Canadian Broadcasting Centre
Encyclopedia
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, is the broadcast headquarters and master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
point for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
services. It also contains studios for local and regional French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
productions and is also home to the North American Broadcasters Association
North American Broadcasters Association
The North American Broadcasters Association is a non-profit group of broadcasting organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
.
The Canadian Broadcasting Centre is located at 250 Front Street West
Front Street (Toronto)
Front Street is an east-west road in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street marks the rough outline of the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during the original English settlement of York, then called Palace Street...
in Downtown
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, directly across the street from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre , located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario at 255 Front Street West, has of space. The convention centre was completed in October 1984 and is home to the 1330-seat John Bassett Theatre...
. It is within walking distance of Union Station
Union Station (Toronto)
Union Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Toronto, located on Front Street West and occupying the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in the central business district. The station building is owned by the City of Toronto, while the...
, the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
, and the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
. It is also connected to the city's PATH
PATH (Toronto)
PATH is a network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 m² PATH is a network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of Downtown...
underground pathway system.
History
The 13-storey complex is partly located on the site of the First Ontario Parliament BuildingsFirst Ontario Parliament Buildings
The first Ontario Parliament Buildings were built between 1829 and 1832 near Front, John, Simcoe and Wellington Streets in Toronto, Canada. Architects of the buildings were J.G. Chewett, Cumberland & Storm , Samuel Curry, John Ewart, John Howard and Thomas Rogers...
, which stood on the block bounded by Wellington, John, Front, and Simcoe streets between 1832 and 1903. Constructed at a cost of $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
350 million, the Canadian Broadcasting Centre opened in 1993 and was designed in order to accommodate CBC employees who were housed at various buildings throughout downtown Toronto at the time. The building required over 12 years of planning and another four years of construction. Television production is located on the upper floors (with many programs recorded in the three rooftop studios), and radio on the second and third floors. Some of the larger sound stages are rented out to outside movie and television productions, such as Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
's Canadian versions of Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal Canada
Deal or No Deal Canada is the Canadian-English version of the show Deal or No Deal, which premiered on February 4, 2007. The show ran on the Global Television Network, and lasted 5 episodes....
and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter Than a Canadian 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter Than a Canadian 5th Grader? was a Canadian-English television game show, which began airing on October 25, 2007 on Global. The show, based on the U.S. game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, was hosted by Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie. Five episodes were produced, and aired...
. The building sits on rubber pads to reduce unwanted noise and vibrations. It is for that reason that all of the studios are located in the core of the building. The building also has 4 1250Kw Cummins generators to provide power to critical loads during a power failure.
The atrium was named for Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum, OC was a Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Personal life:...
, a noted Canadian journalist. It is used as the venue for special broadcasts, including federal election coverage and the CBC 2000 Today millennium special, as well as episodes of Canadian Antiques Roadshow.
The building contains the Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
Studio, a performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
and recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
.
The CBC Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the memories and physical artifacts of the national broadcaster's heritage, is located on the first floor of the building. As of 2010 exhibits include the original "Tickle Trunk" from Mr. Dressup
Mr. Dressup
Mr. Dressup is a Canadian children's television series produced by CBC Television that ran from 1967 to 1996.The series starred Ernie Coombs as Mr. Dressup. The show aired every weekday morning, and each day Mr...
(Casey's treehouse from the same series is on display in the lobby just outside the entrance to the museum), a portion of the original set used for Friendly Giant, Muppets puppets from Sesame Park
Sesame Park
Sesame Park was a Canadian version of Sesame Street. In its first format, it was referred to as Canadian Sesame Street and was a re-edited version of the American series; it adopted a new format and the Sesame Park title in 1996....
, video clips from numerous programs, and original sound and tape equipment. Additional exhibits of memorabilia from CBC's history are also located in other areas of the first floor.
The analogous facility for CBC's French-language networks is Maison Radio-Canada
Maison Radio-Canada
Maison Radio-Canada is a skyscraper in Montreal, constructed in 1973 as a home for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's operations in Montreal....
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The CBC's corporate headquarters are located in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre
CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre
The CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre is located on Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is home to the head office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CBC's various English and French language operations in the National Capital Region...
.
Facts and figures
- Architects: Production architects: Bregman + Hamann Architects & Engineers and design architect: John Burgee Architects with Philip JohnsonPhilip JohnsonPhilip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
, the predecessor to the current firm of Philip Johnson & Alan Richie Architects - Development/Design Guidelines and Outline Specifications completed by architect Barton MyersBarton MyersBarton Myers, FAIA is an American and Canadian architect and president of Barton Myers Associates, Inc. in Los Angeles, California....
in 1985 - Floors: 13
- Completed: 1992
- Floor space: 1720000 square feet (159,793.2 m²)
Upon completion it contained 3 radio studios (including the Glenn Gould Theatre), 19 radio production studios, 3 television studios, 2 local television studios, 2 all purpose studios, and one national news studio.