CNR Radio
Encyclopedia
CNR Radio or CN Radio was the first national radio network
in North America
. It was developed, owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway
between 1923 and 1932 to provide en route entertainment and information for its train passengers. As broadcasts could be received by anyone living in the coverage area of station transmitters, the network provided radio programming to Canadians from the Pacific coast (at Vancouver) to the Atlantic coast (at Halifax).
During its nine-year existence, CNR Radio provided music, sports, information and drama programming to Canadians. Programming was produced in English
, French
and occasionally in some First Nations
languages, and distributed nationwide through the railway's own telegraph lines and through rented airtime on other private radio stations. However, political and competitive pressure forced CNR Radio to close, with many of its assets and personnel migrating to a new government-operated agency, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission
(CRBC), which ultimately led to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
.
on June 1, 1923 of the CNR Radio Department after the CNR began installing radio sets in their passenger cars and needed stations to provide programming that passengers could listen to along the CNR's various routes, particularly its coast-to-coast transcontinental line. The general public could also receive the broadcasts if they lived in the vicinity of a CNR radio station.
On October 9, 1923, the network made international news when it carried a broadcast of former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
being interviewed by reporters travelling with him on a Montreal to Toronto train. The first regularly scheduled coast-to-coast network program produced by CN Radio was broadcast December 27, 1928. By the end of 1929 there were three hours of national programming a week.
The CNR used its already-established network of telegraph wires along the rail line to connect the stations.
, the radio service's aims were:
In 1929, the CNR's brief to the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting
stated that the radio service had five aims.
CNR president Thornton saw CNR Radio as a device to diffuse "ideas and ideals nationally by radio".
s 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.
and CNRO
, were owned by the CNR and transmitted at a strength of 500 watt
s. The rest of the network consisted of "phantom station
s", or existing privately owned radio stations on which CNR leased airtime. A CNR call sign
would be heard on the phantoms during times of the day when it was leased by the railway, after which the CNR station would "sign off" and the regular station would resume broadcast. The radio network broadcasts could be received by train passengers through headsets or loud speakers aboard specially equipped train cars as well as by anyone living within signal range of a station. CNR stations and affiliates were linked by the CNR's telegraph lines that ran alongside the rail track. The network owned studios in several cities where it used "phantom stations" for transmission including Toronto where it had studios located in the King Edward Hotel, Halifax with studios in the CNR owned Hotel Nova Scotian
and Montreal where it had studios in the King's Hall Building.
government of William Lyon Mackenzie King
commissioned a Royal Commission on Broadcasting (the Aird Commission) to study the future of radio in Canada. The Aird Commission issued its report in late 1929 calling for the creation of a public broadcasting
system in Canada along the lines of the British Broadcasting Corporation and other national broadcasters around the world in order to prevent U.S. domination of Canadian airwaves and to promote national objectives. To this end, the report called for the creation of a Canadian Radio Broadcasting Company
which would build high powered radio stations across the country as part of a public radio network.
Meanwhile, CNR's radio network was a target of its commercial rival, the privately owned Canadian Pacific Railway
. CNR Radio was a commercial venture with the primary purpose of attracting riders to the CNR by offering them entertainment as well as, beginning in 1929, providing direct revenue to its parent by selling advertising. The CPR complained intently that by allowing government-owned Canadian National to operate a radio network, particularly one that sold advertising, the government was allowing CNR to engage in unfair competition. In 1930, the CPR began construction of its own radio network — CPR Radio — but due to financial difficulties during the Great Depression
it was closed in 1935.
The 1930 federal election
resulted in the defeat of the Mackenzie King government and the assumption of power by a Conservative government led by R.B. Bennett who, as a corporate lawyer who had had the Canadian Pacific Railway as one of his clients, proved sympathetic to its arguments and opposed any government competition with the CPR and was determined to strip the CNR of its radio network. A group of Conservative Members of Parliament
successfully pressured Thornton, the radio network's principal champion, to resign as president of CNR in 1932 - he was also stripped of his pension.
In November 1931, as a result of intense pressure from the Railway Committee of the Canadian House of Commons
, the CNR ended its on-train radio reception service. The Canadian Radio League
lobbied heavily for the implementation of the Aird Commission report creating a public broadcasting system under the aegis of a new government agency, and in 1932 the Bennett government agreed to set up the CRBC
. In early 1933, the CNR sold its radio stations and studios to the CRBC for $50,000; many of the CNR's radio staff went to the CRBC as well. In turn, the CRBC's facilities and much of its staff were taken over by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
when it was created in 1936.
Phantom stations also existed at various times in Saint John
, Fredericton, London
/Kitchener
-Waterloo
, Chatham
, Brandon
, Yorkton
, Red Deer
, two in Hamilton
, a third in Toronto and one in Michigan
.
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was developed, owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
between 1923 and 1932 to provide en route entertainment and information for its train passengers. As broadcasts could be received by anyone living in the coverage area of station transmitters, the network provided radio programming to Canadians from the Pacific coast (at Vancouver) to the Atlantic coast (at Halifax).
During its nine-year existence, CNR Radio provided music, sports, information and drama programming to Canadians. Programming was produced in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and occasionally in some First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
languages, and distributed nationwide through the railway's own telegraph lines and through rented airtime on other private radio stations. However, political and competitive pressure forced CNR Radio to close, with many of its assets and personnel migrating to a new government-operated agency, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission
Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission
The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission was Canada's first public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Origins:...
(CRBC), which ultimately led to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
Origins
The network's origins were in the establishment by CNR president and chairman Sir Henry ThorntonHenry Thornton (railway manager)
Also in 1894, Thornton began his career in the railroad business, entering as a draftsman of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was based in the Pittsburgh office. He was promoted to supervisory engineer in 1899 and District Superintendent in 1901. As he climbed rapidly through the PRR hierarchy, he...
on June 1, 1923 of the CNR Radio Department after the CNR began installing radio sets in their passenger cars and needed stations to provide programming that passengers could listen to along the CNR's various routes, particularly its coast-to-coast transcontinental line. The general public could also receive the broadcasts if they lived in the vicinity of a CNR radio station.
On October 9, 1923, the network made international news when it carried a broadcast of former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
being interviewed by reporters travelling with him on a Montreal to Toronto train. The first regularly scheduled coast-to-coast network program produced by CN Radio was broadcast December 27, 1928. By the end of 1929 there were three hours of national programming a week.
The CNR used its already-established network of telegraph wires along the rail line to connect the stations.
Aims
In comments to the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, the radio service's aims were:
In 1929, the CNR's brief to the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting
Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting
The Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting, otherwise known as the Aird Commission, was chaired by John Aird and examined Canada's broadcasting industry. The report released its findings in 1929 when it concluded that Canada was in need of a publicly funded radio broadcast system...
stated that the radio service had five aims.
- to advertise the railway
- to publicize Canada's attractions to tourists
- to entertain passengers
- to "create a proper spirit of harmony among [CNR employees] and a broader appreciation of Management"
- to assist colonization of Canada by providing radio service to remote settlers.
CNR president Thornton saw CNR Radio as a device to diffuse "ideas and ideals nationally by radio".
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 simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
s of American programming. Canada's first regular radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
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
Merrill Denison
Merrill Denison was a Canadian playwright.Born in Detroit and raised in Ontario, Denison's mother was American , and his father was of American Revolutionary stock....
and produced at CNR's Montreal studios. Renowned BBC radio playwright Tyrone Guthrie
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career: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
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
originated on the network in 1931 as the General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Hockey Broadcast and was also known as Saturday Night Hockey featuring games of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
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
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
for a series of 25 broadcasts. CNRV Vancouver produced several shows celebrating Beethoven's
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
centenary. CNRM Montreal staged full productions of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operettas with full orchestras. The network also had its own radio orchestra
Radio orchestra
A radio orchestra is an orchestra employed by a radio network in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In the heyday of radio such orchestras were numerous, performing classical, popular, light music and jazz...
conducted by Henri Miro
Henri Miro
Henri Enrique Miro was a Canadian composer/arranger, conductor, pianist, and music critic of Catalan birth. He was a pioneering conductor for Canadian radio and his works were performed in all of Montreal's major performance venues of the day...
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
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
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
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. Regular network distribution of CNR programming to all its stations and affiliates began in 1928.
Operations
By 1930, the network consisted of 27 stations, 87 amplifiers, eight studios as well as 27 radio engineers and many telegraph engineers and line repair staff. Three of the stations, CNRA, CNRVCBU (AM)
CBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts from Steveston on 690 AM and from Mount Seymour on 88.1 FM....
and CNRO
CBO-FM
CBO-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Ottawa, airing at 91.5 FM, and serves much of Eastern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.-History:...
, were owned by the CNR and transmitted at a strength of 500 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s. The rest of the network consisted of "phantom station
Phantom station
A phantom radio station was, in the early days of radio, one which did not own or operate a radio transmitter and was licensed to broadcast only over an existing physical station from which it leased time...
s", or existing privately owned radio stations on which CNR leased airtime. A CNR call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
would be heard on the phantoms during times of the day when it was leased by the railway, after which the CNR station would "sign off" and the regular station would resume broadcast. The radio network broadcasts could be received by train passengers through headsets or loud speakers aboard specially equipped train cars as well as by anyone living within signal range of a station. CNR stations and affiliates were linked by the CNR's telegraph lines that ran alongside the rail track. The network owned studios in several cities where it used "phantom stations" for transmission including Toronto where it had studios located in the King Edward Hotel, Halifax with studios in the CNR owned Hotel Nova Scotian
Hotel Nova Scotian
The Westin Nova Scotian is a Canadian hotel located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.It was built by the Canadian National Railways. Construction began in 1928 and it opened on 24 June 1930 as the "Nova Scotian Hotel"...
and Montreal where it had studios in the King's Hall Building.
Demise
In 1928, the LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
government of William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
commissioned a Royal Commission on Broadcasting (the Aird Commission) to study the future of radio in Canada. The Aird Commission issued its report in late 1929 calling for the creation of a public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
system in Canada along the lines of the British Broadcasting Corporation and other national broadcasters around the world in order to prevent U.S. domination of Canadian airwaves and to promote national objectives. To this end, the report called for the creation of a Canadian Radio Broadcasting Company
Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission
The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission was Canada's first public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Origins:...
which would build high powered radio stations across the country as part of a public radio network.
Meanwhile, CNR's radio network was a target of its commercial rival, the privately owned Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. CNR Radio was a commercial venture with the primary purpose of attracting riders to the CNR by offering them entertainment as well as, beginning in 1929, providing direct revenue to its parent by selling advertising. The CPR complained intently that by allowing government-owned Canadian National to operate a radio network, particularly one that sold advertising, the government was allowing CNR to engage in unfair competition. In 1930, the CPR began construction of its own radio network — CPR Radio — but due to financial difficulties during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
it was closed in 1935.
The 1930 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
resulted in the defeat of the Mackenzie King government and the assumption of power by a Conservative government led by R.B. Bennett who, as a corporate lawyer who had had the Canadian Pacific Railway as one of his clients, proved sympathetic to its arguments and opposed any government competition with the CPR and was determined to strip the CNR of its radio network. A group of Conservative Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
successfully pressured Thornton, the radio network's principal champion, to resign as president of CNR in 1932 - he was also stripped of his pension.
In November 1931, as a result of intense pressure from the Railway Committee of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, the CNR ended its on-train radio reception service. The Canadian Radio League
Canadian Radio League
The Canadian Radio League was a public pressure group led by Graham Spry and Alan Plaunt to mobilize support for the establishment of public broadcasting in Canada...
lobbied heavily for the implementation of the Aird Commission report creating a public broadcasting system under the aegis of a new government agency, and in 1932 the Bennett government agreed to set up the CRBC
Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission
The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission was Canada's first public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Origins:...
. In early 1933, the CNR sold its radio stations and studios to the CRBC for $50,000; many of the CNR's radio staff went to the CRBC as well. In turn, the CRBC's facilities and much of its staff were taken over by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
when it was created in 1936.
CNR owned and operated stations
- CNROCBO-FMCBO-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Ottawa, airing at 91.5 FM, and serves much of Eastern Ontario through a network of relay transmitters.-History:...
Ottawa - CNRA Moncton
- CNRVCBU (AM)CBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts from Steveston on 690 AM and from Mount Seymour on 88.1 FM....
Vancouver
CNR leased "phantom stations"
- CNRC Calgary leasing CFACCFAC (AM)CFAC is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at AM 960 in Calgary, Alberta. The station, owned by Rogers Radio, broadcasts sports programming with the brand name Sportsnet 960, The Fan.-History:...
and CFCNCKMX (AM)CKMX is a Canadian radio station in Calgary, Alberta with a classic country music format at AM 1060 kHz and is owned by Astral Media.The station dates back to 1921 when it was founded as CFCN. It was a phantom station affiliate of the Canadian National Railway radio network and later of the... - CNRE Edmonton leasing CJCACJCA (AM)CJCA is a Canadian radio station. It operates at 930 AM with the current brand name "AM930 The Light" in Edmonton, Alberta. It was first licensed on May 1, 1922 and it first broadcast on May 22, 1922, becoming Alberta's first radio station...
; CKUACKUACKUA is a Canadian radio station. Originally located at the University of Alberta in Edmonton , it now broadcasts from studios in downtown Edmonton and south Calgary. CKUA was created in 1927 through a provincial grant which allowed the University of Alberta's Extension Department to purchase the...
was the network's affiliate beginning in 1930-1931 - CNRW Winnipeg leasing CKYCKY-FMCKY-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts a adult contemporary format on 102.3 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is owned by Rogers Radio, and shares studios with sister station CITI-FM. CKY-FM competes with Hot 103 and Energy 106.-History:...
- CNRT Toronto leasing CFCA
- CNRX Toronto leasing CFRB and CKGW
- CNRM Montreal leasing CKACCKAC (AM)CKAC is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, currently broadcasting a traffic information format as Radio Circulation 730....
- CNRQ Quebec leasing CKCV
- CNRR Regina leasing CKCKCKCK-FMCKCK-FM, a Canadian radio station in Regina, Saskatchewan, was one of the world's pioneering radio stations. Its current incarnation is known on air as Jack FM, and broadcasts at 94.5 MHz. It is housed at 2401 Saskatchewan Drive in Regina, with CJME and CIZL-FM.- History :In 1922, the...
- CNRS Saskatoon leasing CFQCCKBL-FMCKBL-FM, branded as 92.9 The Bull, is a country radio station located in the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The station is part of the Saskatoon Media Group, and has studios with sister stations CJWW and CJMK-FM. They are at 366 3rd Avenue South, downtown on the river.-History:The station...
- CNRD Red Deer leasing CKLC
- CNRL London leasing CJGCCFPL (AM)CFPL, or AM980, is a radio station owned by Corus Entertainment and based in London, Ontario, Canada that transmits at 10,000 watts at 980 kHz on the AM dial. The station primarily airs news, talk and sports programming.-History:...
- CNRH Halifax leasing CHNSCHNS-FMCHNS-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting from Halifax, Nova Scotia at 89.9 MHz on the FM dial. It offers a classic rock format branded as 89.9 HAL FM. CHNS-FM is owned and operated by the Maritime Broadcasting System....
Phantom stations also existed at various times in Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, Fredericton, London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
/Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
-Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Chatham
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
, Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
, Yorkton
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Yorkton is a city located in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, near the Manitoba border. Founded and incorporated in 1882 by a group of settlers from Ontario, it has grown to 15,038 residents as of the 2006 census. The city is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Orkney No. 244 and the Rural...
, Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, two in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, a third in Toronto and one in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.