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Father of Radio Broadcasting

2008-12-27

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Canadian Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, considered the "Father of Radio Broadcasting", was the first person ever to broadcast a voice by radio waves that were heard by another person. From a site on Cobb Island in the middle of the Potomac River near Washington, DC, Fessenden said "one - two - three - four, is it snowing where you are Mr. Thiessen? If it is, would you telegraph back to me?". This was in December 23, 1900. One mile away, Mr. Thiessen confirmed. This was hailed as the start of radio broadcasting.

But it was 6 years later, that Fessenden presented radio's first program on the Christmas Eve of 1906. With his wife Helen, her friend and an assistant, Fessenden made a broadcast from Boston. Wireless operators on ships in the harbour heard the inventor play "O Holy Night" on his violin while Helen and her friend sing Christmas carols. The were also the pioneer in media performance in Canada. This being said, the history of Canadian media performers goes back to the first days of radio.

In the 1940s a group called the Radio Artists of Toronto Society – RATS, was formed. In Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver various radio performers also organized to fight for artists' rights, working conditions and better fees. In 1943, a loose national coalition of actors' groups was formed, known as the Association of Canadian Radio Artists (ACRA). Over the years, ACRA went into various renaming and reorganization. ACRA became the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists, which later became the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, then the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists. Since 1984, it has become known as the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.

The Canadian Broadcasting Act could be one of the most progressive among its contemporaries. Historically and in its modern conception, it has been guided by the principle that information should flow freely and must reflect diversity, which is a trademark of Canadian society. This principle is by no means similar to the classic approach which gives media owners more freedom to express their views.

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History of Canadian Television Broadcasting