In 1961, Saturdays were eventful days for CBC audiences. On TV, the highlight of every Saturday was Hockey Night in Canada, followed by a late-night musical treat from "our pet" Juliette. And on the radio, listeners could enjoy a competitive teen quiz show, get leading-edge fitness advice, or learn about the lives of classical music composers.
The radio and TV grids below were compiled from CBC Times, giving you a picture of a typical Saturday for the CBC in the autumn of 1961.
CBC Classics are those CBC programs that have remained in the Canadian memory due to their popularity, quality and sheer longevity.
The CBC in 1961
On Nov. 2, 1961, the CBC celebrated its 25th anniversary. By this date, CBC Radio reached almost 98 per cent of Canada's population, and CBC Television reached more than 94 per cent of the population. Altogether the CBC employed a staff of more than 7,000 and operated at a cost of just over $59,000,000 in public funds or, according to CBC Times, "about one cent per day per Canadian."
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In a 1961 address to Quebec's Richelieu Club, CBC president Alphonse Ouimet outlined the goals of the CBC. "The CBC believes people have an innate curiosity, a thirst for knowledge, and a receptivity with regard to the world about them," he said. "Whether it be in the political, social, artistic or cultural realm, the CBC programmer's constant endeavour is to attain scientific accuracy and intellectual integrity."
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1961 also saw the introduction of the CBC's first major competitor in the Canadian television realm. The privately owned, English-language CTV Television Network (originally called the Canadian Television Network) opened in 1961. According to University of Western Ontario professor Michael Nolan, the arrival of CTV on the scene "shattered the status quo" for Canadian television, ending the CBC's monopoly in the Canadian TV world.
LINKS
Topic from Les Archives de Radio-Canada on the same subject
CBC Classics are those CBC programs that have remained in the Canadian memory due to their popularity, quality and sheer longevity.
