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Canada’s First Pay TV Experiment Brought Change By Accepting Change

  Television has presented the world with a beautiful new medium for which many of us have experienced fiction and the real world in a way never envisioned before. From carefree programs providing some levity to major sporting events and world-changing events, the so-called “tube” is something most Canadians have formed some relations with. How we consume television has been undergoing a metamorphosis over the past decade as streaming greatly changed the importance of traditional broadcast channels with the added acceptance of paid content services. In fact, the future of television has been a matter of debate since the first signals hit the airwaves. While humankind generally embraced the technology, television’s history included a number of concepts that failed to be greatly realized for their time. In the 1960s, one of those attempts to explore the consumption of television took place in Etobicoke (today part of the City of Toronto) involving movies and sports brought to hom...
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History of CFCA: When the Toronto Star Had a Radio Station

  Photo Credit: Chris Nagy Founded in 1892 as The Evening Star, the newspaper Torontonians today recognize as the Toronto Star has a long history of presenting Canada’s largest city with important news. With a black-on-white display, information conveying details of local, Canadian and worldwide stories has referenced everything from the election of prime ministers, world wars, accomplishments in sports or more recently when Justin Bieber is coming to town. Until their entrance onto the Internet in 1996, the Toronto Star was known merely through their printed words. Little is currently acknowledged for their more than decade-long impact with the use of voice. Toronto’s first radio station CFCA officially launched in 1922 with buzz that would silenced on August 31 st of 1933. One of the first commercial radio broadcasters awarded a license by the Canadian government, CFCA was Toronto’s first station. Hard to believe today where Toronto radio space on the AM and FM dial is tight, th...
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The History of Eaton’s Cuddly Faced Punkinhead

A creation of famed Canadian cartoonist Charles Thorson, Punkinhead the bear  was a common sight inside and around Eaton's department store. Bright colours and holiday festivities roared down the Toronto streets last week for the 2024 edition of The Original Santa Claus Parade provided a delightful spectacle for young people as well as those people young at heart. Part of the parade’s draw to audiences during this seasonal tradition is the appearance of whimsical characters. Of course, Santa Claus and more recently Mrs. Claus is lead figures of the holiday parade while other staples of the pre-Christmas event include marching bands as well as the Celebrity Clowns. Modern editions of The Original Santa Claus Parade have also involved a number of popular characters familiar to audiences beyond the parade. Former Canadian department store Eaton, the originator and longtime sponsor of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, chose in 1947 to introduce a new mascot to appeal to toy-craving chil...
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Canada Post Hits The Right Note With MuchMusic/MusiquePlus Stamp Set

MuchMusic and MusiquePlus Stamps Released by Canada Post (Photo Credit: CNW Group/Canada Post) It was forty years ago when the broadcast of Rush’s "The Enemy Within" signified the launch of Canada’s first music channel. From 299 Queen Street East in Toronto, MuchMusic began broadcasting on August 31st between maverick media magnate Moses Znaimer and Canadian television producer John Martin. Formerly working with CBC, Martin pitched a show called The NewMusic that aired in 1979 on Znaimer’s City-TV (the television channel was purchased by CHUM Limited in 1981). The success of that show prompted the motivation for creating an MTV-like all-music station in Canada that went live in 1984.  From its inception to the 2000s, MuchMusic and later its French-language ami MusiquePlus that took to the airwaves in 1986 provided Canadians (particularly Canadian youths) with an avenue to experience musical culture. Immersive programming on the channel would include popular music videos, conc...
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Why Hasn’t The Skydome/Rogers Centre Held A Hockey Game?

Photo Credit: Toronto Blue Jays This month, a Toronto landmark marks its 35th anniversary as a hub for sports and entertainment for the entire country. The Rogers Centre or (more affectionately known) originally as the Skydome continues to exist as an achievement in engineering for its retractable roof. While the building has become a comfortable sight and there have been newer sport venues providing more than what the Skydome could provide in 1989, there is a lot of charm in a space that has hosted concerts, shows, NFL games and, of course, the Toronto Blue Jays including during the successful 1992 and 1993 World Series runs.  The Skydome’s commemoration identified the complex as a multi-use facility like no other built at this time. In addition to the before-mentioned efforts for the current tenants of the Rogers Centre, the Toronto Blue Jays , other team’s of the Canadian city that played inside the retractable roof sporting complex included the Toronto Argonauts from 1989 to 20...
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Lost View of the CNE: The Shell Oil/Bulova Tower

For better or worse, the Canadian National Exhibition has evolved with time since it was held in 1879. Early in the event’s history, the CNE provided both a venue to escape and embrace the complexities of late 19th century industrialization for the British commonwealth’s major presence in North America. Serving as a source to observe technological improvements of a quickly opening world, amusement for all ages as well as an overall Canadian showcase, the annual event was a cultural gateway. Today, the CNE has lost some of its luster due to various year-long entertainment options over the decades but continues to be a fun, unofficial standoff to summer with memorable rides and surreal culinary delights.  As the exhibition continued into the 20th century, the grounds underwent various transformations with a number of permanent structures constructed including the still-standing Horticulture Building in 1907 and the iconic Princes’ Gate in 1927. With the conclusion of the second world...
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The Long Light Rail Story of Toronto’s CLRV Streetcar

CLRV 4005 and another CLRV streetcar at King and Yonge during August 2014 (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Toronto Time Machine) On December 29th of 2019, the final example of one of Toronto’s moving icons since the 1980s was retired from active service. Streetcars assembled under the CLRV (Canadian Light Rail Vehicle) design ended its 40-year career with six examples running on its final day. The CLRV and its longer sister the ALRV (Articulated Light Rail Vehicle) was introduced as a modernization of Toronto’s streetcar network that has not only been preserved through the vehicles but thrived entering the 21st century. When the Toronto Streetcar Almost Died and Path to Rebirth  Prior to the development of the CLRV, streetcars were starting to become less vital for the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) as subway links replaced the two very congested route. Toronto’s first subway originally running on Yonge Street was opened on 1954 while the Bloor-Danforth entered operations in 1966. At ...
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