n. — historical
Canada's first public broadcaster, founded 26 May 1932 and succeeded by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1936.
Type: 1. Origin — The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) was created by a federal act passed on 26 May 1932. It was led by three individuals (see the first 1932 quotation) who followed the mandate to regulate and control all Canadian broadcasting, as well as to lease, purchase or construct stations and eventually assume ownership of all broadcasting in Canada (see the second 1932 quotation). However, the commission's powers were severely limited due to lack of funds during the Great Depression of the 1930s. By the time the CRBC was taken over by the CBC on 2 November 1936, it had established only five radio stations. Most cities received the commission's network programs from privately owned stations. (See Canadian Encyclopedia reference). The original CRBC radio network was purchased from the Canadian National Railways, which established a cross-Canada network to offer customers on-board entertainment on passenger trains.