Network: CTV Television Network
Broadcast Run: 1962 to 1963
Broadcast Medium: Television
In what was later acknowledged to have been a misguided effort to counterprogram the CBC’s 11 o’clock newscast , CTV in September 1962 decided to schedule their own news at 10:30pm, and start a half-hour variety show, called Network, at 10:55pm. It was hosted in Toronto by Bill Brady and Denise Ange, and Ross Maclean filled the program with taped, filmed and live inserts of performances from across the country as well as from the host studio. There was no lack of names – Jimmy Tapp, Rolf Harris, Jackie and Roy and Chris Beard were among the regulars, and a powerful guest line-up included Oscar Peterson, Mel Torme, Bob and Ray, Phyllis Diller, Liberace and Dave Broadfoot.
Yet even this star-studded line-up was not enough to save Network, which started with high hopes in September 1962, but had disappeared into obscurity by the summer of 1963.
Written by Pip Wedge – August, 2002