This week in Canadian media history: The birth of CTV Montreal

The Canadian Marconi Company's television station CFCF-12 (Canada's First, Canada's Finest) started broadcasting from Montreal on Jan. 20, 1961, after receiving its English-language television licence. Months later on Oct. 1, CFCF-12 became an affiliate of the CTV Network, which had just launched. Today, the station is known as CTV Montreal. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons…

The Canadian Marconi Company's television station CFCF-12 (Canada's First, Canada's Finest) started broadcasting from Montreal on Jan. 20, 1961, after receiving its English-language television licence. Months later on Oct. 1, CFCF-12 became an affiliate of the CTV Network, which had just launched. Today, the station is known as CTV Montreal.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Eric Mark Do, Reporter

The Canadian Marconi Company's television station CFCF-12 (Canada's First, Canada's Finest) started broadcasting from Montreal on Jan. 20, 1961, after receiving its English-language television licence. The station lead with Carte Blanche at 5:45 p.m., followed immediately by Pulse News at 6 p.m., which covered the inauguration of John F. Kennedy that day. Months later on Oct. 1, CFCF-12 became an affiliate of the CTV Network, which had just launched. Today, the station is known as CTV Montreal.

CFCF Pulse News alumni include legendary broadcasters Dirk Irvin, Don McGowan and Bill Haugland. Here are former members of Pulse News reflecting on the program during the station's 40th anniversary.

And watch the CFCF 50th anniversary tribute song, performed by Bowser and Blue, below:

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Tamara Baluja

Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.