Rogers

The story of Rogers begins not with a garage, but with a vision for the airwaves. In 1960, a young Ted Rogers, son of a radio pioneer, purchased CHFI, an FM radio station in Toronto, at a time when FM was a niche medium. This was the foundational asset for what would become a Canadian telecommunications empire. Ted's ambition was clear: to build a media and communications company that would connect Canadians. From that single radio station, the company, initially known as Rogers Radio Broadcasting, expanded into the burgeoning cable television industry in the mid-1960s. This move set the stage for decades of growth. A key turning point came in 1980 when Rogers became the largest cable company in Canada after acquiring a majority stake in Canadian Cablesystems. The company's expansion wasn't just in cable; in 1985, Rogers entered the wireless market by co-founding Cantel, which later became Rogers Wireless. The company's journey to the public markets began in the early 1980s, with listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange, providing capital for its aggressive expansion. Decades later, a truly transformative event occurred. In 2023, Rogers completed its landmark acquisition of Shaw Communications, a major competitor, in one of the largest corporate mergers in Canadian history. This solidified its position as a dominant force, combining two of the nation's largest cable and wireless providers. From Ted Rogers' initial bet on FM radio, the company evolved into an integrated communications giant.