80 Year Ago Since Final CFCA Broadcast: Toronto Star Lost its Radio Voice

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Founded in 1892 as The Evening Star, the newspaper Torontonians today recognize as the Toronto Star has a long history of presenting Canada’s largest city with important news. With a black-on-white display, information conveying details of local, Canadian and worldwide stories has referenced everything from the election of prime ministers, world wars, accomplishments in sports or more recently when Justin Bieber is coming to town. Until their entrance onto the Internet in 1996, the Toronto Star was known merely through their printed words. Little is currently acknowledged for their more than decade-long impact with the use of voice. Toronto’s first radio station CFCA officially launched in 1922 with buzz that would silenced on August 31^st of 1933.

One of the first commercial radio broadcasters awarded a license by the Canadian government, CFCA was Toronto’s first station. Hard to believe today where Toronto radio space on the AM and FM dial is tight, the Toronto Star’s CFCA would transmit the only voices across the city. In the June 23^rd, 1922 edition of the Toronto Daily Star, the newspaper publication proudly posted a picture of twin 80-foot antennas on top of their King Street West building. A reported broadcast radius of the CFCA’s radio waves was 500 miles giving it a wide coverage reach. The major quarrel during that time was finding the citizens of Toronto who are early adopters to the radio technology.

First beaming radio waves across the city in March 1922, CFCA’s regular operations starting in late June consisted news and entertainment. To the few radios in Toronto as well as through speakers mounted to the radio station’s specially outfitted Ford Model T truck, CFCA’s first broadcasts provided some of the earliest structured programs. During the first moments of broadcast for CFCA, an interview with Canadian National Railways president D.B. Hanna transpired. Interesting enough, Canadian National Railways would become the country’s first large-scale radio operator a little more than a year later. Sports and financial bulletins as well as live musical numbers were piped across Toronto during a 7pm radio broadcast.

Most historically significant for CFCA is the first broadcaster of a National Hockey League game. Held in 1923 on Valentine’s day, CFCA radio coverage of the Toronto St Patricks versus the Ottawa Senators at Arena Gardens would provide the professionals playing Canada’s favourite pass time to any receiving radio. This NHL game was actually the second hockey game aired by CFCA. The first was a North Toronto versus Midland hockey match also played at Arena Gardens. In a short time into CFCA’s hockey broadcasting experiments, a large Canadian audience heard hockey broadcast legend Foster Hewitt’s voice for the first time. The CFCA radio broadcasts would serve as the foundation for all future NHL broadcasting.

In 1924, CFCA also allowed children across Toronto a chance to hear from Santa Claus. In addition to advertisements from the Timothy Eaton Company (the founder of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade), the CFCA airwaves were fill of detailed information from the jolly old man himself through a variety of 15-minute radio segments.

By the time the 1930s arrived, CFCA faced competition from other radio stations in Toronto. One of those was CFRB founded by Edward Rogers Sr. in 1927. Rogers was also the principal behind Rogers Vacuum Tube Company who likely provided Toronto citizens with the radio receivers they were using to listen to CFCA. The formation of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) in 1932 demonstrated that a strong public broadcasting future fuelling what remains in the 21^st century a contentious debate on the public/private media. A precursor to the current Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the CRBC began leasing another Toronto based station that has evolved to CBC Radio One. Radio programming had also grown more elaborate resulting in expanded coverage and entertainment throughout the evening.

The downfall of CFCA could be described as a situation where the government killed the radio star. As public broadcasting grew in popularity, private radio operators were treated less than favourably. According to the Toronto Daily Star, CFCA would have to abide by a new rule requiring commercial radio stations to transmit with no more than 100 watts. Significantly less than the 5,000-watt capacity of public radio broadcasting in Toronto, CFCA would have been deeply restricted in transmitting future programs. CFCA was also one of the only major radio operations in Toronto at the time not leasing time to a public entity. Program competition as well as the limited reach for future broadcasts led to the demise of CFCA. The decision was that August 31^st, 1933 would be the final day of broadcasting for Toronto’s first major radio station.

Following the 11:30pm broadcast of the news program “At the end of the day”, CFCA went silent ending the Toronto Star‘s 11-year venture in radio broadcasting. Torstar Corporation (the Toronto Star’s current parent company) briefly returned to radio media in 2005 when they purchased a 20 percent stare in CTVGlobeMedia that controlled stations such as CHUM-FM. Torstar Corporation’s partial ownership of CTVGlobeMedia ended in 2011 when they sold their stake to Bell Canada Enterprises.

Though CFCA ended on this day 80 years ago, Toronto’s earliest radio station sent a message that continues to radiate to this day.

How Blackberry is Giving Itself a Black Eye

Photo Credit: Blackberry

When 2013 began, Blackberry (entering the year with the long-standing Research in Motion business name) prepped what was supposed to be an ambitious and important corporate revival. Blackberry's CEO Thorsten Heins proudly held the full touchscreen Z10 and the QWERTY keyboard/touchscreen hybrid Q10 smartphones as if they were the Ten Commandments that would lead a connected humanity. Their Blackberry 10 operating system was highly developed to the point it delayed its release date to a point some were concerned if the devices would ever arrive. While the devices featured nifty technology, the smartphones have not left the big splash in the water it hoped. Having not learned from the Playbook tablet, Blackberry is still fighting to realize it is not Apple (specifically when it comes to demanding money from consumers). While their technology is formidable, Blackberry has been fighting to reclaim a its position as a major smartphone player when selling near $700 devices such as the Z10 or Q10.

In addition to the Blackberry Z10 and Q10, a third smartphone using the new operating system and technology was created. Slightly less capable than the Q10, the Blackberry Q5 carried the perk of a lower price tag. Unfortunately, Blackberry made choice to sell the Q5 only in emerging markets not realizing a market for a lower-cost smartphone option in North America. Even Apple has been rumoured to be readying a more price competitive iPhone. In late July, Blackberry finally conceded in what was their initial intentions to sell its Q5 handheld device. A less expensive Blackberry 10 family device priced roughly comparable with the latest Android devices from Samsung. In time for the Back-to-School buying phase, the QWERTY-keyboard equipped Blackberry Q5 device could potentially show up on the wish list of high school and college students. With its forecasted release this week, there is just one question; where has been the promotion for the Blackberry Q5?

Mention of the Blackberry Q5 is only trickling out from Canadian wireless carriers. Of as Monday, the Telus website is the only major wireless phone provider to advertise the Q5 being available. Through Telus, the Blackberry Q5 costs $49 with a 24-month plan or $425 without a contract. Only this week has the Blackberry Canadian site updated to include the profile of the Q5. When Apple announces the technical details of their newest iPhone, that technology company insures that customers are well-informed on where and how to buy the device before it drops into kiosks. Is it possible that cell phone providers in Canada want to suppress knowledge of the less expensive phone to maintain better sales of the Q10? Is just apathy wireless providers feel for Blackberry products?

Instead of hype surrounding the roll-out of what could become the bread and butter tool to Blackberry's efforts to stay relevant, news has surrounded the structure of the Canadian-based technology provider. Shareholder swoop like vultures for the shares as it the company considers buying them back in order to go private. On Monday, news surrounded the fact Blackberry is exploring options such as a sale or partnership with another technology company. Some investors or analysts would also like to see the company separate its more promising units away from less profitable efforts. This should be a time for the phone maker to promote their Q5 device's release in Canada. Once again, Blackberry is having difficulty trying to steer the message to the media. It's bad enough the company has abandoned plans for a next-generation Playbook tablet, the Blackberry 10 operating system could be an compelling piece of software few will see. It is disappointing to see the company behind the BBM technology is lacking the ability to effectively communicate what could be a move that will place more Blackberry 10 operating systems in the hands of customers.

Ultimately, what Blackberry needs is to place their devices into as many hands as possible. By stoking a consumer marketplace, app developers and investors will be more eager to place their support behind the company's work. The Blackberry Q5's release in Canada should be observed as the key to igniting a spark in an engine that is losing power. We simply need to wait and see if there is a fire left in Blackberry.