1950s: The Birth of Television
1950
Jan. 18: CKDA 1340 signs on as Victoria’s second radio station. It would occupy AM 1280, 1220 and 1200 before signing off Sept. 1, 1995. Its power was 250 watts. CKDA history.
1951
April 14: CHWK 1340 Chilliwack
moves to AM 1230.
1952
Jan. 25: At 8:30 pm CBR 1130 becomes CBU
690. There is a
30- minute CBU Special at 8:30 followed by a Robbie Burns Special at
9:05 pm. The launch of CBU
meant a power increase from 5000 watts to 10,000 watts. At this point
CBC Radio had 17 low-power relay transmitters throughout B.C.
None of them were within the area covered by this website.
1953
March 1: KTNT Channel 11 from
Tacoma signed on. Those with TV sets and rooftop antennas in
Vancouver and Victoria could pick up the signal. It was
affiliated with CBS until 1960.
June 2: KVOS
TV CHANNEL 12 BELLINGHAM
signed on specifically to
broadcast from Bellingham to Vancouver. It’s first broadcast was
the 7-hour film of “the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II”. The
show would repeat 3 more times. KVOS would develop a 3-hour/night
schedule over the summer before an 8-hour/day schedule would launch in
the fall. It was a CBS
TV affiliate. It
would drop it’s affiliation
with CBS in 1975 as cable penetration meant most people in northwest
Washington and southwest B.C. could receive CBS programming from
KIRO
TV in Seattle. Channel 12 is still an independent station
today.
Wikipedia
history.
Dec. 10: KOMO TV Channel 4 from
Seattle signed on. Those with TV sets and rooftop antennas in
Vancouver and Victoria could pick up the signal. KOMO TV was
affilated with NBC and KING TV with ABC until they switched in
1959.
Wikipedia
history.
Dec.
16: CBC
TELEVISION comes to Vancouver on
Channel 2. It
featured an opening night special from 6-7 pm followed by the CBC News
at 7 pm. Most programs were sent on tape from Toronto for the
first 4 years. CBUT
was on
the air daily from 5-6 pm then 7
pm-midnight. In the Vancouver area at this time with a roof-top
antenna you could also
receive KOMO
CH. 4 Seattle, KING
CH. 5 Seattle, KTNT
CH. 11 Tacoma and
KVOS
CH. 12 Bellingham.
CBUT
history.
Wikipedia
history.
1954
Jan. 1 12:30 am: CKWX 980 begins 24-hour a day
broadcasting with a program called "Concert Under the Stars" hosted by
Bob Gillies.
July 28 2:26 pm:
CBC Radio and Television begins
extensive
international coverage of the Fifth British Empire and Commonwealth
Games from Vancouver.
Aug. 1 5 pm:
CKDA 1340
moves to AM 1280 and increases its power from 250 watts to 5000
watts. 
Nov. 5: CKNW
1320
increases its power to 5000
watts and starts using the slogan "BCs most listened to station."
Dec.
7: KCTS Channel 9 Seattle signed
on. Originally it was on the air for 20 hours a week:
1:15-2:30 classroom for elementary & high school studens; 5-6 pm
entertainment for children & from 7-9 pm instructional programming
for adults. Its signal was only strong enough to serve the Seattle
area. (See the entry in the Time Tunnel 1967.) More
info.
Dec. 16: On its
first anniversary CBUT expands
from 2500 to 100,000 watts
from new towers on Mt. Seymour.
1955
Feb. 2: CKLG 1070 signed on from 6 am-midnight
with easy listening
music, Broadway show tunes, classical music, international music and
voice your opinion on the topic of the day.The program schedule will
expand to 20 hours/day from 6 am- 2 am in
mid-March. Power was 1000
watts.
CKLG
AM history.
Wikipedia history.
Feb. 14 6 pm:
CKMO 1410 becomes C-FUN
1410.
CKDA FM 98.5 signs on the
air in
Victoria. Power
was 370 watts. NEW June 2: Wikipedia history.
History
at Canadian Communications Federation.
1956
June
2: CBC
Radio rebroadcaster
CBUE 740 Hope signs on. At this time there were 30 other low power
relay transmitters located
throughout B.C.
Dec. 1: CHEK
TV CHANNEL 6
VICTORIA
signs on as B.C.’s first
independently owned TV station. It became Victoria’s CBC
TV
affiliate until 1981. CHEK signed on at 5 pm and had a special opening
night broadcast from 6:30-7 pm. CHEK began with 1800 watts video and
900 watts audio. In Sept. 1963, it would start
broadcasting a mix of CBC TV and CTV programs. Wikipedia history.
1957
Aug. 15: CKWX
980 moves to AM 1130 and became
the first Vancouver radio station to broadcast at 50,000 watts.
Sept.
18:
CKDA 1280 Victoria
moves to AM 1220. Its power
doubles to 10,000 watts.
1958
Feb. 8: KIRO Channel 7 Seattle
signed. Those with TV sets and rooftop antennas could pick up the
signal in Vancouver and Victoria. It was affiliated with
CBS. Wikipedia
history.
July
1:
CBUT joins the rest of the CBC TV network in
Canada's first
coast-to-coast live TV broadcast "Memo
to Champlain" marking the
completion of a microwave network that
extends from Nova Scotia to B.C.
Aug. 18:
CKNW 1320 moves to AM 980 the same
day as CKLG 1070 switches
to AM 730.
CKLG
increased its
power to 10,000 watts.
Oct. 4 (Sat.
of course) Hockey
Night in Canada comes to
CBC Television in Vancouver for the
first time as the NHL All Stars play the Stanley Cup champions Montreal
Canadiens at the Montreal Forum
at 5 pm. Oct. 11 the
regular season started with Detroit
Red Wings at Montreal.
Hockey Night in
Canada was simulcast on CBC Radio and TV until 1965.
Archives of Broadcast Communications,
CBC Sports Archives,
Audio files of early radio hockey
broadcasts,
1959
Sept. 4: CFAX
810 signs on in Victoria
at 6:45 am.
Wikipedia history.
Dec. 10 5 pm: CHQM 1320 signed on
the air with host and founder Bill
Bellman signing on the station. Phil Moore's "Misty Moon" was used as the
opening theme.
CHQM
AM history.
Wikipedia history.
CFUN 1410 increased its power to 10,000 watts
and moved to its new studios at 1900 W. 4th Ave. in Kitsilano.
CHUB 1570
Nanaimo increased its power to 10,000 watts.
Sept. 1:
CFCP
1440 Courtenay
signed on the air with 1000 watts. CFCP
station history.