CFCF Inc.
In 1978, Pouliot was forced out of Télé-Capitale, and in the following year, purchased Montreal radio stations CFCF-AM and CFQR-FM, television station CFCF-TV, and production company Champlain Productions from the Bronfman family, forming CFCF Inc. In 1982, CFCF Inc. purchased CF Cable TV, which served primarily the western half of the island of Montreal, from the McConnell family. CF Cable acquired other cable systems, such as the Northern Cable system in Northeastern Ontario, becoming Canada's fourth-largest cable company at the time.
After having tripled CFCF-TV's advertising sales and increased profitability by a factor of ten, in 1985, CFCF Inc. went public, and CFCF launched a new French language network, TQS (Télévision Quatre Saisons), designed to be a "glitzy, high-tech 'metropolitan station'". TQS began broadcasting on September 7, 1986, from CFCF-TV's new Montreal sister station CFJP-TV ("JP" standing for "Jean Pouliot"). The TQS network would later add CFAP-TV in Quebec City, affiliates in Hull, Jonquière, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Rouyn-Noranda and Rivière-du-Loup, and a retransmitting station in Rimouski, reaching nearly 90% of the Quebec population.
Télévision Quatre Saisons faced a great deal of growing pains, however, with a Canadian recession depressing advertising revenue, and a difficult task winning viewers from the existing French language networks. By 1990, TQS was the only non-profitable division of CFCF.
In 1993, Pouliot stepped down as CEO, handing over control to his son, Adrien Pouliot, who had been able to stabilize CFCF's financial situation. Jean remained chairman of the board, and continued to work mornings.
With the Global Television Network planning to enter the Montreal market, in 1997, Pouliot decided to sell CFCF Inc. to Vidéotron.
Jean Pouliot died on August 8, 2004.
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