Submitted by Adam Robinson
The joint CCBE (Central Canada Broadcast Engineers) and OAB (Ontario Association of Broadcasters) conference was a resounding success with management and engineering teams mingling with vendors over dinner and drinks (and an 18-inning Blue Jays game!) over two days in Toronto.
On the CCBE side, we delivered 10 technical papers and one lively panel discussion on the state of the industry and the future of recruitment. Incoming President Charlie Toner of Durham Radio said he will be making this the theme of his presidency to put an emphasis on recruiting and training at the high school and college levels. Further alignment with SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) Chapter 100 and the SBE National Education Committee will also be high on CCBE’s agenda this year.
It was an election year for CCBE, so the new executive for 2026 will be as follows:
President: Charlie Toner, Durham Radio
Vice President: Jim Miniely, Dougall Media
Treasurer: Jason Sharp, Durham Radio
Dalibor Banda of YES TV takes on the role of Papers Chair, while Past Presidents Sean Craig, Ron Combden and Harrie Jones will make up the steering committee for CCBE’s 75th anniversary in 2026.
No date has been set for CCBE 2026, but we will continue our partnership with OAB and be looking to align with other technical organizations in the Toronto area.
Our award recipients this year are as follows:
Bob Norton Ambassador Award: Doug Kirk, President Durham Radio
Engineering Excellence Award: Orest Sushko, Director of the Humber Polytechnic B2C Convergence Lab
Lifetime Achievement Award: Keith Beaulieu, Senior Engineering Manager, Rogers Sports & Media
(Beaulieu’s award was accepted by Neil Oosten of Rogers. Keith was understandably busy with the Blue Jays World Series telecast.)
