per will examine the
forces which led to the creation of the CBC, its mandate, both
historically and contemporarily and finally, make suggestions for the
future. The Aird Commission In 1928 the Canadian broadcasting
scene was a scattering of private broadcasters mostly in and
around the urban centers. The small broadcasters were either
owned by large corporations or depended on advertising revenues
for their survival. There were two factors that led to the need for
change in the government policy toward broadcasting. First was the
demand for licences by religious organizations and second, the
lack of wavelength availability to accommodate the demand for
licenses. The practice of broadcasting Sunday services was
becoming increasingly popular in urban areas and several religious
organizations had obtained licenses. The problem was that the
government could hardly grant licenses to one religion and deny the
application of another. With the limited wavelength ability they could
not all be granted licenses. The non-renewal of five licenses in 1928
changed the licensing from a technical problem to a political issue.
The problem of wavelength availability was caused by the
ineducable distribution of wavelengths between Canada and the
U.S. The demand for licences in the Toronto area was steadily
increasing and so too was the controversy over whose applications
were granted and whose were denied. The increasing controversy
led to the formation of what would be known as the Aird
Commission. Its purpose was to enquire into the broadcasting
situation in Canada and advise to its future administration,
management and control. The goal was to set up a regulatory
system that put more emphasis on public service. Th...