Response By
Bill Brady
CFPL-TV Orthicon Tube, 1953
metal, glass, and wood Gift of Richard Costley-White, 2003
An orthicon tube is a type of cathode ray tube, a transmission device used to improve the image-quality of pre-digital televisions.
Response
In 1953, we anxiously awaited CBC’s decision to grant London a TV station. Many doubted that W.J. Blackburn, already heading a media organization, operating radio stations, weekly papers and the London Free Press, would garner a TV license. Nonetheless, he prevailed, beginning Canada’s second private TV station.
Watching this unfold, I had no idea the effects this decision would have on my professional life as ten years after CFPL-TV began, I stepped in front of the TV camera myself.
Bill Brady is a television and radio broadcaster, widely considered a pioneer of the call-in format in Canada. Brady has worked in top radio stations across Ontario throughout his career beginning in 1949, including CFPL. He is well known for his volunteering and community involvement, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1991.