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What Television RemembersArtifacts and Footprints of TV in Toronto |
eBook Available
A call to take television seriously as a cultural and historical archive.
Television in Canada has been undervalued as a cultural form. Despite being publicly funded, Canadian television programs are also notoriously difficult to access once they go off the air, which has compounded the problem.
In What Television Remembers Jennifer VanderBurgh intervenes in the story of the medium in Canada by exploring the long relationship between TV and the city of Toronto. From the first demonstration of television at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1939 and the mass viewing of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation broadcast in 1953 to the late-century installation of TV screens in public spaces around the city, television has shaped Toronto’s collective imagination and affirmed viewers in their multiple identities as local residents, national citizens, and transnational consumers. In a close reading of Toronto-based CBC dramas from the 1960s to 2010, VanderBurgh explains how the city has functioned as a strategic location in CBC programming, reflecting dramatically changing ideas about Canadian identity, community, and citizenship.
At a time when many are suggesting that the era of television is over, What Television Remembers sounds the alarm that we are in danger of forgetting TV in Canada without appreciating the complexities of its contributions and legacy.
In What Television Remembers Jennifer VanderBurgh intervenes in the story of the medium in Canada by exploring the long relationship between TV and the city of Toronto. From the first demonstration of television at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1939 and the mass viewing of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation broadcast in 1953 to the late-century installation of TV screens in public spaces around the city, television has shaped Toronto’s collective imagination and affirmed viewers in their multiple identities as local residents, national citizens, and transnational consumers. In a close reading of Toronto-based CBC dramas from the 1960s to 2010, VanderBurgh explains how the city has functioned as a strategic location in CBC programming, reflecting dramatically changing ideas about Canadian identity, community, and citizenship.
At a time when many are suggesting that the era of television is over, What Television Remembers sounds the alarm that we are in danger of forgetting TV in Canada without appreciating the complexities of its contributions and legacy.
Details
248 Pages, 6 x 9
12 photos
ISBN 9780228019114
October 2023
Formats: Cloth, Paperback, eBook
“A great book to think with, an excellent contribution to the history and study of Canadian television, and an important meditation on the central problem of performing research on Canada’s media culture when there is such a paucity of archival resources, What Television Remembers is also a pleasure to read. VanderBurgh’s writing is clear, concise, and evocative.” Ira Wagman, Carleton University
Jennifer VanderBurgh is associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Saint Mary’s University.
Figures • vii
Acknowledgments • ix
Introduction • 3
1. TV at the CNE (1939) • 18
2. Toronto’s First TV Event: The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953) • 37
3. Two Toronto Metatexts: CBC’s Open Grave (1964) and Twitch City (1998-2000) • 61
4. Toronto as a National Microcosm (1960s -1980s) • 86
5. Toronto as a City of Individuals (1990-2010) • 134
Conclusion: TV in/as City Space and Cultural Imagination • 161
Notes • 181
Bibliography • 209
Index • 225
Acknowledgments • ix
Introduction • 3
1. TV at the CNE (1939) • 18
2. Toronto’s First TV Event: The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953) • 37
3. Two Toronto Metatexts: CBC’s Open Grave (1964) and Twitch City (1998-2000) • 61
4. Toronto as a National Microcosm (1960s -1980s) • 86
5. Toronto as a City of Individuals (1990-2010) • 134
Conclusion: TV in/as City Space and Cultural Imagination • 161
Notes • 181
Bibliography • 209
Index • 225
