This Sunday (Dec 1, 2019) marks the 100th anniversary of Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Co’s XWA (experimental wireless apparatus) being granted the first broadcast license in Canada. With several tests occurring over the following months, the first scheduled broadcast (featuring recorded music and a live studio performance) hit the air 6 months later in May of 1920, a Canadian and worldwide first.
Taking on the call sign CFCF (Canada’s First, Canada’s Finest), the station served Montreal for 90 years before finally going dark in 2010. However, it set the stage, proved the concept and began the legacy of broadcast here in Canada – an industry which continues to serve communities from coast to coast to coast.
From all of us at Pippin Technical (celebrating 40 years in 2020), thank you to the builders and pioneers for your dedication and vision. The spectrum and technology evolves, but the aim to inform and entertain continues today.
Congratulations to Canadian Radio on your first 100 years, and a vibrant future to come!
– Pippin Technical Service
(w/ archival notes from RCI Canada and the Canadian Communications Foundation)
