Presented by Gordon Hawkins Original language(s) English Running time 30 minutes First episode date 25 October 1955 Network CBC Television Language English | Country of origin Canada No. of seasons 7 Original network CBC Television Final episode date 29 April 1962 Number of seasons 7 | |
Citizens' Forum is a Canadian current affairs television series which aired on CBC Television from 1955 to 1962.
Contents
Premise
Episodes in the first season of Citizens' Forum concerned social topics such as the prison system, whether Canada could be considered a Christian nation, unemployment and various current news stories. A panel conversation was followed by discussion from a studio audience. A subject could be presented for three weeks, followed by feedback from viewers in a follow-up "What People Say" episode.
In the second season (1956–1957), the series aired on Sunday afternoons instead of prime time and the episodes no longer adhered to a strict panel and audience format. The initial four episodes of that season featured debates on a particular resolution in each episode. Another set of episodes, named "You Be The Critic", allowed viewers to mail in their views on particular topics. "Take It From Here" was another set of programs which presented a subject as a short drama followed by a discussion. During the series run, the series used telephone call-in segments and sometimes originated in different Canadian cities.
Citizens' Forum was a co-production between the CBC and the Canadian Association for Adult Education (CAAE), adapted from a similar series which was broadcast on CBC Radio since 1943. After this series ended in April 1962, the next CBC/CAAE co-production was the The Sixties (1963–1966).
Les idées en marche on Radio-Canada was a more successful French-language version of Citizens' Forum. Like the English series, it was also a co-production with an educational body.
Scheduling
This half-hour series was broadcast as follows (times in North American Eastern):