Surrounded by studios and bustling activity stands Global. It is more than just a television network. Global’s story is one of vision. It is about financial struggles and the relentless pursuit of becoming a national broadcaster.
Global’s roots trace back to Ken Soble’s dream. Soble wanted a super station using satellites to reach all of Canada. His untimely death in 1966 could not stop this dream. Al Bruner stepped in.
Bruner established Global Communications Limited. He sought funding and a CRTC license. Bruner’s plan focused on a regional Ontario network. Transmitters linked by satellite. One central studio.
Global Communications was licensed in 1972. Transmitters would stretch across Southern Ontario. Windsor to Ottawa. Global promised high Canadian content and no local advertising.
Global Television Network launched on January 6 1974. The studios were in a former factory in Don Mills Toronto. CKGN-TV went on air. The GN stood for Global Television Network.
The initial plan was prime time broadcasts only. The rest of the time would be for educational programming. But that changed quickly.
Global faced a financial crisis within months. Advertisers had already allocated their budgets. The 1973 oil crisis did not help. Some advertisers backed out. The station lost access to its line of credit.
Allan Slaight and Izzy Asper rescued Global. Asper’s company CanWest Capital planned to syndicate Global’s programs. The network model was unsustainable. Global picked up American programming. It filled the schedule. It became another CTV.
John Spalding quit. He could not convince owners to invest in quality production. Bill Stewart’s program purchases kept the network viable. Dave Mintz enhanced the talent pool. He took Global to the top.
Asper bought controlling interest in 1985. He became the first western-based owner of a major Canadian broadcaster.
Global was limited to Ontario for a decade. Asper wanted to grow into a national network. He launched stations in Regina and Saskatoon. He won a legal battle for a station in Vancouver. He acquired a station in Halifax.
In 1997 Canwest bought a CBC affiliate in Quebec City. It rebranded its station group as Global Television Network. CKMI became the Quebec outlet.
Even so Global was not fully national. It lacked stations in Calgary and Edmonton. In 2000 Canwest acquired WIC. WIC’s stations joined Global.
Global’s Vancouver station joined after its CTV agreement expired. One reason Canwest bought WIC was CHAN’s translator network.
Global continued to evolve. In 2006, it introduced a new logo.
In 2008, Toronto and Vancouver stations began broadcasting in high definition.
Following Canwest’s creditor protection, Shaw Communications acquired Global. It became part of Shaw Media. Later Shaw Media was subsumed by Corus Entertainment.
Today Global streams live and on-demand programming. It is a testament to Soble’s original vision. Global transformed. It overcame adversity. It became a key player in Canadian broadcasting.