From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 18 of 36
Radio Speaks French
1922
In 1922, the radio station CKAC began broadcasting in Montréal. It was one of the first French-language radio stations in North America. In the studio, people spoke into a microphone and musicians played for families listening at home.
Look together
Which instruments can you see in the studio?
An idea to try
Record a two-minute “show” together on a phone: a news item, a song, a joke. Listen to it with your eyes closed.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
CKAC, created by the newspaper La Presse in 1922, played a pioneering role in French-language broadcasting. Its early programs included concerts. The Musée des ondes explains that CKAC then shared a frequency with CFCF: listeners heard programs in French and English on that frequency.
The studio is imaginary. Look at the microphone and instruments, then invent a short program using only voices and sounds.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
Imaginary studio, announcer and musicians; no station logo.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Encyclopédie du MEM — Les premières stations de radio montréalaises (in French)CKAC and the beginnings of commercial radio broadcasting in Montréal in 1922.
- Musée des ondes Emile Berliner — Radio and the performing artsEarly music programs and the announcement of CKAC in 1922.
Page prepared on September 19, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
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