Ian Greenberg, one of the four brothers who founded Astral Media Inc.
Photo Credit : The Canadian Press
Harold Greenberg, Canadian Film Producer, Former Chairman of the Board, Astral Communications, (1980).
Photo Credit : The Canadian Encyclopedia
Sketch of Harold Greenberg by Louis Seligson.
Photo Credit : Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives
The Greenberg Family
Harold Greenberg and his three brothers – Harvey, Sidney and Ian – were the co-founders of Astral Media, Inc., one of Canada’s largest independent Media companies, which had its hand in photography, film, TV, radio and music.
The brothers, born into an Ashkenazi Jewish family, grew up in Montreal, around the Main and Côte Saint-Luc neighbourhoods. Their first joint venture was Angreen Photo Inc., a photo company which they founded in 1961. Then, in 1963, they acquired the Bellevue Pathe photo finishing labs. Their big break came with Expo 67, when Angreen was granted exclusive rights to sell films, cameras and photographic materials.
With their newfound fortune, Angreen was able to acquire Astral Communications, which would go on to become Astral Media, and own the largest group of radio stations in Canada, not to mention premium and specialty TV channels. The Greenberg brothers were the biggest shareholders, and Harold took on the role of President and CEO. In this position, he pushed the company to develop videocassette production, post-production and film distribution. He was an adamant supporter of using Quebecois, instead of Parisian, French subtitles for film and TV in the province. Towards the end of his career, he was expanding into new media, like CD-ROM and computer animation. Harold also made a name for himself in the movies, working as an executive producer on feature films including Porky’s, Breaking Point and The Neptune Factor.
Astral created The Harold Greenberg FUND (Foundation to Underwrite New Drama) to honour Harold’s support of Canadian programming, and over the next 20 years, the FUND invested over $50,000,000 in Canadian productions. In recognition of his community involvement, Harold was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada, Knight of the Legion of Honour, and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.
In 1996, following Harold’s death, Ian assumed control of the company. It gradually transitioned into a pure-play media company, focused on television, radio, advertising and digital media properties. Before the company was acquired by Bell Canada in 2012, Astral Media boasted over 2,800 employees, in eight Canadian provinces, and operated 84 radio stations and 24 pay and specialty television channels.
