Who we are, what we do How to navigate?

Innovation

Innovation: the act of doing something new and different. Whether it’s a big shift at the corporate level or a small change by a team member that improves personal performance, innovation at CBC/Radio-Canada helps us to improve our service to Canadians across the country.

Here's a look at just a small selection of the innovations that have taken place at CBC/Radio-Canada over the years. The most exciting part is that the best is yet to come!

1938 icon here Mobile unit #1 When it was time to hit the road, CBC/Radio-Canada’s first mobile unit was a small house-trailer hooked onto the rear of an ordinary passenger car and equipped with sensitive broadcast receivers and bulky disc recorders. hover here
1939-1945 icon here CBC wartime broadcasts When WWII was declared, CBC/Radio-Canada sent a team of announcers and technicians to accompany the Canadian Armed Forces' First Division to England, providing Canadians with wartime broadcasts. hover here
1940 icon here Radio service for remote communities By 1940, residents of remote communities began to benefit from radio service, through the installation of low-power relay transmitters. hover here
1946 icon here First French-language network station outside Quebec Creation of the radio station Radio Saint-Boniface, in Manitoba, provided the first French language network station outside of the Province of Quebec. hover here
"Innovation is what keeps driving us forward - as individuals, within our teams, and within the Corporation as a whole. Even the smallest idea, when shared and given the opportunity to grow, can have an enormously beneficial impact." Fred Mattocks, Head of Technology Strategy, CBC/Radio-Canada (MTIS)
1963 icon here First Canadian colour television show The Forest Rangers was the first Canadian television show produced entirely in colour. (Also the first series in which Gordon Pinsent made a major appearance.) hover here
1952 icon here Hockey Night in Canada goes on air Initially, the telecast typically began at 9:00 pm, ET, joining a game in progress. In the autumn of 1968, regular-season games began to be shown in their entirety. hover here
1960 icon here Reaching the High Arctic CBC Northern Service starts shortwave broadcasting to the High Arctic. hover here
1973 icon here Use of orbiting satellite for television Service CBC became the first broadcaster in the world to use an orbiting satellite for television service, linking Canada from coast to coast to coast. hover here
1989 icon here Official launch of CBC Newsworld Launch of CBC Newsworld gave Canadians their own dedicated 24-hour news channel. hover here
2003 icon here Protecting the environment CBC/Radio-Canada includes protection of the environment in all aspects of the organization’s activities. (policy 2.2.16) hover here
2004 icon here Creation of the Prairie Aboriginal Content Unit The Prairie Aboriginal Content Unit was created to develop First Nations storytelling content for both radio and television. hover here
2007-09 icon here LED transition project It started with an employee’s idea and resulted in CBC/Radio-Canada becoming a world-leader in using LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting in its studios. This groundbreaking initiative lowers costs, increases sustainability, reduces the Corporation’s environmental footprint and changes the way that we make television. hover here
2008 icon here Olympic Games online Via CBC/Radio-Canada, The Beijing Olympic Games was the first time that Canadians could watch the Games live online. CBC/Radio-Canada's websites featured 13 broadband video streams with thousands of hours of live and on-demand event coverage hover here
2010 icon here Launch of TOU.TV Radio-Canada launches TOU.TV, a free, on-demand French-language Web television site. In 2011, a new mobile website and application is launched, as well as an agreement with LG to make TOU.TV available directy on next generation television sets. In 2014, it became ICI Tou.tv, and the platform was again updated with new functionalities to enhance user experience. hover here
2011-12 icon here Launch of Espace.mu and CBC Music In 2011, Radio-Canada launched Espace.mu, one of the most complete sources of francophone music online, which also lets you interact and personalize your own line-up. Then in 2012, CBC launched free digital service CBC Music, offering access to 40 web radio stations, a vast array of music and blog posts by CBC personalities through a website and via mobile apps. hover here
2012 icon here Next Generation Converged Network (NGCN) The NGCN revolutionized the way CBC/Radio-Canada media employees work, allowing large numbers of employees to conduct direct transfers of TV and radio files among 53 production centres across the country using laptops, tablets or other mobile devices. hover here
2013 icon here First Canadian broadcaster to use new Facebook social media tools In the fall of 2013, with season 4 of Battle of the Blades, CBC became the first Canadian broadcaster to make use of Facebook’s new social TV tools. The new tools allows producers to grab media from social networks and bring it into the live show, and also gives CBC access to valuable analytics. hover here

How to navigate :

Use the gem or the left menu to explore this section.

Search highlight tool