Jack Tietolman was a community-oriented Montrealer who worked in broadcasting and co-founded the French-language radio station CKVL.
Tietolman’s broadcasting career spanned 40 years. He created the General Broadcasting Company in 1934 and, in 1946, he and Corey Thomson co-founded the bilingual (but predominantly French-language) radio station CKVL. CKVL, which stood for “Canadian Kilocycle Verdun Lakeshore,” aired a variety of programs, including many radio dramas. Tietolman was one of the first broadcasters in Canada to hire female announcers; one of the most popular was Reine Charrier (aka “Madame X”), who hosted Quebec’s first open-line talk show, starting in 1959.
Tietolman was president and principal shareholder of several companies, including Verdun Radio Centre Inc., Radiomonde Limitée, Radio Futura Limited, Radio and Television Sales Inc., Verdun Import Sales Corporation, all of which were connected to promoting radio stations.
Tietolman was an active member of many community organizations. He was a director of Notre-Dame Hospital, the Douglas Hospital, the Montreal YMCA, the Montreal YMHA, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Jewish Hospital of Hope. He was President of the Montreal West End Lodge of B’nai Brith. He was also a member of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, the Montreal Board of Trade, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Quebec Chamber of Commerce.
Tietolman was awarded L’Ordre de mérite de la culture française, as well as the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Montreal Citizenship Council.
