Collection search - George, Victor - Interview

Record information – Brief

1

George, Victor - Interview

Item number (ISN):

304172

Hierarchical level:

Item (Accession level)

Date:

1982-12-08

Item number (ISN):

304172

Type of material:

Sound recordings

Found in:

Archives / Film, Video and Sound

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Record information – Details

Fonds/collection:

CARLETON UNIVERSITY: INSTITUTE FOR CANADIAN STUDIES

Accession:

1984-0138

Media:

Sound

Part:

1 of 1

Production date:

1982-12-08

Production company:

Carleton University Institute For Canadian Studies

Production credit:

interviewer, Ross Eaman

Description:

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Ross Eaman interviews Victor George, former employee with the CNR radio network. George discusses: his birth in Ottawa; his family background; his early education; his application to the CNR in 1920-21 as a stenographer and ticket-taker; his meeting W.H. Swift, Director of CNR radio; his transfer to the radio department at CKCH Ottawa; the change in the CN call-letters to the CN prefix; his first job with CNRO Ottawa (CKCH); staff at CNRO and his promotion to operator/announcer; at 20 years-old he become senior man at Ottawa station; description of station operations and studio facilities; networking between Montreal and Ottawa; broadcasts of concerts from Chateau Laurier; Governor General's Footguard Band; Ottawa radio performers during the later 1920s and early 1930s; commercial broadcasting in Canada; Nate Nathanson's radio empire and the opening of CJCB: Sir Henry Thornton's views on the new mass medium; creation of the Canadian National Railways and radio's role in communication on the prairies; reasons for the creation of CBR radio stations; phantom licenses; his variety of responsibilities as clerk/operator/announcer/technician; the first two-way Atlantic broadcast; his move to Moncton in 1925; his work at the Moncton station as a manager and producer; the power and range of the Moncton station; Keith Rogers and station CFCY in Moncton; budget of Moncton station; lack of women in radio; children's Christmas programs and children's programs on CFCF in the 1930s; competition with American stations; stunt broadcasting - technical tricks in radio in the 1920s in Montreal; beginning of CRBC and Austin Weir; CNR policy and Sir Henry Thornton; anecdote on broadcasting on the Lady Nelson when she first sailed out of St. John's and Halifax; use of talent from Halifax and St. John's; lack of public affairs programming on CNR due to company's vulnerability politically; opposition of CP to radio; and dramatic and musical productions on CNR stations.~George also comments on: the resons for installing a station in Moncton; his marriage in 1929; his salary as station manager in Moncton; his transfer to Montreal as a broadcaster; the difficulties faced during the Depression; Austin Weir and Tyrone Guthrie; Merrill Denison's production of the ROMANCE OF CANADA series; anecdotes about Tyrone Guthrie; Rupert Caplan and the production of drama; his work on the British Empire Games of 1934; his work for Guthrie; Elmer Ferguson; his broadcasts from 1929-31 and the arrival of the R100; his personal reaction; the R101 disaster; the introduction of commercials to the CNR in 1929-30; reasons for the change in policy and George's involvement in commercial programming; nature of commercial programs; HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA and General Motors, 1931-32; his move to Marconi in the early 1930s when the CNR closed up its radio stations; his first job at CFCF Marconi as station manager; new programming under George in the early 1930s; problems of costs of production; use of carrier-current circuits; formation of the Mutual Network to provide better programming with key stations in the Maritimes, CFCF Montreal, Ottawa CNRO, CFRB Toronto, and CFPL London; description of arrangements and result of the rise in program standards; comments on the future of the Mutual Network if the CRBC had not been created; role of commercial programs in the Mutual programs; George's attitudes to the differences between public and private broadcasting; Canadian Association of Broadcasters; Mutual's contributions to the exposure of Canadian broadcast personalities such as Dr. Steward and Rosie Doucette; specific broadcasts by George, including Marshall Balboa and his "flying boats"; Empire Games of 1934; use of the Marconi beam system for the Games; RCA scepticism of the system; set up of circuits to Britain, West Indies and Australia; and the concept of the beam system as a Canadian contribution to radio technology.~George discusses: the use of the Marconi beam by the United States in WWI and the creation of the RCA Company; rise of David Sarnoff to President of RCA; George's reaction to the creation of the CRBC in 1933; condemnation of private stations by the CRBC; CFRB Toronto; switch of Canadian audience from American to Canadian private stations; American commercials on CFCF and other stations; Canadian programming; Toronto Symphony and the Hart House Quartet; reasons for his leaving Marconi CFCF in 1935; had been doing program production for Imperial Tobacco and others when he left to takeover Imperial advertising account for radio; and the Army show in 1942. <1h 49mn>

Language:

English

Notes:

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1. Recorded in Brockville.

Detailed holdings information:

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Vault ISN:

339621

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

C03791

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

R/R

Technical description:

POLY

Made from:

FROM LOANED MATERIAL

Status:

MASTER

Vault ISN:

1025074

Format:

SOUND

Location number:

304172-C03791.WAV

Number of items:

1

Kind of sound:

BWF

Duration:

109:53

Made from:

C03791

Status:

MASTER
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

Open

Restrictions on consultation:

~Originally closed for 5 years from date of interview.

Reproduction access:

with written permission of copyright owner : no donor restrictions~Originally closed for 5 years from date of interview.~Accession form states: available for research, copying, or broadcast five years after date of interview. Copyright MAY have been waived - to be confirmed.

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