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The company, based in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, served most of the Northeastern Ontario region. Although CUC Broadcasting was the largest single shareholder,"Struggle under way to control CUC Broadcasting, sources say". The Globe and Mail, March 2, 1989. the company was structured to maintain corporate control within the region. F. Baxter Ricard, the largest local shareholder, was the company's chairman, Canadian Communications Foundation - Biographies: F. Baxter Ricard with his wife Alma Ricard"Philanthropist extraordinaire". The Globe and Mail, July 4, 2003. and cofounder Norman Bradley as the other primary shareholders."CFCF about to join cable giants: Planned purchase of Sudbury company will make Montreal firm fifth largest". The Globe and Mail, September 30, 1993.
The company was one of ten bidders for the original cable license to serve Sudbury, alongside competitors such as Maclean-Hunter, CJOH-TV, Jarmain Teleservices, Trans-Video, Malo-Hosken, Cambrian Broadcasting, City Cablecasting and Huneault Cablecasting."Risky game before CRTC: 10 bid for Sudbury cable licence". The Globe and Mail, November 27, 1969.
The company was also the primary shareholder in the region's MCTV and Mid-Canada Radio systems.
By 1989, the company was sending signals that due to Baxter Ricard's age and declining health and a developing ownership challenge at CUC, it was opening itself up to acquisition by larger companies, hiring business consultancy Thorne Ernst & Whinney to solicit bids. Bradley tentatively bought out CUC's shares in the company in 1989,"Firm that owns CHRO sold; Deal for Northern Cable may halt bid for Ottawa licence". Ottawa Citizen, May 27, 1989. with the deal to be financed by selling off the company's broadcast holdings. The deal also halted a pending application by the company to expand CHRO-TV, its station in Pembroke, into the larger Ottawa market.
In 1990, Northern sold MCTV to Baton Broadcasting, and Mid-Canada Radio to Pelmorex. In 1993, shortly after Baxter Ricard's death, Northern was acquired by CF Cable, although Northern remained a separate division of the company. The deal made CF Cable the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada.
In 1997, CF Cable sold its cable operations to Vidéotron. Northern Cable was sold the following year to Regional Cablesystems, CRTC Decision 98-452 which folded the company into its own operations and branding. Regional subsequently became Persona Communications in 2001, and Persona in turn was sold to EastLink in 2007. EastLink has, however, kept Northern Cable's former head office in Sudbury open as its divisional office for operations in Ontario.
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