The Glorious Confederation Broadcast

real announcing until Keith got laryngitis and he asked me to do a program from Bayfield Street. Mrs. Rogers was playing the piano and one of the local belles was singing. It was so dark in the drawing—room I could hardly read the notes. Mrs. Rogers was to play a Rachmaninov prelude. I pronounced it Ratch-ee- man-ofif but I was gently set straight. Keith Rogers was a kindly mentor.”

In 1927, there was a rather elaborate plan by Ottawa for broad- casting the Sixtieth Anniversary ceremonies of the Canadian Confederation.

Whether it was because the hard—headed Islanders had refused to come into Confederation until 1873 or not, I’ll never know. But CFCY, the only broadcasting station on Prince Edward Island, was completely

' _ excluded from the original plans to feed the broadcast from coast to

coast. Islanders were told that if they wanted to hear the mammoth broadcast by the special national network—a broadcast which would make world history because it was to cover the sheer vastness of Canada—they had to tune into the 500 watt Canadian National Railway Station transmitter, CNRA, Moncton. Dad was incensed. He saw the exclusion both as a personal slight, and as an insult to the Island. Letters flew back and forth.

“Was not Prince Edward Island the Cradle of Confederation? Why then exclude it when facilities are here capable and ready to partici- pate?” he asked. But the organizing committee reiterated its stand, as though there was nothing further to be said in the matter. Its constant reply was, “. . .although it seems facilities are definitely available, there would, however, be no extension of the regular network.”

Little did they know who they were dealing with. Dad’s gentle manner masked a streak of stubborness which when aroused made him a formidable foe. More letters were exchanged, but still the same tire- some reply came back from Ottawa. Undaunted, Dad researched how the Diamond Jubilee broadcast would actually be managed. He learned that the program, though taking place in Ottawa, was to be beamed by Shortwave from the Marconi station in Drummondville, Quebec to ‘ England for rebroadcast. For several days he monitored the . . Drummondville frequency and concluded that he would get a better reception for the Ottawa broadcast by shortwave than from the regular

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