CBC Radio One

CBC Radio began in 1936, and is the oldest branch of the corporation. In 1949, the facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland were transferred to CBC upon Newfoundland's entry into Canadian Confederation.

Beginning in 1944, the CBC operated two English-language radio services: the original network became the Trans-Canada Network, and a second network, the Dominion Network, was established with CJBC in Toronto as its flagship. With the exception of CJBC, all 35 stations on the CBC Dominion Network were privately owned affiliates. Its programming tended to be lighter than that of the Trans-Canada Network, carrying more American programming in its schedule. The Dominion Network operated only in the evenings, freeing affiliates to air local programming during the day.

Until 1958, the CBC was both a broadcaster, and the principal broadcast regulator in Canada. It used this dual role to take most of Canada's clear-channel frequencies on the AM dial.

In 1962, the Dominion Network was dissolved and within a few years CJBC became a French-language station broadcasting the programming of Radio-Canada.

In 1960, CBC began running distinct programming on its three existing FM English-language stations, which had been providing simulcasts of programming on its AM stations. The stations, located in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, broadcast a monoaural FM signal. Programming consisted mostly of classical music. The stations were linked by CN/CP Telecommunications via land-line and microwave. This service was discontinued in 1962, but resumed in 1964 in stereo. Eventually, a national satellite-distributed network of stereo FM stations was established. In 1975, the FM network was called CBC Stereo, and the AM service was designated CBC Radio.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, CBC Radio increased its current affairs and documentary content with an initiative known as the "Radio Revolution", using more ambitious, live coverage of news and current affairs including listeners as well as experts. The change began with national shows such as As It Happens.[4] The change spread to CBC regional morning shows which developed three hours of live radio combining "survival information", about news, weather and traffic, with interviews and documentaries about local and national issues. CBC Radio Winnipeg was the first to embrace the format followed by Information Morning in Halifax, a move which increased audience and attracted coverage in Time Magazine.[5]

CBC Radio stopped running commercials in 1974. Until 1995, the network signed off the air between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily (5:00 a.m. weekdays on its Toronto flagship station, CBL)– in that year, it launched an overnight program, CBC Radio Overnight, which airs international news and documentary programs.

Radio One logo, 1997–2007.

In the early 1990s, the CBC began offering selected programs on the Internet.[6] In September 1996, the network formally launched live audio streaming of both CBC Radio and CBC Stereo.[6]

Since the 1980s, many of the CBC's AM stations moved to FM in response to complaints of poor AM reception. This meant that the old distinction between the AM "Radio" network and the FM "Stereo" network was no longer accurate, even though many of the FM "Radio" stations broadcast in mono only. As a result, in 1997 CBC Radio became CBC Radio One and CBC Stereo became CBC Radio 2 (it is now CBC Music). Although some Radio One stations still broadcast on AM as of 2018, because of issues with urban reception of AM radio signals many of the remaining AM stations have added FM rebroadcasters in major urban centres within their broadcast area.

From 2004 until early 2007, CBC Radio One promotional spots were announced by Canadian actress Shauna MacDonald, also known as "Promo Girl". Toronto-born Jeremy Harris took over from MacDonald. Until fall 2005, promos ended with one of two slogans: either "Because sometimes a picture needs a thousand words" or "Hear the big picture". Until early 2015, the slogan was "Canada Lives Here." The slogan was not replaced.

Some CBC Radio One programs, such as As It Happens, air in the United States on some stations associated with Public Radio International. Definitely Not the Opera, Quirks & Quarks, The Vinyl Cafe, and Q are heard on some public stations in the northern United States. Some CBC-SRC programs were relayed on Radio Canada International for listeners abroad and others, such as the 2010 summer program Promised Land, have aired on Sirius Satellite Radio 169

Only stations with a primary production centre, producing at least one local program, are listed below. Most of these stations are licensed as separate broadcast undertakings. Stations not considered primary production centres may have local content which is limited to local news updates. Each station also has a significant number of rebroadcasters in smaller communities within its service area; those are listed in each primary station's article.

† Station has a "nested" FM rebroadcaster in home market

Proposed CBC Radio One shortwave relay site at http://CBC.am/cbc-src.html.

Two CBC Radio One stations operate shortwave relay transmitters:

• CBN in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with call sign CKZN
• CBU in Vancouver, British Columbia, with call sign CKZU

Both transmitters broadcast 1 kW ERP signals on a fixed frequency of 6160 kHz. Some DXers have been able to log both transmitters simultaneously, but this is a rare occurrence due to the distance between the transmitters.

The objective of the CBC transmissions on SW is also provide information to listeners in isolated and distant parts of the country which other usual forms of broadcast or communications are not well covered. During appropriated periods of radio propagation, the signals can reach other countries, as well the reception can turn difficult in dense populated areas due Electromagnetic interference.

Most schedules include hourly news readings that run from 6–12 minutes on the top of the hour except for major programming like the 6:00 p.m. news show and Cross Country Checkup. Some mid-day programs include only brief 90-second "information updates".

On statutory holidays, local programming is replaced by special provincial programming or regional programs are broadcast provincewide on a rotating basis. In the summer months of July and August, some programming is temporarily shortened and/or replaced by special summer series. On Christmas Day, the majority of the day's programming is replaced with predominately holiday music showcases. During the CBC's labour dispute, most of the schedule was temporarily replaced by a mix of repeat airings of recent CBC programs, BBC World news programming, and music from the CBC service Galaxie.

Stations in the Canadian territories air a significantly different schedule with expanded local programming that includes a number of programs in local Indigenous languages. They air most of the core CBC Radio One schedule, although some programs may air in abbreviated versions (see CBC North for further information).

On January 17, 2007, CBC announced some changes to the network's schedule to begin in April. Among them, Freestyle and The Arts Tonight were merged into Q, an arts magazine show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, Global Village was discontinued and some of its features were merged into Dispatches, and Between the Covers moved exclusively online as a podcast.[7] Reasons given for the schedule changes are said to be based on audience research, however some negative reaction has been seen.[8][9]

It was announced in March 2009 that The Inside Track, Outfront, The Point, and In the Key of Charles would be cancelled, and that the noontime local shows would be reduced to one hour.[10]

The network also airs some programming syndicated from American public broadcasting services such as National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and Public Radio Exchange, including This American Life,[11] Radiolab and the news series The World and, previously, The State We're In. With the exception of This American Life, which airs on Sunday nights at 11:00 p.m. all other non-Canadian content airs after 1:00 a.m. as part of the CBC Radio Overnight programming block.[12]

• Ici Radio-Canada Première, the CBC's French language equivalent to CBC Radio One

• CBC Radio One
• CBC Radio on Sirius XM Canada
• CBC Radio Networks chronological history from the Canadian Communications Foundation's website.