CBC Archives

To say CBC Wednesday Night nurtured the national arts community is an understatement. Debuting in 1947, this three-hour mix of classical music, theatre, music, arts commentary and documentaries even commissioned its own CBC Opera Company. Its first performance? La Bohème. The show gave airtime to young Canadian writers and artists like W.O. Mitchell, Glenn Gould, Lister Sinclair and Mavor Moore. Produced by literary maven Robert Weaver, hosts included Jim Eayrs, Ted Miller, Harry Mannis and long-time frontman James Bannerman. It ran until 1963, when it expanded into the longer CBC Sunday Night series.