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Ontario, Toronto and Vicinity CBLT-TV, Toronto, Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
1946
1951 The CBC announced that television in Canada would be started sometime in January of 1952 in Toronto. It had earlier been hoped that September would see the first TV transmissions in Toronto. In Montreal, final confirmation of the use of the Mount Royal antenna site came in May. The Montreal station would likely be on the air next spring, but would be subject to change due to building shortages, particularly in steel. Toronto would have two studios - one with 5,000 square feet and one with 2,000 square feet - plus a film library and transmission rooms. The estimated cost was $2,000,000 for studios and equipment in Toronto. Toronto would be the main production centre in English at the outset, producing some three hours of programming per day, of which about two hours would have to be supplied to Montreal. The Montreal station would be bilingual, but most of its originations would be French. In the future, it was hoped that some English productions would be made in Montreal.
The CBC and Bell Telephone Co. signed a five year contract for the establishment of a TV network service. The plan called for the extension of the existing co-axial cable in Buffalo to Montreal and Toronto. The project was announced jointly by the New York and Canadian Bell companies. The Canadian phone company would undertake to lay cable between the two cities and a border point, where it would be connected to the Buffalo cable. Television finally came to Canada on September 6 when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched CBFT-TV in Montreal. That station broadcast in English and French. The CBC would open Toronto's first station two days later - CBLT-TV. It was the country's first English-language television station and the country's second TV station. CBLT got its call sign by adding a "T" to the end of the existing CBC AM station's (CBL) call letters. Before CBLT Channel 9's official opening on September 8, the station was on the air with pictures of four bank robbers (Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Leonard Jackson, Steve Suchan and William Jackson) who sawed their way out of the death row cell block at the Don Jail. At 7:15 p.m., CBLT broadcast "Let's See", a review of the evening's programs followed at 7:30 by "News Magazine". The station's opening ceremonies took place at 8:00 p.m. Those ceremonies included a message from Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and an hour-long entertainment program that featured Glenn Gould, Don Harron, Barbara Hamilton and Jan Rubes. There was a half hour of music from the Leslie Bell Singers then good luck greetings from CBC Montreal. Before signing off for the night at 10:30, the station repeated the earlier news broadcast, read by the "voice of doom", Lorne Greene. CBC and government officials were on hand for the opening of both CBLT and CBFT. Among the other staff members on hand for opening night: Norman Jewison, David Greene, Harvey Hart, Sydney Newman, Murray Chercover (studio director), Norman Campbell, Ross McLean, Percy Saltzman and Mavor Moore. Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport was a special guest. Don Robertson joined CBLT from CBC Edmonton. He was one of 26 technicians hired to help with the launch of CBLT. Stuart Griffiths was the station's first program director. CBLT had one large studio with 3 camera chain, smaller 2 camera studio, transmitter room for audio, video and CBL-FM, carpentry and paint shops, property room, dressing rooms, 2-car garage (now being used to shoot commercials), film rooms, telecine rooms, offices, announce booths, control rooms and repair shops. 916,400 square feet, 4-storey brick and steel building on Jarvis St. (similar extension made to the Radio-Canada building in Montreal). The giant studio A - 73' x 58' - was three storeys high - for large productions. Studio B where cameras picked up interview-type shows, dramas with small casts and commercials - was 37- x 58' and two storeys high. Two motor vans house the generator, cameras and transmitter which made up each city's mobile unit. Operating range was about 10 miles. There was approximately 3 hours of programming per evening - a small portion exchanged by kinescope recording between CBLT and CBFT - likely to be this way for some time to come. In the first week of program service, the facilities combined to air a total of 4 hours of revue and preview, 1 hour of news and documentaries, 30 minutes of musicale, 1 hour of sports actuality and discussion, 2 1/2 hours of drama, 2 3/4 hours of interviews and miscellaneous items. Films took up five and a quarter hours. The CBC was also negotiating with U.S. networks CBS and NBC to bring some programs north of the border. Those talks were at a stalemate though. After one week of Canadian television, WBEN-TV in Buffalo was still getting the largest slice of the Ontario audience. CBLT was credited with 36% while WBEN captured 64% of the total audience. A boom in the sale of television receivers was experienced in Toronto and Montreal in August, according to the Radio-Television Manufacturers Association of Canada. During the month 12,790 sets were sold in Canada, more than twice the figure for the previous month. Televised election results were seen for the first time in Canada when CBLT and the Globe & Mail teamed up for evening-long coverage of the vote which returned Mayor Allan Lamport to office for a second term. Norm Marshall and Larry O'Brien shared broadcast duties for the first televised CFL Grey Cup football game, which aired on CBLT. On September 29, Johns Hopkins Science Review started airing on CBLT and Montreal's CBFT as the first U.S. network (DuMont) show regularly scheduled by the CBC stations. On October 1, CBLT aired another DuMont program, supplied on kinescope recording - a one hour boxing show. The first educational program was telecast October 3 in a televised debate between two high school teams at Toronto. It was the first of eight such unsponsored Friday evening half hour programs to air on CBLT. Other televised programs for schools were being studied by the CBC, the Toronto Board of Education and the National Advisory Council on School Broadcasting. The CBC was also planning religious programs. In December, WBEN-TV tripled its coverage area when it began operating from the second highest TV tower in this part of the world. It also increased its power. The changes meant a considerable improvement in the pictures received in about 100,000 Canadian homes in the region. The 1,057 foot tower was located 20 miles south of Buffalo. In comparison, CBLT's tower was 500 feet. NBC-RCA loaned the 26 episode series "Victory at Sea" to the CBC. It began airing on CBLT in December and was schedule to begin on CBFT Montreal on January 5 (1953). The audience of CBLT dropped from over one-third to less than a quarter of the total audience available during its first month of operation. The average share of audience for the station during the first week of October was 22.2%. The only other station available here - WBEN-TV - had the remaining 77.8%. Westinghouse's The Big Revue was CBLT's top rated show. In the first week of November, CBLT saw a slight shift in its favour. It now had an average share of audience of 25.9%. CBLT saw a drop again in the first week of December. The average share of audience for the station was 22.9% with the remaining 77.1% going to WBEN. The two favourite Canadian shows were "The Big Revue" and "NHL Hockey". The top show on WBEN: "I Love Lucy". In comparison, Canada's other TV station - CBFT - had no real competitors because there was only spotty and unreliable reception from the closest American stations. Fergus Mutrie was CBLT's program director.1953 At 10 p.m., January 19, network television service came to the Toronto area with the inauguration of a 66-mile microwave radio-relay system between Buffalo, N.Y. and Toronto. The system delivered American network programming obtained by the CBC for telecasting over CBLT. The first program, "Studio One", from CBS, went on the air at 10 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m. on May 14, CBLT, CBFT (Montreal) and the not yet on-air CBOT (Ottawa) were linked by a 340-mile microwave relay system. For the record, CBOT signed on the air on June 2. Plans for the development of a national TV network composed of privately-owned and CBC stations were tentatively agreed to in June. Present licensees agreed to carry a minimum of 10 1/2 hours of CBC-produced programs weekly. The CBC announced plans to acquire a roller rink in August for use as a studio. An increase in daily hours of operation was the reason for an increase in needed studio space. The rink was located on Christie Street. When renovated it would provide a studio with more than the normal overhead and floor space and could accommodate an audience of about 500. A September report on television viewing for the three Canadian stations on the air showed an audience increase where there was competition from American border stations. The report showed that about a third of the audience in the Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara area now looked at CBLT while two-thirds still favoured US stations. Until now, the percentage had been about 1/4 viewing the Canadian station. The most popular shows on CBLT: Holiday Ranch (Canadian), Wrestling, and Playbill (Canadian). Importation of more American network programs improved audiences of Canadian television stations where there was competition from U.S. border stations. A November ratings report showed sets-in-use figures were down slightly in the Toronto area but up slightly in Montreal and Ottawa. The most popular programs in the Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara area on CBLT: NHL Hockey (Canadian), Dennis Day Show, Jackie Gleason Show, Toast of the Town and Kraft Theatre. The latest estimate for television receivers in Canada was 445,000 sets. The major number of sets - 222,500 - was in the Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara area, within range of CBLT and Buffalo's WBEN-TV. CBC board chairman A. Davidson Dunton said that CBLT was running into the toughest competition for audience in the world. He said it was a bit discouraging to know that more people were watching WBEN-TV than CBLT. Dunton said that a lot of WBEN's programming was network material, originating from New York and Hollywood. The Bell Telephone Company's Adelaide Street office was the terminal point in the new 407 mile microwave relay system - the recently inaugurated heart of Canada's three station TV network. Rising 392 feet above the street (compared with the Bank of Commerce's 400 feet and the tower of CBLT at 500 feet), this was one of 15 such units constructed by Bell to carry television programs and telephone conversations from Buffalo to Montreal via Toronto and Ottawa or any points in between. Engineering plans for a Montreal-Quebec City expansion were already prepared and others were being worked out to reach London. The Buffalo-Toronto hop needed only one relay site - at Fonthill, near Welland. The Toronto-Ottawa section had 8 stations (Uxbridge, Bethany, Hastings, Stirling, Enterprise, Westport, Smiths Falls and Stanley Corners). Three stations connect with Montreal - at Leonard, Maxville and Rigaud. The Ottawa installation is also on top of the Bell building there. Mount Royal was chosen for the Montreal station. The CBC was expected to soon finish the 4th and 5th floors of the Toronto TV building. It was to be completed in September. The floors would house a variety of television equipment, air conditioning, and film recording units. When completed, CBC TV would have double the existing space. CBLT was scheduled to increase its regular program schedule in October to include afternoon telecasting. Matinee Party would be a new afternoon program. It would also air on CBOT and CBFT. The program would originate from the 1,300 seat Eaton Auditorium. The regular cast would include fashion expert Rosemary Boxer and radio personalities Monty Hall and Larry Mann.
Harry Boyle was named director of programs for CBC Ontario - radio and television. He had been program director of the Trans-Canada network for eight years.
Dick MacDougall was emcee of the early evening show, Tabloid. Percy Saltzman did weather.
1956
1967 On March 18, CBLT was authorized to add a transmitter at Beardmore. It would broadcast on channel 9 with a transmitter power of 5 watts (non-directional). The new transmitter would receive programming off-the-air from CBLAT.
1970
CBEC-TV Elliot Lake was opened on October 8.
1972
1974
1975
1976
CBLT's Studio 6 on Jarvis Street was completely rebuilt. Pat Newman, senior engineer for Toronto projects was in charge. New equipment included a audio console, intercom system, cameras, production switcher and colour monitors.
On December 19, CBLCT Fraserdale signed on.
1979
1980
Ivan Fecan became CBLT's program director. He had been news director at CITY-TV.
1981 Fraser Kelly joined CBLT from CFTO-TV to host the new news program, Newshour.
The CRTC issued short-term renewals to television stations in the Toronto area, again complaining that the stations had failed to develop quality Canadian programs, particularly drama, musicals and children's shows. CBLT's licence was renewed for two years and nine months. Bilingual production facilities in Sudbury to cover northern Ontario remained a priority. The CBC was commended for programming and closed-captioning efforts.
1982
1984 Don Martin replaced Earl McRae as sportscaster on "Nightfinal". McRae was assigned to reporting and other duties. Susan Harada, seen on CBC's "Newshour", became an anchor on CBLT's "Newsfinal".
Valerie Elia left "Newshour".
1984-85
1985
Ona Fletcher became news anchor at CBLT. On January 27, CBCE-TV opened at Little Current. News anchors were Hilary Brown, Fraser Kelly and Ona Fletcher. Ken Daniels and Don Martin did sports. Fraser Kelly left the station.
CBLT's first program director passed away November 7. Stuart W. Griffiths was 68.
Slawko Klymkiw became producer of news and current affairs at CBLT. He had been with CBWT Winnipeg.
In addition to Hilary Brown and Ona Fletcher, Susan Harada and Jim Wycks were also news anchors. Bruce Dowbiggin was now in the sports department. Reporter Kelly Crowe joined from CFTO and Robert Fisher left for Global.
1990
1991
1992
Bill Cameron became a news anchor at CBLT. He had been with the national TV network. Steve Paikin left for TV Ontario.
News anchors now included Ron Izawa and Jeffrey Kofman. On September 1, CKVR Barrie disaffiliated from the CBC network, and CBLT opened rebroadcasters CBLT-TV-1 Barrie, CBLT-TV-2 Huntsville, and CBLT-TV-3 Parry Sound. Bill Cameron, host of CBLT's evening newscast, moved to the morning anchor position at CBC Newsworld as of September 11. The morning broadcast originated in Halifax. Cameron succeeded Henry Champ who returned to Washington for Newsworld. John Northcott was doing entertainment reports. Suhana Meharchand was now a news anchor at CBLT.
2000 Reporter Adam Vaughan left for CITY-TV in February. On September 29, CBLT produced its last local newscast (for now). As a result, weatherman Bill Lawrence retired and anchor Suhana Meharchand moved to Newsworld. On October 2, a new national/regional newscast (Canada Now) began airing at 6:00 p.m. The national portion came from Vancouver and was hosted by Ian Hanomansing. Carole MacNeil hosted the regional portion from Toronto at 6:30 p.m.
2002 The CBC purchased the MCTV CBC affiliated stations in Northern Ontario from CTV Inc. CFCL-TV-3 Kapuskasing (on the air since January 30, 1958), CFCL-TV-2 Kearns (August 15, 1958), CHNB-TV North Bay (October 15, 1971), CJIC-TV Sault Ste. Marie (November 19, 1954), CKNC-TV Sudbury (October 8, 1971) and CFCL-TV Timmins (July 1, 1956), became rebroadcasters of CBLT.
The call signs were changed as follows: CFCL-TV-3 Kapuskasing became CBLT-9, CFCL-TV-2 Kearns = CBLT-8, CHNB-TV North Bay = CBLT-4, CJIC-TV Sault Ste. Marie = CBLT-5, CKNC-TV Sudbury = CBLT-6 and CFCL-TV Timmins = CBLT-7.
2003
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