Jean Pouliot

Jean Adélard Pouliot (June 6, 1923 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian broadcasting pioneer who helped establish television stations in Kitchener, Ontario, and Quebec City, Quebec. Pouliot was the president and CEO for the first publicly traded Quebec broadcasting company, Télé-Capitale, and started two French language networks: TVA (co-founded with Roland Giguère of Télé-Métropole in 1971), and TQS (Télévision Quatre-Saisons) (launched in 1986).

Pouliot founded CFCF Inc. in 1979 with his purchase of CFCF-TV, CFCF-AM, and CFQR-FM from the Bronfman family. CFCF Inc. went public in 1985, at which time it also included CF Cable TV, purchased by Pouliot in 1982. Pouliot was the Chairman and CEO of CFCF Inc. from 1979 to 1993, and remained Chairman until the company was sold to Vidéotron in 1997. Pouliot studied at Université Laval, graduating in 1945 with a degree in electrical engineering, specializing in electronics. He subsequently served as the superintendent of the Canadian Navy Laboratories until 1952. Prime Minister Louis St.-Laurent, impressed on hearing from his son that Pouliot had built Ottawa's only television receiver, recommended to the president of Famous Players Canadian Corporation that Pouliot be enlisted to aid the company in launching television stations in Canada. and, in 1954, he oversaw the design and launch of television stations CKCO-TV in Kitchener, Ontario, and CFCM-TV in Quebec City. Pouliot was also President of the flying club Tapis rouge and Quebec Aviation from 1968 to 1976.

First publicly traded Quebec broadcaster

In 1957, Pouliot became the general manager of Télévision de Québec, and launched CKMI-TV, Quebec's second private television station. CKMI-TV became Quebec City's CBC affiliate, and CFCM-TV converted to French language-only broadcasts. The new station was profitable in under a year. The TQS network would later add CFAP-TV in Quebec City, affiliates in Hull (now Gatineau), Jonquière (now Saguenay), Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Rouyn-Noranda and Rivière-du-Loup, and a retransmitting station in Rimouski, reaching nearly 90% of the Quebec population. thus shifting various U.S. television shows from CFCF's schedule to CKMI, and shareholder objections to CFCF's initial plan to sell CF Cable to Vidéotron in exchange for buying TVA, in 1997 the Pouliot family sold CFCF Inc. to Vidéotron.

Jean Pouliot died on August 8, 2004. Starting in 1994, although TQS continued to host the traditional telethon, CFCF shifted to a movie marathon interspersed with fundraising segments. TQS (then rebranded V) ceased airing the telethon after 2008, with CFCF airing one more edition in 2009.