a0La Presse\u00a0published\u00a0a series of 8 articles between December 11 and 19, 1922, explaining in full detail how to build\u00a0one\u00a0at home for\u00a0$5\u00a0(the\u00a0equivalent\u00a0of about\u00a0$75\u00a0today).<\/p>\n Many stores, like the Whitman Store,\u00a0shown in this\u00a0ad from\u00a0La Presse\u00a0in December 1922, provided\u00a0the necessary\u00a0parts described in the paper.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_22_placeholder\n\t Here are some videos that show how to build your own crystal radio receiver.<\/p>\n\t
\nOf\u00a0course,\u00a0 people\u00a0living near the transmitting stations could also receive\u00a0CNR\u00a0 programs. By 1932 the network consisted of thirteen stations, when it was acquired by the newly formed Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC).\nThe\u00a0competing\u00a0Canadian Pacific Railway, was not\u00a0to be\u00a0outdone. The CPR was not looking to form its own network\u00a0but\u00a0\u00a0did\u00a0own a transmitter.\u00a0It\u00a0had\u00a0cars specially equipped to pick up the radio\u00a0stations\u00a0located\u00a0near the towns\u00a0where they stopped\u00a0before the CNR, evidenced by this photo taken from the June 19, 1922 edition of La Presse newspaper.
\nngg_shortcode_12_placeholder\n\n\n\t\tThe first manufacturers\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\nIn\u00a01922, Northern Electric began manufacturing radios, including the\u00a0Model\u00a0R-1. During the 1930s,\u00a0a number of\u00a0deluxe\u00a0models were\u00a0made in Montreal.\n\n\t\tBuilding your own radio receiver\n\t<\/h2>\n\t