Programming
While most programming was produced locally, increasingly there was a trend towards centralization and producing content with a national scope. Programming consisted largely of live music, drama, educational broadcasts, children's programming and simulcasts of American programming. Canada's first regular radio drama was CNRV Players produced at CNR Vancouver station CNRV by the CNR Drama Department from 1927 to 1932.
Romance of Canada was a series of radio plays written by Merrill Denison and produced at CNR's Montreal studios. Renowned BBC radio playwright Tyrone Guthrie was director of the first 14 episodes. Broadcast over two seasons in 1931 and 1932, Romance of Canada recalled epic moments in Canadian history. Thornton hoped Romance of Canada would "kindle in Canadians generally a deeper interest in the romantic early history of their country".
What is now Hockey Night In Canada originated on the network in 1931 as the General Motors Hockey Broadcast and was also known as Saturday Night Hockey featuring games of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ontario and the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens in Quebec.
Music programing included Old-Time Fiddlers contests which were broadcast to the full network from Moncton. CNRT in Toronto broadcast performances by the Hart House String Quartet, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for a series of 25 broadcasts. CNRV Vancouver produced several shows celebrating Beethoven's centenary. CNRM Montreal staged full productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas with full orchestras. The network also had its own radio orchestra conducted by Henri Miro in 1930 and 1931.
Other programming included broadcasts in French beginning in 1924 with the opening of CNRM in Montreal. Some programs were also produced and broadcast in some Native Canadian languages from 1927 over CNRO Ottawa and CNRW Winnipeg. CNR Radio also conducted Canada's first simultaneous nationwide broadcast on 1 July 1927 from Ottawa to mark the 60th anniversary since the country's confederation. Regular network distribution of CNR programming to all its stations and affiliates began in 1928.
Read more about this topic: CNR Radio
Famous quotes containing the word programming:
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)