C.B.H.F.
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Class of 1994
Ted Rogers was the founder and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc, a company that began as just one FM radio station and eventually became Canada's largest wireless, cable and media company. He was also the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
Ted received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, and was articling as a law student in 1960 when he borrowed money to buy the Toronto radio station CHFI-FM, the only FM station in Canada at the time. Ted was 33 years old. Upon graduating from Osgoode Hall, Ted chose to follow in his father’s footsteps rather than practice law. Ted Rogers Sr. had invented the radio tube and founded a well-known AM radio station, CFRB.
Ted sensed that the rapid evolution of electronic communication would revolutionize the current understanding of commerce and recreation. He became adept at linking the latest technology with consumer demand for new services, and his decision to invest in high-speed internet marked a turning point for the company. Paul Godfrey, president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays for eight years, has remarked that Ted “seemed to always be one or two steps ahead of anyone else.” The 1994 acquisition of publishing giant Maclean Hunter moved Rogers into a variety of publishing, printing and communication service companies.
An active participant in the community, his belief in youth was demonstrated by his establishment of the Rogers Communication Centre at Ryerson University. In addition, the University’s Faculty of Business was renamed the Ted Rogers School of Management in 2007, upon receiving a donation of $15 million from Ted and his wife Loretta.
In 1991, Ted was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2006 he was inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame.
Ted Rogers passed away in December of 2008, remaining CEO of his company up until his death. Rogers Communications remains one of Canada’s foremost cable television companies, the owner of a string of radio stations, video rental stores, The Canadian Home Shopping Network and YTV.