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Black Toronto teen in 1959 Buffalo

Broadcast Date: June 26, 1959

They just wanted to dance. But when a group of Toronto teens headed across the border to be part of an American dance show, they experienced something they never expected: racism. On that show, a black Toronto boy danced with a white girl — a sight that prompted more than a few viewer complaints. The host asked the boy to stop, and now the incident is the talk of Toronto's teen scene. The CBC Radio show Teen Tempo weighs in.

Black Toronto teen in 1959 Buffalo

• Teen Tempo was a segment of Tempo. The show debuted in 1959 and was a three-hour block of music, news and features Monday through Friday starting at 4:30. Hosted by Bill Bessey, the show was described by CBC Times as "a sort of share-the-wealth plan" of national programming mixed with local items. Roving Reporter, Rawhide and Byline were among the regular segments of Tempo.

• Doug Maxwell, host of Teen Tempo, was primarily a CBC sports reporter for both radio and television. In 2002 he wrote a definitive book on curling, Curling in Canada.

• In the late 1940s CBC Radio aired Teen Beat, a program of jazz music and jokes for teens. Early CBC attempts at TV programming for teens included the panel show Youth Takes a Stand (1954-55) and Swing Your Partner (1957-58), a square-dance show produced in Winnipeg.

• In 1960 the CBC launched Club 6, a show that profiled one high school each week. Students were interviewed about school news, its academic profile and its sports teams. The show also included music and dancing.

• There were about 1.5 million teens aged 13 to 17 in Canada in 1959. The 13-year-olds were the leaders of the postwar baby boom.

• Teen dance shows took off at the CBC in the 1960s, and each region had its own version. Music Hop was broadcast nationally from a different city each weekday. In Toronto the host was a young Alex Trebek, later host of the U.S. game show Jeopardy. The house band at the Winnipeg version was the Guess Who, although they usually performed popular radio hits rather than their own songs.

Black Toronto teen in 1959 Buffalo

Medium: Radio

Program: Teen Tempo

Broadcast Date: June 26, 1959

Host: Doug Maxwell

Duration: 15:35

Last updated:
Sept. 24, 2009