Year Born: 1930
Year Died: 2001
Year of Induction: 1989
Pioneer – Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Demers, Roch (1930-2001)
Roch Demers took his first step up the broadcasting ladder in 1945 and didn’t look back until he reached the top. He started as a relief operator with CKRN Rouyn, Quebec, and after conquering every challenge in his rising career, in 1981, was elected Vice-Chairman of the the Board of Telemedia Communications Limitee.
Leaving CKRN in 1947, Roch became a technician with CKOY Ottawa. In 1949, he was Chief Engineer for CKVM Ville Marie. Some of his greatest accomplishments in engineering followed his appointment in 1952 as Chief Engineer in charge of construction for a new station in Timmins, CFCL-AM in 1952. This was followed by his added responsibilities in building and launching CFCL-TV in 1956 and the building in 1957 in Kapuskasing, of CFCL-TV1, one of the first TV rebroadcasting stations, and a second (CFCL-TV2) at Elk Lake, Ontario.
In 1959. Roch Demers was appointed Assistant Manager of CJMS Radio in Montreal, and in 1963 was promoted to Vice-President and General Manager. In 1968, he became Executive Vice-President of RadioMutuel which owned AM stations in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Ottawa, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City and an FM station in Montreal.
From 1976 to 1980, Roch was President of Telemedia Communications Ltée, which owned a number of stations in Quebec., as well as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Telemedia Ontario Inc which had acquired 6 AM stations and 2 FM stations in Ontario.
In 1981, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Board of Telemedia Communications Ltée.
Roch Demers served the broadcasting industry as a Vice-Chairman of the CAB, and as a member of l’Association Canadienne de la radio et de la télévision de langue Française (ACRTF) and Vice-Chairman of the Board.
In retirement, in 1989, Roch Demers was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame.
Roch Demers died November 12, 2001.
Written by J. Lyman Potts – September, 1996