Major Milestones
2000s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s | 1960s | 1950s | 1940s | 1920-1939
1940s
The national public broadcaster really takes off in this
decade. On January 1, 1941, CBC News Service is formally opened;
Radio-Canada’s News division is also created.
Several special radio broadcasts took place in the 1940s including
Winston Churchill’s speech from the House of Commons in Ottawa. By
mid decade, a number of private radio stations were affiliated with
the national network and a total of 43 hours of French and English
programs were being broadcast daily, compared with 10 hours just a
few years earlier in 1936.
As the next decade approaches, television is on the horizon and
CBC/Radio-Canada is preparing for it. In 1947, the Corporation
presented a 15-year plan for the development of television in
Canada.
History of CBC/Radio-Canada
Discover the history of CBC/Radio-Canada through a look at the major milestones of each decade. From the 1920s, when the need arose for a Canadian presence on the radio - to counter the American influence and protect Canadian culture, to the present day, when CBC/Radio-Canada is recognized as one of this country’s greatest cultural institutions, learn how Canada’s national public broadcaster has become a leader in producing and distributing distinctive Canadian content.
