Telegram Corporation
Telegram Corporation was a Canadian media company associated with the creation and early ownership of CFTO-TV, later becoming Baton Broadcasting and ultimately CTV Inc.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Telegram Corporation was a Canadian media company formed in 1960 through a joint venture involving John W. H. Bassett's Toronto Telegram newspaper and businessman John David Eaton of the Eaton family. Its principal historical significance was its role as one of three co-owners of CFTO-TV, a Toronto television station that became the flagship of the CTV network. The company therefore belonged to the formative generation of Canadian private television businesses that combined newspaper interests, family capital, and broadcast-station ownership. The corporation's original identity was tied to the Toronto Telegram and to the Bassett family's media interests. When the newspaper ceased publication in 1971, the company no longer retained the same newspaper-centered identity and was renamed Baton Broadcasting Incorporated. The renaming marked a transition toward a more explicitly broadcasting-focused corporate structure rather than the continuation of the Telegram newspaper brand. During the following decades, Baton expanded its position in Canadian television. It acquired a controlling interest in CTV, while CFTO-TV remained the network's flagship station. In 1994, Baton Broadcasting adopted the name Baton Broadcast System, commonly abbreviated as BBS, reflecting the company's emphasis on a coordinated broadcasting system and its broader television operations. The ownership structure changed again in 1998, when the Eaton family sold its media stake. The Bassett family consequently retained sole control of BBS. Later that year, the company changed its name to CTV Inc., aligning the corporate identity with the national television network in which it had acquired control. Telegram Corporation is therefore best understood as the predecessor corporate identity in a chain of Canadian media businesses that moved from newspaper-linked ownership, through Baton Broadcasting and BBS, to CTV Inc. The original Telegram Corporation is defunct as a standalone corporate identity. Its historical legacy survives through CFTO-TV, CTV's national broadcasting development, and the corporate succession that connected the Toronto Telegram's owners with one of Canada's most important private television networks.
History
Telegram Corporation emerged in 1960 from a joint venture between the interests of John W. H. Bassett, publisher of the Toronto Telegram, and John David Eaton, a businessman from the Eaton family. The venture was one of three ownership groups associated with CFTO-TV, a Toronto television station that later became the flagship station of the CTV network. This placed Telegram Corporation within the early institutional history of Canadian commercial television, when established newspaper proprietors and prominent business families supplied capital and operating expertise for new broadcast enterprises. The company was initially connected closely with the Toronto Telegram newspaper. That association ended in practical terms when the newspaper ceased publication in 1971. Telegram Corporation was then renamed Baton Broadcasting Incorporated, reflecting the successor company's shift away from a newspaper-linked name and toward a broadcasting identity. The change did not eliminate the company's connection to television; instead, it emphasized the business area that would become its principal focus. Baton Broadcasting expanded its role in Canadian television and acquired a controlling interest in CTV. CFTO-TV remained central to this development as the flagship station of the network. The company's increasing involvement with CTV made it more than a single-station ownership vehicle: it became part of the corporate structure supporting a national private television system. In 1994, Baton Broadcasting was renamed Baton Broadcast System, usually shortened to BBS. This second renaming presented the company as a broader broadcast system rather than simply a conventional station operator. The business continued to be associated with the Bassett and Eaton families, although that arrangement changed in 1998 when the Eatons sold their media stake. The Bassett family thereafter held sole control of BBS. Later in 1998, BBS changed its name to CTV Inc. The new name reflected the company's controlling position in CTV and completed the movement from the original Telegram identity toward a network-centered corporate identity. Telegram Corporation consequently became the first name in a sequence of successor organizations: Telegram Corporation, Baton Broadcasting Incorporated, Baton Broadcast System, and CTV Inc. The available historical record does not establish a separate modern operating business under the Telegram Corporation name, nor does it provide a current website, public ticker, detailed executive roster, or financial disclosures for the original entity. Its importance is historical and organizational. The company represents the Toronto Telegram and Eaton families' entry into television ownership and forms part of the corporate lineage that helped build CTV into a major Canadian broadcaster.
- 1998
Eaton family exits the media ownership group
[1]The Eatons sell their media stake, leaving the Bassett family in sole control of BBS.
- 1998
BBS becomes CTV Inc.
[1]The company changes its name to CTV Inc. after obtaining a controlling interest in CTV.
- 1994
Renamed Baton Broadcast System
[1]Baton Broadcasting changes its name to Baton Broadcast System, also known as BBS.
- 1971
Renamed Baton Broadcasting Incorporated
[1]After the Toronto Telegram shuts down, the company adopts the Baton Broadcasting name.
- 1960
Telegram Corporation is created
[1]A joint venture involving the Toronto Telegram and John David Eaton creates Telegram Corporation, one of three co-owners of CFTO-TV.
Products and positioning
A Canadian broadcast-media holding company rooted in the ownership interests of the Toronto Telegram and the Eaton family, later repositioned around television broadcasting and CTV.
Television station · 1960
CFTO-TV
CFTO-TV was the central broadcast asset associated with Telegram Corporation's creation. The Toronto station was one of the company's principal ownership interests and later served as the flagship station of CTV, linking the corporation's early local broadcasting role with the development of a national Canadian television network.
Television network
CTV network interests
Through Baton Broadcasting and its successors, the corporate lineage associated with Telegram Corporation acquired a controlling interest in CTV. CTV became the principal network identity of the successor business and ultimately supplied the basis for the 1998 adoption of the CTV Inc. name.
Brand decisions
1998
Consolidated family ownershipM&ABackground
The Eaton family held a media stake in the broadcasting business alongside the Bassett family.
Action taken
The Eatons sold their media interest, leaving the Bassetts with sole control of BBS.
Aftermath
The ownership change preceded the company's later rebranding as CTV Inc.
1998
Rebranded as CTV Inc.StrategyBackground
BBS had acquired a controlling interest in CTV, while CFTO-TV served as the network's flagship station.
Action taken
The company changed its name from Baton Broadcast System to CTV Inc.
Aftermath
The original Telegram Corporation identity disappeared from the corporate lineage as the business became centered on the CTV brand.
1994
Rebranded as Baton Broadcast SystemStrategyBackground
The business had expanded beyond its original station ownership role and was operating as a broader broadcasting organization.
Action taken
Baton Broadcasting changed its name to Baton Broadcast System, abbreviated BBS.
Aftermath
The BBS identity remained in use until the company adopted the CTV Inc. name in 1998.
1971
Adopted the Baton Broadcasting nameStrategyBackground
The Toronto Telegram newspaper had shut down, weakening the relevance of the Telegram identity to the continuing media business.
Action taken
The corporation was renamed Baton Broadcasting Incorporated and continued under a broadcasting-oriented identity.
Aftermath
The successor business developed primarily as a television broadcaster and later became associated with CTV.
Recent events
- 1998
Eaton family sells its media stake[1]
M&A
The Eaton family disposed of its interest in the media business, leaving the Bassett family with sole control of BBS.
- 1998
BBS changes its name to CTV Inc.[1]
Leadership change
After acquiring a controlling interest in CTV and following the change in family ownership, BBS adopted the name CTV Inc., bringing the corporate identity into line with its principal television network.
- 1994
Baton Broadcasting renamed Baton Broadcast System[1]
Other
Baton Broadcasting changed its corporate name to Baton Broadcast System, commonly known as BBS, as its activities centered increasingly on television broadcasting.
- 1971
Toronto Telegram closes and the company adopts the Baton Broadcasting name[1]
Other
Following the shutdown of the Toronto Telegram newspaper, Telegram Corporation was renamed Baton Broadcasting Incorporated, separating the successor company's identity from the discontinued newspaper.
- 1960
Telegram Corporation formed as a co-owner of CFTO-TV[1]
Other
Telegram Corporation was created through a joint venture involving the Toronto Telegram and John David Eaton, becoming one of three co-owners of the newly established CFTO-TV.
Sources1 sources
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