In a letter to Walter Ong dated May 31, 1953, McLuhan reported that he had received a two-year grant of $43,000 from the Ford Foundation to carry out a communication project at the University of Toronto involving faculty from different disciplines, which led to the creation of the journal.
Nunha carta a Walter Ong con data do 31 de maio de 1953, McLuhan informou de que recibira unha bolsa de dous anos por 43000 dólares da Ford Foundation para levar a cabo a comunicación dun proxecto na Universidade de Toronto involucrando profesores de diferentes disciplinas, o que levou á creación da revista.