CFCL RADIO COMMEMORATED WITH ONTARIO HERITAGE FOUNDATION PLAQUE CNW The Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate Ontario's first French-language radio station - CFCL-Timmins.
CFCL-Timmins began broadcasting in December 1951, reaching listeners from Kirkland Lake to Hearst. Daily features instilled cultural pride, the love of one's maternal language, the importance of sending children to French schools and of furthering their education.
"The creation of CFCL was a landmark in the cultural development of the northern Franco-Ontarian communities," said The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Ontario Heritage Foundation Chairman.
Previously, there had been no French radio stations in Ontario and the English stations offered limited French air-time. Timmins native Conrad Lavigne decided that it was time for a more permanent French presence on the airwaves and began planning his own radio station. Despite some initial opposition, Lavigne's application was accepted. Then, with finances secured - largely from Lavigne himself – CFCL Radio became a reality.
The founding of the station was a turning point for northern Franco-Ontarian communities. The daily features on French life in the region instilled cultural pride, the love of one's maternal language, the importance of sending children to French schools and of furthering their education. Since CFCL re-broadcast programs from Radio-Canada, listeners to CFCL benefited from access to the best programs on the French network. These re-broadcasted programs also meant that CFCL provided a forum for dialogue among French Canadians of the region and Canada.
"Celebrating our heritage contributes to our quality of life and builds stronger and more prosperous communities," said The Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, Ontario Minister of Culture and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs. "The impact of CFCL on the culture of Northern Ontario – and ultimately on the creation of subsequent Franco-Ontarian radio and television stations - is significant to the heritage of our province."
Building on his experience with CFCL radio, Lavigne went on to launch the first television station in Timmins in 1955. The television station diminished the radio audience, and many of the best radio personalities left radio in order to do television. Lavigne sold CFCL radio in 1980, and the station maintained its call letters until another sale in 1990.
"Conrad Lavigne has been an important part of both the history of Timmins and the history of Canadian broadcasting," said Karen Bachman, Director/Curator of the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre. "It is fitting that his station, CFCL, be recognized for its contribution to the industry."
Since CFCL began broadcasting, additional French stations have hit the airwaves throughout the province. By 1969, there were six French radio stations in the province. CFCL's inauguration and early years were a golden moment in the history of French radio in Ontario.
This unveiling is part of the Foundation's Provincial Plaque Program that commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since 1953, more than 1,180 of these distinctive blue and gold plaques have been unveiled.
The Ontario Heritage Foundation is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage. |