Title:
CFCN fonds

Date(s):
[ca. 1923], 1931-1988

Physical Description:
2.88 m of textual records. -- 136 audio discs. -- 76 audio reels. -- 35 audio cassettes. -- 274 film reels. -- ca. 2100 photographs. -- 60 video cassettes

History:
W.W. "Bill" Grant built a radio transmitter in High River, Alberta in 1921. In 1922 the station was moved to Calgary where it was assigned the call letters CFCN - the Voice of the Prairies. It was the first Canadian station to carry regularly scheduled news broadcasts. H. Gordon Love acquired majority control of the station in 1928, and in 1931 boosted the station's power to 10,000 watts, making it Canada's most powerful broadcasting station. In 1935 the country's first commercial newscast, sponsored by Texaco, was broadcast by CFCN. In 1954 CFCN radio joined with two other stations to bring the first television to Calgary as CHCT-TV (Calgary Television), headed by Love. CFCN withdrew from this CBC-affiliated venture in 1958 and applied for Calgary's second television licence. In 1960 CFCN-TV, Canada's first independent television station, went on air. Maclean-Hunter acquired the CFCN radio and television operations in 1966.

Scope and Content:
The fonds consists of financial statements and tax returns (1931-1971); radio-related correspondence, schedules, scripts, advertising files, and audio recordings of broadcasts, advertisements and jingles (1930s-1984); television-related correspondence, licence applications, annual reports and director's files (1962-1978); extensive news footage films (1976-1984); photographs and slides of facilities, events and personalities; and films of Calgary-related productions (1961-1988). Includes radio broadcasts by William Aberhart.

Source of Acquisition:
Gift of CFCN, 1963-1999.

Language:
The material is in English.

Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.

Finding Aids:
Inventory available for the television news footage. Please consult before requesting material..

View finding aid / scanned documents:
http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/cfcn.cfm

Related:
Other CFCN records are in the H.G. Love fonds at Glenbow.

Accruals:
Further additions expected.

Call Numbers:
(M=manuscript; N&P=photos; R=sound recordings; S=slides; F=films)
M 2258, M 8024, RAD 48 - 1, RAD 50, RAT 49 - 1, RCT 142, RCT 876, RET 1, PA 610, PA 1600, PA 3197, PB 865, NA 2771, NA 5334, F 10, F 11, F 150, F 158, F 165, V 5, V 46, V 59, S 186