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Radio around the world The century of broadcasting in Canada

In 2019, Canadian radio celebrated its 100th anniversary. Together with the Musée des Ondes Émile Berliner and the Société Québécoise de Collectionneurs de Radio Anciens, we present milestones in the history of the long-lived – and still very much alive – mass medium.

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© Anmol Arora / Unsplash


1886
 Proof of electromagnetic waves

German scientist Heinrich Hertz leads several experiments that prove the existence of electromagnetic waves by a series of experiments. He demonstrates. as JC Maxwell predicted, that light is an electromagnetic wave. He also demonstrates the existence of electromagnetic waves, not visible. He shows that these new waves, which are also likely to diffract, refract and polarize, propagate at the same speed as light. On November 13, 1886, he carried out the first radio link between a transmitter and a receiver.

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz © Robert Krewaldt, Kaiserplatz 16, Bonn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz


 1890
 Invention of the "Coherer"

In 1890, Frenchman Edouard Branly constructs the "Coherer", the first device capable of detecting radio frequency. This clearly demonstrated that an electrostatic discharge can be detected, even from a distance of more than 25 meters. Thanks to this device and to his work on the principle of radioconduction, Gugliemo Marconi would later develop the radiotelegraphic connections that mark the birth of wireless telegraphy.  

Branly tube for radio detection, also known as a coherer or radioconductor. The device bears the inscription "Tube Branly 78" on the tube and "L. Korsten Paris" on the base. Personally given by the inventor. © Pierre5018, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Branly tube for radio detection, also known as a coherer or radioconductor. The device bears the inscription "Tube Branly 78" on the tube and "L. Korsten Paris" on the base.


1894
 The first wireless transmission

Marconi carries out his first radiofrequency transmission experiments in the attic of his family home, near Bologna, Italy. Despite the belief of the period, he demonstrates that a radio signal can be picked up beyond physical obstacles like hills. Marconi then moves to England and obtains his first patent for his invention. He continues his experiments and succeeds in communicating from greater and greater distances.  

A pioneering radio receiver using a coherer, a tube of metal filings, as a detector constructed by Italian radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1896, on display in the Oxford Museum of the History of Science, UK. The coherer is the glass tube on the right. When it detected a radio signal it rang a bell. This receiver was used in a landmark 1896 demonstration of radio communication at Toynbee hall that made Marconi a celebrity. The transmitter that was used with it (metal balls) is seen on the left. © Ozeye, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A pioneering radio receiver using a coherer, a tube of metal filings, as a detector constructed by Italian radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1896, on display in the Oxford Museum of the History of Science, UK. The coherer is the glass tube on the right. When it detected a radio signal it rang a bell. This receiver was used in a landmark 1896 demonstration of radio communication at Toynbee hall that made Marconi a celebrity. The transmitter that was used with it (metal balls) is seen on the left.


 1899
 Experimenting with wireless

In November 1889, Louis Henri Laurent Simard, Cabinet Director of Physics and Professor of Astronomy at the University of Laval, undertakes a series of experiments. In order to carry this out, he uses instruments brought from Paris by the rector of the university and former director of the cabinet, Joseph Clovis Kemner Laflamme. Laflamme purchases this precision equipment used by Branly, Hertz, and Popov from engineer Adrien Eugène Ducretet. Simard travels to France in 1900 where he studies science at the Universty of Paris and the Catholic Institute of Paris for one year. During this time, Simard has the opportunity to speak with Branly on more than one occasion. Upon returning to the University of Laval, he resumes teaching physics as well as his experments with TSF. 

Abbé Clovis Laflamme © Université de Laval
Abbé Clovis Laflamme


 1901
 First wireless transatlantic transmission

On December 12th, Guglielmo Marconi establishes a wireless  telegraph reception between England and Newfoundland.  This feat is acheived with limited means. As it was not possible to construct a receiving antenna, Marconi would use a kite to elevate his antenna as high as possible. The next year, he establishes a two-way telegraphic communication between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and England.  

Photograph of Guglielmo Marconi and associates raising the receiving antenna by kite at St. John's, Newfoundland in December, 1901 in preparation for his historic first transatlantic radio transmission 11 December 1901 from Poldhu, Cornwall, a distance of 2300 mi (3500 km). Appeared in the article "Marconi's Achievement" in the February, 1902 issue of McClure's Magazine. © James M. Vey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photograph of Guglielmo Marconi and associates raising the receiving antenna by kite at St. John's, Newfoundland in December, 1901 in preparation for his historic first transatlantic radio transmission 11 December 1901 from Poldhu, Cornwall, a distance of 2300 mi (3500 km). Appeared in the article "Marconi's Achievement" in the February, 1902 issue of McClure's Magazine.


 1903
 Creation of Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. of Canada

The Canadian Government invites Guglielmo Marconi to settle in Canada. The head office is established in Montreal at 211 rue Saint-Sacrement. The company would have other locations including those on rue Rodney and rue William.   

Electrical engineer/inventor Guglielmo Marconi with the spark-gap transmitter (right) and coherer receiver (left) he used in some of his first long distance radiotelegraphy transmissions during the 1890s. © Published on LIFE, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Electrical engineer/inventor Guglielmo Marconi with the spark-gap transmitter (right) and coherer receiver (left) he used in some of his first long distance radiotelegraphy transmissions during the 1890s.


 1904
 Invention of Diode tube

Britsh engineer John Ambrose Fleming took inspiration from Edison's incandescent lamp to build a vacuum lamp with two electrodes. Its diode, used in a resonant circuit can detect a radio frequency.

Photograph of the oscillation valves first employed by Dr. J. A. Fleming, FRS, in October 1904, for the rectification of high-frequency electric oscillations as used in wireless telegraphy. © John Ambrose Fleming, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photograph of the oscillation valves first employed by Dr. J. A. Fleming, FRS, in October 1904, for the rectification of high-frequency electric oscillations as used in wireless telegraphy.


 1906
 First voice and music transmission

On Christmas Eve 1906, Canadian Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, born in Bolton in the Eastern Townships, sent his greetings by radio to ships cruising off the east coast of the United States. He was then working for the US Weather Bureau and was posted to Brant Rock, Massachusetts.

Reginald Fessenden, probably 1906. © Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Reginald Fessenden, probably 1906.


 1906
 Invention of Triode tube

American Lee DeForest improves the Fleming diode by placing a third element between the two electrodes of a  vacuum tube. By varying the intensity of the current passing over this grid, he could easily control the flow of electrons between the cathode and the anode. This new lamp is called the Audion and it can amplify an electrical signal.

An early De Forest audion tube, the first electron tube that could amplify. The first triode, or tube with three electrodes, a filament, grid, and plate, the audion was invented in 1906 by American engineer Lee De Forest. The top metal electrode is the plate. The zigzag metal wire partly visible under it is the grid. The filament was originally under that, attached to the wires at left, but has burned out. As many Audions did, this model had two filaments (indicated by the four filament supply wires) so that when one burned out the "spare" could be used. The filament wires were attached to the screw terminal at left, while the grid and plate terminals were brought out through the right end of the glass envelope to the two wires at right. Tube belongs to History of San Jose, Perham Collection of Early Electronics. © Gregory F. Maxwell PGP:0xB0413BFA, GFDL 1.2 , via Wikimedia Commons
An early De Forest audion tube, the first electron tube that could amplify. The first triode, or tube with three electrodes, a filament, grid, and plate, the audion was invented in 1906 by American engineer Lee De Forest. The top metal electrode is the plate. The zigzag metal wire partly visible under it is the grid. The filament was originally under that, attached to the wires at left, but has burned out. As many Audions did, this model had two filaments (indicated by the four filament supply wires) so that when one burned out the "spare" could be used. The filament wires were attached to the screw terminal at left, while the grid and plate terminals were brought out through the right end of the glass envelope to the two wires at right. Tube belongs to History of San Jose, Perham Collection of Early Electronics.


 April 15, 1912
 Titanic sinking

During the sinking, the operator continued sending calls for help. Thanks to the telegraph, hundreds of people are saved from drowning. Hereafter, all big ships are equipped with wireless telegraphy equipment. 

A replica of the radio room on the ocean liner RMS Titanic which hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage 15 April 1912. An SOS distress signal sent from this room summoned a nearby ship, the RMS Carpathia, which saved 705 of the survivors. Two men employed by the Marconi Company worked in this small windowless room near the bridge. Their main job was to receive and send messages by radio waves using Morse code. Little did they know they would soon be tapping out one of the first SOS signals from a ship in distress. The radio apparatus during the wireless telegraphy or "spark" era before 1920 was primitive; a spark-gap transmitter which transmitted information by the operator tapping on a telegraph key to spell out messages in Morse code, and a weak unamplified crystal radio receiver. © Cliff1066, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A replica of the radio room on the ocean liner RMS Titanic which hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage 15 April 1912. An SOS distress signal sent from this room summoned a nearby ship, the RMS Carpathia, which saved 705 of the survivors. Two men employed by the Marconi Company worked in this small windowless room near the bridge. Their main job was to receive and send messages by radio waves using Morse code. Little did they know they would soon be tapping out one of the first SOS signals from a ship in distress. The radio apparatus during the wireless telegraphy or "spark" era before 1920 was primitive; a spark-gap transmitter which transmitted information by the operator tapping on a telegraph key to spell out messages in Morse code, and a weak unamplified crystal radio receiver.


 1913
 Experimental wireless licenses

Several seminaries are interested in wireless telegraphy. Telegraph operators are trained for maritime transport. In 1913, the Canadian government authorises 18 expermental wireless telegraph stations in Quebec.

Wireless telegraph station of the physics department of Collège Sainte-Marie, Montreal, Quebec. © Ingenium Canada
Wireless telegraph station of the physics department of Collège Sainte-Marie, Montreal, Quebec.


 1914
 Invention of Désilets' organ

Father Georges Désilets invents an organ that can transmit on radio waves. Wireless Age magazine devoted several pages to this in 1916. Désilets' “Wireless Organ’ was a unique instrument that was designed to create and transmit musical tones generated by electronic sparks. Désilets, the bishop of the small town of Nicolet in Quebec, Canada, had set up his own radio station to transmit religious music and required an organ to complete his choir. Using the standard, pre vacuum tube process of generating radio waves with a spark-gap alternator; Désilets mounted a series of spark-gap ‘studded’ disks on a rotating conical drum spinning at a fixed rate powered by an electrical motor. The ratio interval between the studs caused an approximate sinusoidal waveform to be created in a series of predetermined musical pitches. The instrument was designed to be audible over a wireless transmission – this being, in these pre-amplification days, the only way the instrument could be heard;

Article about the Desilet's organ © Wireless Age
Article about Desilet's organ. The patent diagram shows the arrangement of ‘spark studs’ on a conical drum connected to a radio transmitter.


 1919
 First regular programming in Netherlands

The Dutch station PCGG announces "Soirées musicales". These are the first ads of entertainment programs announced in advance. The broadcasts could be received in England.

1919 newspaper advert announcing Hanso à Steringa Idzerda's Radio Soireé-Musicale. © Hanso Schotanus à Steringa Idzerda, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1919 newspaper advert announcing Hanso à Steringa Idzerda's Radio Soireé-Musicale.


 1920
 KDKA (Pittsburgh, USA) begins broadcasting

On November 2, 1920, the American station KDKA of Pittsburgh, PA began broadcasting on a regular basis. In the United States, this station is often considered to be the first commercial station.

Circa 1921 photograph an early transmission room used by radio station KDKA. Original caption: "Still another radio-phone broadcasting station, showing the announcer and the receiving operators. This is KDKA of East Pittsburgh, Pa., the forerunner of all the other radio-phone broadcasting stations in the United States." © Austin C. Lescarboura, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Circa 1921 photograph an early transmission room used by radio station KDKA. Original caption: "Still another radio-phone broadcasting station, showing the announcer and the receiving operators. This is KDKA of East Pittsburgh, Pa., the forerunner of all the other radio-phone broadcasting stations in the United States."


 1920
 First Montreal-Ottawa broadcast

Audiences and scientists alike are won over by this achievement: Members of the Royal Society of Canada at a convention in Ottawa can hear songs and speeches from the XWA studio in Montreal.

The May 20, 1920 broadcast was the subject of numerous reports. © Montreal Daily Star
The May 20, 1920 broadcast was the subject of numerous reports.


 1921
 First Boxing Fight to be broadcasted

In the United States, the first live transmission of a boxing match. It is about the combat between the American Jack Dempsey and the French Georges Carpentier which takes place in New-Jersey.  A radio transmitter was built for the occasion. Thanks to the collaboration of many hams relaying the transmission in theatres, the organizers claim to have reached 200,000 listeners.

Jack Dempsey visiting the XWA-Studio in Montreal © Bibliothèque et Archives Canada C-066695
Jack Dempsey visiting the XWA-Studio in Montreal


 1922
 Beginning of commercial radio

The Government of Canada issues the first commercial broadcasting licenses. In Quebec, CFCF replaces XWA and moves into new studios on Cathcart Street. CKAC station goes on the air (early October), on the same frequency as CFCF. Several other stations have an ephemeral existence including CFUC (University of Montreal) and CJBC (Dupuis Frères).

<i>La Presse</i> 22 mai 1922 © Archive La Presse
La Presse May 22, 1922


 1923
 Radio on board

CNR launches a new service: radio on board! First class cars are fitted with radio receivers and transmitting stations are put into service in the main cities situated along the railroad. This service was interrupted in 1932 when the first state radio network was created.

The on board radio program of the Canadian National Railway Network. © CNR
The on board radio program of the Canadian National Railway Network.


 1935
 First Quebec radiodrama

First Quebec radio drama: Le curé du village, written by Robert Choquette (CKAC). The radio drama is a literary genre that has had great success on the radio. Un homme et son péché is perhaps the best known of all these serials. In 1942, CKAC presented no less than 22 different radio dramas to its listeners!

Performers involved in the production of "Un homme et son peché" by Claude-Henri Grignon, broadcasted from the CBC studios in Montreal. © BANQ Fonds Conrad Poirier
Performers involved in the production of "Un homme et son peché" by Claude-Henri Grignon, broadcasted from the CBC studios in Montreal.


 1936

Creation of Radio-Canada - CBC to replace the 1932 CCR, which was created in response to the Aird Commission, whose report was tabled in 1929. It had relied on the network of stations belonging to the Canadian National Railway and offered alternating programming between English and French. This time, two separate networks, one French and one English, are created.

Das erste Logo von Radio-Canada aus dem Jahre 1936 © CBC
The first logo of Radio-Canada from 1936


 1938
 H.G. Wells, "The War of the Worlds"

H.G. Wells' novel War of the Worlds is adapted  for radio by Orson Welles. He presents a very realistic adaptation, even too much so for some.

Book cover of H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds". © All-Fiction Field, Inc. - Popular Publications / Lawrence Sterne Stevens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Book cover of H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds".


 1940
 De Gaulle invites French to resist

While in London, General DeGaulle appealed to the French people over the BBC to organize resistance against the Germans. The use of radio in wartime was as much a means of information as of propaganda. 

Charles de Gaulle at the BBC microphone in London, circa 1940-1943. © Anonymous/Unknown author (Keystone-France), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Charles de Gaulle at the BBC microphone in London, circa 1940-1943.


 1941
 Opening of News Services at CBC

Radio-Canada's news service is launched during the Second World War. Distinguished reporters like Marcel Ouimet bring a lot of credibility to it.

Reporter Marcel Ouimet 1944 in Italy. © CBC
Reporter Marcel Ouimet 1944 in Italy.


 1945
 Opening of Radio-Canada International

CBC launches an international multilingual shortwave service. Canada can therefore speak directly to the people of many countries as well as to Canadians living abroad.

RCI transmitter station outside Sackville, New Brunswick. The building opened in 1944 and was closed in 2012. © Verne Equinox, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
RCI transmitter station outside Sackville, New Brunswick. The building opened in 1944 and was closed in 2012.


 1946
 FM begins in Canada

The CBC opens FM stations in Montreal and Toronto. Some private broadcasters are following suit, such as CKVL in Verdun.

Early FM-Radio © Shutterstock
Early FM-Radio.


 1947
 Transistor is invented

Americans Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley developped the transistor at Bell Labs, in New Jersey. Because of their initial manufacturing cost, transistors are first used in specialized devices such as hearing aids. It was not until 1954 that the first fully transistorized radio was released.

Replica of the first transistor. © Revol Web, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Replica of the first transistor.


 1952
 First CBC TV broadcast

Radio-Canada's first attempt at television on July 25, 1952. In this first attempt, Radio-Canada broadcasts live a baseball game between the Montreal Royals and the Springfield Cubs. Only those fortunate enough to own a television set witness this premiere. This is an experimental program for Radio-Canada television. „Normal“ programming is not scheduled until months later, in September 1952.

CBLT's First night on the air, Sept 1952 © Toronto Star
CBLT's First night on the air, Sept 1952


 1954
 First Transistor Radio

Market launch of the first pocket transistor radio, the Regency 1, manufactured by Texas Instruments and IDEA. It usually takes 6 or 7 transistors to operate a pocket radio. A cell phone now has more than 2 billion (Iphone 6)

Regency 1 © Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Regency 1


 1972
 Launching of Anik-A1 satellite

The first Canadian satellite, Alouette 1, was placed into orbit in 1962. It was intended for the study of the ionosphere. Ten years later, in 1972, Canada placed its first geostationary communications satellite into orbit : Anik-A1

Inspection of the first Canadian communications satellite AAnik-A1ik in 1972. © San Diego Air & Space Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Inspection of the first Canadian communications satellite Anik-A1 in 1972.


 1980
 The beginning of cellular communication

Motorola markets the first cellular phones (DynaTAC 8000X). Note that Motorola had developed the "Handy Talkie" during WWII, based on a Canadian invention.

A Motorola DynaTAC 8000X from 1984. This phone has an early British Telecom badge and primitive red LED display. © Redrum0486, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A Motorola DynaTAC 8000X from 1984. This phone has an early British Telecom badge and a primitive red LED display.


 1992
 Software Defined Radio is invented

John Mitola publishes an article on Software Defined Radio. He defined the ideal software-defined radio as consisting of just two components: an antenna to receive the airwaves, and an analog-to-digital converter to transform the airwaves into a language that can be understood by processors performing all the tasks a software-defined radio can perform. This ideal has not yet been achieved, as software-defined radios are still made up of numerous hardware components. The first software-defined radio was developed by the U.S. Army, in particular the Navy, between 1991 and 1995. This first radio was named SPEAKeasy.

Software Defined Radio Scheme - Adopted by LtCdr Topi Tuukkanen, Project Manager, Finnish Software Radio Demonstrator from various scientific articles, studies, conference papers etc in public domain. © Topi Tuukkanen
Software Defined Radio Scheme - Adopted by LtCdr Topi Tuukkanen, Project Manager, Finnish Software Radio Demonstrator from various scientific articles, studies, conference papers etc in public domain.


 1997
 The first Wi-Fi Protocol

WiFi, which stands for Wireless Fidelity, is a technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a wireless local area network (LAN) and access the internet and other network resources. It is based on the IEEE 802.11 standards for wireless communication and relies on radio waves to transmit data between devices. WiFi is commonly used in homes, businesses, and public spaces to provide wireless internet connectivity.

WiFi technology was invented and developed by a group of engineers and computer scientists at the Australian government agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The initial development of WiFi took place in the late 1990s, and the first version of the 802.11 standard, known as IEEE 802.11-1997, was released in 1997. This standard laid the foundation for wireless communication and data transmission over short distances.

WiFi networks allow multiple devices to connect simultaneously and share the available bandwidth. The router manages the traffic, ensuring that data is sent and received efficiently. The range of a WiFi network depends on factors like the power of the router, obstacles in the environment, and interference from other electronic devices. © Łukasz Krasuski, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
WiFi networks allow multiple devices to connect simultaneously and share the available bandwidth. The router manages the traffic, ensuring that data is sent and received efficiently. The range of a WiFi network depends on factors like the power of the router, obstacles in the environment, and interference from other electronic devices.


 2005
 The first satellite radio program in Canada

The first satellite radio program in Canada was introduced by XM Satellite Radio, a subsidiary of Sirius XM Canada. XM Satellite Radio officially launched its satellite radio service in Canada on November 16, 2005. This marked the beginning of satellite radio programming in the country.

Satellite radio offers a wide range of music, news, sports and entertainment channels. The service is available through dedicated "XM" satellite radio receivers and has become a popular option for those who wanted a diverse selection of radio content without the limitations of traditional terrestrial radio.

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