Roy's Firsts in Radio & Television

Some of Roy's many radio and television firsts:

  • The first quiz show in the world (Professor Dick and his Question Box, May 15, 1935)
  • The first quiz show on Canadian television (Turnabout, 1953/54)
  • The first daily morning magazine show (A.M., 1960)
  • The first panel game in the world, and the first on Canadian TV (The Quizz Club (1936), Claim to Fame (1953/54))
  • The first television quiz show to test spouses' knowledge of one another (Mr. & Mrs., 1963)
  • The first stunt show broadcast anywhere (Fun Parade, 1939)
  • The first Canadian commercial program aired in Newfoundland, in Bermuda, and in Trinidad (Fun Parade, 1939)
  • The first show aired coast-to-coast by means of tape (Fun Parade and Take a Chance!, 1939)
  • The first to air three different coast-to-coast shows weekly (Fun Parade, 1939, Take a Chance! and The Moneymakers)
  • The first show to pay out a $1000 prize (The Moneymakers)
  • The first Canadian to pay out a total of a million dollars in prizes
  • The first show aired in separate English and French versions (Take a Chance! and Tentez Votre Chance!)
  • The first radio show to tour Canada from coast to coast (Fun Parade, 1939)
  • The first Canadian show to run for over 600 consecutive weeks (Fun Parade)
  • The first Canadian to air a total of 1000, of 2000, of 3000, of 4000 and of 5000 shows
  • The first quizmaster to let his contestants quiz him (The Moneymakers, Turnabout, 1954 and £1000 Word, 1958)
  • The first (non-sporting) simulcast — the same show on radio and TV simultaneously (Fun Parade, 1953/54)
  • The first brief before the Fowler Commission, urging competition in Canadian television
  • The first full-hour quiz show (£1000 Word, 1958 and Abracadabra, 1959/60)
  • The first to conduct the same TV show separately, and simultaneously, in Britain and Canada (Think of a Number)
  • The first TV show to be aired in separate English and Welsh versions (Claim to Fame, 1953/54)
  • The first Canadian show to be aired regularly by the British commercial TV network (Turnabout, 1954)
  • The first regional TV show in Britain to top the NATIONAL Top Ten (£1000 Word, 1958)
  • The first regional TV show to be taken over by the entire British commercial network (Full House, 1959)
  • The first television show to sign up on Canada's CTV Network (Take a Chance!, 1960)