Yearbook of radio and television (1957)

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Progress in Solving Problems Is Marked by CBC in 1956 BROADCASTING in Canada has progressed, in 1956, through what may prove to be its biggest year. As this country enters its 21st year of national network broadcasting, it has a service which reaches a population scattered over one of the largest countries in the world. Ninety-five percent of the population of roughly 16,000,000 is within range of national radio service and about 86 percent is now within range of Canadian television. This has been no easy job, and it has been complicated by the fact that Canada is a two-language country. We have five networks: Trans-Canada and Dominion in English-language radio; the French radio network, and the English and French television networks. (XZX) These networks, very similar to those in the United States, are made up of publiclyowned CBC stations and privately-owned stations, with the CBC operating the networks. The operations require public money in addition to advertising revenue because of the size of the country and the costs of program production in two languages. Another complication is that Canada, which invented the world system of time zones, has six of them to contend with — two more than the United States. It is against this background that we are proud to record the following progress: at the beginning of 1956, 77 percent of all Canadians were within range of Canadian TV. We closed the year, as mentioned above, with about 86 percent. Forty-seven percent of all Canadian homes had television sets a year ago. Today more than sixty percent of Canadian households own television. The total number of TV sets in use in Canada today is 2,680,000, of which 650,000 were purchased by Canadians during 1956. (KZ>0 In radio the figures eclipse those for television. During the past year 675,000 radios were sold in Canada, an increase of 65,000 over 1955. Television, which is barely more than four years old in this country, now is available in every sizeable centre. There are 41 television stations. This number is necessary to reach a population which might be reached by one station alone in a centre such as New York City. Such is the challenge of TV in this country. The past year saw the extension of the Ik By E. L. BUSHNELL Assistant General Manager Canadian Broadcasting System microwave network westward as far as Winnipeg— making possible instantaneous transmission to 18 stations from Winnipeg to Quebec City — as well as the linking together of four stations in the Maritimes. 0<Z>0 In programming, too, it was a year of change and development. Canadians watched the first television coverage of a Canadian political convention. Experienced gleaned from coverage of U. S. political conventions helped make it a striking success. Canada's football classic, the Grey Cup Game, which a year before came to central Canada from Vancouver by courtesy of U. S. network facilities, this year went from Toronto to Vancouver by the same route. In radio, Canadians saw the first major change in programming in several years as CBC program planners adjusted network radio to meet its new role alongside television. The Canadian system involves cooperation with privately-owned stations, which assist in obtaining national distribution for CBC-produced programs. (XIXI While this was going on, the CBC marked twenty years of national network broadcasting on November 2nd, 1956. We feel that the accomplishments of Canadian broadcasting in 1956, and indeed over the past twenty years, reflect the interest of Canadians everywhere in their national system. But the year will be remembered more for one important event than for all its physical development in Canadian radio and television. This event was the Royal Commission on Broadcasting, which sat throughout the greater part of the year. The three-man commission, headed by R. M. Fowler, President of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, held sessions in all regions of Canada, visited the United States and studied European systems. We feel it is significant that we should have this long and careful look at some of the problems confronting us in radio and television at a time when both media are developing so rapidly all over the world. 83