Broadcast Dialogue’s Canadian Radio Awards, also known as The Howards in recognition of our founding publisher Howard Christensen, are back for a fourth year.
Submissions close Thursday, Nov. 2. Audio that is eligible must have aired on a Canadian radio station between Nov. 1, 2022 and Oct. 31, 2023. Winners will be announced Nov. 24.
Find the full list of categories and updated rules & regulations here.
The Canadian Radio Awards are FREE to enter with those submitting able to self-nominate or be nominated by their station program director. Entries are limited to one entry per station, per category.
Questions? Drop us a line via CanadianRadioAwards.com.
REVOLVING DOOR:
Sarah Plowman has departed CTV Atlantic in Halifax to join CTV National News in New Brunswick. Plowman has been with CTV for almost 15 years, with previous producing, reporting and anchoring stints in Prince Albert, SK and Winnipeg.
Tegwyn Hughes has joined CBC Vancouver Island as a reporter. Hughes has been working as a Content Editor for The Globe and Mail, Community Editor for The Discourse, and a News Editor for Toronto’s This Magazine.
Meagan Gillmore is Canadian Affairs’ new Ottawa-based reporter. Gillmore has been a contributor, accessibility reporter and podcast contributor to AMI since 2016, in addition to bylines in The Walrus, CBC, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, Toronto Star, and TVO.org, among other publications.
Jeff Keddy is leaving his role as Mobile Technical Producer at Rogers TV Kitchener to pursue career opportunities outside the broadcast industry. Over the last five years, Keddy oversaw the operation of mobile vehicles on various productions including Ontario Hockey League Guelph Storm and Kitchener Rangers hockey, among other sporting and community events. Prior to Rogers, Keddy was a federal RF Spectrum Management Officer in Regina and held various A/V and engineering roles with the University of Manitoba, Newcap Radio in Edson, AB, and Eastlink in Aylesford, NS.
Michelle Grady has been upped to President of Sony Pictures Imageworks. Grady has held the title of Executive Vice-President since 2019 and prior to that served as SVP, Production at the Vancouver-headquartered VFX and computer animation studio for three years.
RADIO & PODCAST:
CBC and Radio-Canada have announced they’ll no longer carry the National Research Council (NRC) time signal. Monday marked the last time it was broadcast, ending the longest running segment on CBC Radio. For more than 80 years the tone of the NRC time signal has connected Canadians at exactly 1 p.m. with variations of the daily message playing over CBC’s airwaves since Nov. 5, 1939. The NRC says since the public broadcaster’s installation of HD transmitters in 2018, the time signal’s accuracy had been delayed by nine seconds, with a CBC spokesperson adding that most people are now able to accurately get the time from their phones.
CTV Your Morning and etalk alum Ben Mulroney, TVO host Steve Paikin, and former Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão are among those joining 640 (CFIQ-AM) Toronto as regular contributors. All three guests have joined host Greg Brady on weekday morning show Toronto Today. They’ll now move into dedicated appearance spots, with Mulroney heard every Monday between 7:30-8:00 a.m., Paikin every Tuesday from 7:30-8:00 a.m. and Bailão every Thursday from 7:30-8:00 a.m. Former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, former CP24 Managing Editor and anchor Stephanie Smyth, mayoral candidate Anthony Furey, and Paramount Fine Foods founder Mohamad Fakih also join the station as contributors. Read more here.
Bay FM (CKVB-FM) Corner Brook, NL hosted the 33rd annual Western Regional Hospital Foundation Radiothon on Sept. 29. This was the community station’s first time hosting the radiothon, which previously was heard on Stingray’s CFCB Corner Brook, which now simulcasts programming from VOCM St. John’s. This year’s radiothon exceeded the foundation’s $607,409 goal by $50,000 and broke the record for the highest amount raised from any radiothon since its existence by around $80,000. As a result of surpassing that goal, two members of the Bay FM team – station manager Lenny Benoit and volunteer Kevin Young – now have to get inked with station tattoos.
My Broadcasting Corporation’s 91.7 GIANT FM (CIXL-FM) Welland, ON has successfully completed the 91.7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive social experiment. Listeners were told someone had broken into the radio station and stole $10,000 cash. 91.7 GIANT FM then provided multiple daily, hyper-local spoken word & visual clues offering a $10,000 cash reward to anyone who could find, identify and capture The Fugitive through a specific question. Response was unprecedented with the station receiving thousands of text requests asking for clues. The station distributed lawn signs throughout the Niagara region which encouraged listeners to ask the winning question: “Are you the 91-7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive?” and t-shirts given to high profile community leaders to wear which read “I am NOT the 91.7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive.” In week four of the contest, the Fugitive was found at Lester B. Pearson Park in St. Catharines by resident Ivanka Siolkowsky who was relentless in following the clues and on-air excitement. When asked what she planned to do with the prize money, Siolkowsky said she would be donating 100% of it to Ukraine assistance.
SiriusXM Canada, the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NHL, has announced comprehensive coverage of the 2023-24 season. With SiriusXM NHL Network Radio entering its 19th season, the roster of former players bringing their knowledge and perspective to the channel include Mike Johnson, Anthony Stewart, Mike Rupp, Martin Biron, Shane O’Brien, Mike McKenna and Andrew Raycroft. The regular roster also includes Gord Stellick, Scott Laughlin, Steve Kouleas, Boomer Gordon, Mick Kern, Linda Cohn and Dave McCarthy. Insiders Brian Burke, Elliotte Friedman, Bruce Boudreau, Dave Poulin, Craig Button, Jeff Marek and Dave Pagnotta also return every week for another season.
The Canadian Podcast Awards are open to nominations until Oct. 22. Open to Canadian podcasts, at least 50% of the podcast hosts or performers must be Canadian or a permanent resident of Canada, and the majority of team members (more than 50%) Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Podcasters are invited to submit their work in 31 categories, including Outstanding Francophone Series, Outstanding Indigenous Series, Outstanding True Crime Series, and the coveted People’s Choice Award. Last year’s event received an impressive 600+ podcast submissions, with standout winners including You Made Me Queer (Sonar), Our Native Land (CHEK News), Front Burner (CBC), and Parkdale Haunt (Frequency).
The New York Festivals Radio Awards are open for entries. New SciFi/Fantasy/Horror and Mystery Programs categories expand the Entertainment roster. Editorial/Viewpoint News Feature rounds out the journalism-based News Reports/Features category group, while Short Form Documentary offers additional opportunities to showcase distinct points of view. New Podcast categories include Investigative Journalism Podcast and Mystery Podcast. Additional On-Air talent categories include News Correspondent/Reporter and Sports Correspondent/Reporter.
Under The Influence will host a live podcast recording at the upcoming Hot Docs Podcast Festival, on Sunday, Oct. 22 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The episode recording will include live music by the Under The Influence band, with Chief Sound Engineer Geoff Devine producing all sound effects live onstage. An audience Q&A will follow.
LISTEN: Aiden Wolf joins the Sound Off Podcast to share tips for making it big on YouTube. Over the last few years, podcasters have been trickling onto YouTube, however, this does not make podcasters, effective YouTubers. In this episode you’ll hear Wolf talk about his journey in radio, from morning show host to voiceover artist. But it was his microphone reviews, and unboxings that garnered him a true YouTube audience. He also discusses creating short-form content (e.g. YouTube shorts) to appeal to a broader audience and increase views and how to make sure your podcast appears on YouTube Music in the near future.
SIGN OFFS:
Ted Farr on Oct. 6, following an esophageal cancer diagnosis. Farr began his radio career in 1969 after leaving Phys. Ed studies at Vancouver Community College to pursue broadcasting. He made his debut as a news and sports announcer on CKLG Vancouver using the on-air handle “John Edwards.” In 1974, Farr joined CKY Radio in Winnipeg, quickly rising to the position of News Director. He returned to CKLG in 1977 to hold the same position there, contributing as morning news reader “Tall Ted” on the Doc Harris Show. From there, he joined the predominant country station in the market, CKWX, where he had a decade-long run as Program Director. He went on to hold management and programming roles at CJOB Winnipeg; CHQR and Power 107 (CFGQ-FM) Calgary, where he served as Operations Manager and concurrently National Program Coordinator, News Talk Radio for Western International Communications (WIC); and Rawlco Radio’s Newstalk 650 (CKOM-AM) Saskatoon and Newstalk 980 (CJME-AM) Regina where he held the title of Vice-President, News and Talk Programming. Farr went into consulting in 2008, working with Bohn & Associates, talent coaching at Vista Radio, and working in broadcaster relations with radio solutions provider, Mega Music Canada. After 37 years behind-the-scenes, he made his on-air return in 2018 as News Director and Midday News Anchor at iHeartRadio’s AM 1150 (CKFR-AM) Kelowna, a position he still held at the time of his passing. Farr was inducted into the B.C. Country Music Association Hall of Fame in 2011. Read more here.
Frank Martina, 76, on Oct. 3, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Hailing from Big Beaver, SK near the Montana border, Martina got into radio in the mid-1960s after winning a high school announcer competition hosted by CKCK Regina. He went on to work at stations in Weyburn and Moose Jaw before joining CJIB-AM Vernon in 1971. Martina had the distinction of being the longest-serving morning show host at CJIB, which became KISS FM and later Beach Radio. He retired in 2007, but returned to host a Saturday afternoon classics show that became a station staple. It came to an end in Dec. 2020, just months before Martina would have celebrated 50 years with the station. The Vernon Community Radio Society (VCRS) had hoped to return Martina to the airwaves with a revival of his Saturday afternoon show.
Steve Orest Andrusiak, 73, on Sept. 5 of cancer. Andrusiak’s journalism career included serving as Executive Producer of Television at CBC News Toronto, and a decade-long run as Executive Producer of TV News & Current Affairs at CBC PEI, in addition to roles with CFRN-AM Edmonton and CTV National News. From 2001-05, he chaired the Communication Arts Division at Fanshawe College and later taught Media Ethics and TV Journalism at Western University. With a deep dedication to his Ukrainian heritage, Andrusiak also hosted half-hour program “Nasha Kasha” on Radio Western (CHRW-FM) about Ukrainian life in Ontario. Starting in 2012, he served as President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (Ontario) and worked with London-based not-for-profit Canadigm as a media coordinator, helping digitally record historic sites, documents and artifacts related to Canadian history, in addition to producing and directing documentary “100 Years from Vimy.”
Duane Grandbois, 75, on Sept. 1. Grandbois had a more than 50-year career, beginning in his hometown of Weyburn, SK. From Saskatchewan, he went to Red Deer in 1976 where he was Program Director for CKRD-AM and FM, hosted the morning show and served as weatherman on the supper hour TV newscast. He went on to host afternoon drive on CKCK Regina and then CJCA Edmonton. From there, he landed at CKOV Kelowna in the early 1990s where he hosted afternoon drive and later talk radio. In 2005, he went into sales full-time with Pattison Media in Vernon, while also continuing to host a Saturday morning show and do on-location broadcasts.
TV & FILM:
CHUM 104.5 morning show co-host and media personality Marilyn Denis, CBC/Radio-Canada President Catherine Tait, and Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) Ontario Executive Director Victoria Harding are among this year’s WIFT (Women in Film + Television) Toronto Crystal Awards honourees. Denis will be honoured with the Creative Excellence Award, while Tait will receive the Jury Award of Distinction. Harding will be recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Business. Actress Missy Peregrym, known for her roles on ABC/Global’s Rookie Blue and CBS’ FBI, will receive the International Achievement honour. Neishaw Ali, Founding Partner, President, and Executive Producer, at Toronto and Atlanta-based visual effects studio, SPIN VFX, is this year’s Innovation Trailblazer. Toronto-based unscripted television producer and director Margot Daley will be recognized in the Mentorship category. Read more here.
Sportsnet has become the first Canadian sports network available to stream on Prime Video in Canada. The Sportsnet Prime Video Channel will be available as an add-on channel, enabling Prime Video users to watch live NHL hockey and all of Sportsnet’s linear programming on Sportsnet national (Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360) and regional (Sportsnet Pacific, West, East, Ontario) channels. Prime members can add the Sportsnet Prime Video Channel at a cost of $19.99/month. Read more here.
Rogers Sports & Media says the NHL on Sportsnet reached 27.2 million Canadians, or 72% of the population last year, with an average reach of more than nine million viewers per week. Rogers says subscribers to Sportsnet+ are up 56% over the past year with more than 4.5 million Canadians visiting sportsnet.ca each month and more than 750,000 using the Sportsnet app for the latest NHL news, updates, and live streams.
9 Story Media Group has launched a new 9 Story hub channel on YouTube, with plans for its first branded FAST channel through a partnership with Cineverse in 2024. The new hub channel marks the company’s continued expansion across digital platforms, with 1,400 half-hours of content, including seven seasons each of classic series Barney and Friends and Garfield and Friends, and multiple seasons of Angelina Ballerina, and Guess How Much I Love You, along with newer shows.
Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, co-creators, executive producers and showrunners of Peabody-winning CBC and Max original comedy Sort Of, have announced that the upcoming third season will be the series’ last. The final eight-episode season will make its premiere in Canada on CBC Gem, beginning Nov. 17 (two episodes will be available per week), with the series finale set for Dec. 8. Baig, who is also the star of the series, and Filippo, say they set out “to tell a story about a kind of transition in Sabi’s life, and how those around them also change — and we feel in this coming season that story came to an end in a way that felt right for us.”
CBC has greenlit Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan (8×30), a new unscripted comedy series from Blue Ant Studios, that follows Hutchie (Ezra) and Finlan (Orphan: First Kill, Ezra), two actors known for their work in the horror genre, as they step off script and into their own real-life thriller on their quest to decipher if Canada’s most haunted places are truly haunted. The paranormal series filmed this summer in haunted locales around Ontario and will launch on CBC Gem this winter. In each episode, the amateur ghost-wrangling duo are joined by celebrity guests, to meet locals who claim to have experienced a real-life haunting.
Acting Good is back for a second season, Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy, beginning Oct. 16. Filmed on location in Winnipeg and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Season 2 sees Paul (Paul Rabliauskas) return home after yet another failed attempt at moving to the big city only to find that his girlfriend Rose (Cheyenna Sapp) and mother Agnes (Tina Keeper) have shut him out. According to data supplied by Bell Media, the first season of Acting Good was the #1 overall CTV Comedy program among adults 25-54.
Eagle Vision and APTN factual series 7th Gen returns for a second season with 10 new episodes featuring inspiring young Indigenous leaders from across the country. Returning in English on Friday, Oct. 13 and on Monday, Oct. 9 in Cree, the series is hosted by Ivana Yellowback, Darcy Waite and Lorraine George and follows subjects including motivational speaker, educator and advocate Laura Grizzlypaws; hockey coaches and NHL athletes Brandon and Jordan Nolan; entrepreneur, chef and community leader Melissa Brown; athlete, coach/educator and live-stream gamer Jon-Ross Merasty-Moose; advocate and post-secondary student Makaela Blake; and music producer and recording artist Matthew Monias aka Mattmac.
Waterside Studios, Corus Entertainment’s IP and production venture focused on bringing premium scripted Canadian content for youth and primetime audiences internationally, has announced two new development deals. The studio is set to produce live-action television adaptations of Marcela Citterio’s The Girl who Didn’t Want to be a Princess and Uma Ghost for young adults around the globe. Following the success of her last book adaptation Lady Voyeur on Netflix Brazil, along with her past successes for young audiences with Chica Vampiro and Yo Soy Frankie, the latest titles add to her growing list of adaptations for streaming platforms and Latino TV channels.
Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has announced new distribution partners for 3D animated original series Millie Magnificent (52×11) to Canal+ in France and Treehouse in Canada, inspired by the best-selling book by Ashley Spires. With deliveries starting in early 2024, the preschool series will be prominently featured by Nelvana at MIPCOM this fall. Kids Can Press, Corus’ children’s book publisher, has further expanded the Most Magnificent franchise with new book The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z and the Make That Most Magnificent Thing board game, produced in collaboration with Fat Brain Toys, both launching this fall.
Bell Media has unveiled its slate of original programs available for international sale at MIPCOM 2023. With more than 150 new hours of content, highlights include CTV’s new daytime series The Good Stuff with Mary Berg; recently announced Crave and APTN Original dramatic comedy series Don’t Even (Pier 21 Films, Frantic Films, Sekowan Media), following two best friends in late ‘90s Winnipeg; CTV Original comedy series Shelved (Counterfeit Productions), from creator and executive producer Anthony Q. Farrell (The Office), which follows the employees and patrons of a public library; CTV Life Channel’s Staying Inn: Hotel Julie (Alibi Entertainment) centred around the revamp of a 19th century inn into a luxury boutique hotel in Stratford, ON; and Crave Original docuseries We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) (90th Parallel Productions), with Baruchel returning for another investigation of six ways the world could come to an end.
Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has announced the winners of this year’s juried Canadian film awards. Fitting In, directed by Molly McGlynn won Best Canadian Film; Anna Fahr, director of Valley of Exile, was named Emerging Canadian Director; housing crisis exploration Someone Lives Here, directed by Zachary Russell won Best Canadian Documentary, while Best BC Film went to WaaPaKe, directed by Jules Arita Koostachin.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Google is preparing to exclude Canadian news sites from its search engines, starting in December. Despite ongoing discussions with the government, the web giant told reporters last week that it’s impossible to comply with the law. Google says it will follow Meta’s lead and start blocking links to Canadian news by Dec. 19, when Bill C-18 comes into force. The legislation would require Google to pay an estimated $172 million per year to prop up the media sector, equivalent to about four per cent of company revenues in Canada. Canadian Heritage Min. Pascale St-Onge said she is still confident an agreement can be reached with Google before that date.
FYI Music News is joining forces with Billboard under a new partnership. After 15 years, the music industry publication backed by Slaight Music CEO Gary Slaight and edited by The Record founder and editor David Farrell, is transitioning to new ownership under the Billboard Canada brand. Richard Trapunski, a former editor at NOW Magazine, will lead the Canadian Billboard editorial team, while Mo Ghoneim, the founder of digital not-for-profit Arts Help, will serve as president. FYI music content and its archive will continue to be available with the new platform promising to offer a broader spectrum of music news and features.
Bell Media says it’s in the process of digitizing thousands of videotapes in the MuchMusic archive. Among the footage being preserved are artist interviews and the annual “Snow Job” events, among other specials. Bell told The Canadian Press that the digitization project is about 70% complete. It’s expected the digital archive will become a resource for filmmakers, with much of the footage unavailable last year when filmmaker Sean Menard was putting together his documentary 299 Queen Street West exploring the channel’s legacy, which undertakes a cross-country tour later this month.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
RTDNA Canada has named Sandie Rinaldo as its 2023 Hall of Fame inductee, recognizing those who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of audio, digital, and video journalism. For more than 35 years, Rinaldo has been the weekend anchor for CTV National News, in addition to contributing to W5. In May 2023, Rinaldo marked 50 years with CTV, having first walked through the door of the network in May 1973, one week after graduating from York University. In that first year, she jumped from Junior Secretary to Production Secretary to Production Manager, and then became a researcher for W5. In 1980, Rinaldo was promoted to News Anchor of Canada AM, earning her the distinction of being the first woman in Canadian history to anchor a daily network newscast. In 2018, she was honoured with the RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2017 earned the RTDNA Dave Rogers National Award for Best Long Feature for W5’s “In Their Footsteps.” She is also a two-time recipient of the Trina McQueen Award for Best Television News Information Program.
Global National anchor Farah Nasser has joined Plan International Canada, a global organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and equality for girls, as an ambassador. Celebrated Ambassadors volunteer their time to serve as advocates, promoting awareness for Plan Canada initiatives to support girls in Canada and around the world. Nasser joins twin youth activists and filmmakers Maryam and Nivaal Rehman, in addition to Canadian actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, veteran journalist Lisa LaFlamme, retired television host Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and former ET Canada personality Cheryl Hickey, among others.
RAMP Media, a Perth, Australia-based media company, has launched the International Student Broadcasting Championship (ISBC), an international media competition aimed at encouraging student networking, personal brand development, and job prospects. The competition sees all facets of media come together, from radio broadcasting to video, digital content creators and e-sports casters. Submissions close Nov. 1.
Eastlink has acquired Northern Ontario internet, phone and TV provider NeoTech, located in Kapuskasing, ON. The company says the purchase further strengthens its ongoing investment in and commitment to Northern Ontario. Eastlink says it will be working closely with the NeoTech team to help make the transition as smooth as possible.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Streaming Summit, a two-day event focusing on the latest monetization and technology challenges and opportunities across FAST, SVOD and AVOD services, has announced its speaker line-up at the 2023 NAB Show New York. The Streaming Summit, produced by streaming industry expert Dan Rayburn and held Oct. 24-25 at the Javits Center, will feature speakers from OTT platforms, sports leagues, broadcasters and content owners discussing trends around sports streaming, bundling and packaging of content, ad measurement, content discovery, scaling video workflows and user experience. In all, 21 sessions and events are planned including “How Netflix Builds Transcoding Workflows at Scale by Maximizing Impact and Minimizing Costs”; “The Business of FAST: Monetization, Market Saturation and Viewer Engagement”; “Delivering HTTPS Low Latency Live Streaming at Scale”; and “The Impact of Sports’ Migration from Pay-TV to Streaming Platforms.” Registrants also receive a free Exhibits Pass to access the show floor at NAB Show New York.
LG Electronics Canada (LG) is launching the LG OLED evo M3 Series, the first OLED TVs with 4K 120Hz wireless connectivity. Completely free of cables, with the exception of the power cord, the series features the world’s first wireless connectivity solution capable of real-time video and audio transmission at 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate, for a distance of up to 10 metres between itself and the screen. The series is available at launch in 77-inch and 83-inch screen sizes.
WABE invites you to its ‘most open and accessible’ conference to date
This November 27th – 29th at North Vancouver’s Shipyards District, I am pleased to welcome all media gurus, operational wizards, and technical gearheads to gather, learn, and connect in Vancouver.
This is going to be WABE’s most open and accessible event yet. We kick off the conference at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier on Monday, Nov. 27th, at 7 p.m. with a media mixer. If you are attending the full conference, this is the time to say hello to old colleagues and be introduced to contacts in our community. The $25 entry fee can be purchased through delegate registration or at the door. This makes the evening open to a wide range of connections working in our industry. Maybe you’re recently retired and want to meet colleagues you miss working with, maybe you just graduated from a media program and need an introduction to get started, maybe you work in live production or on a film set, and you need an excuse to meet up with industry contacts you haven’t had a chance to see since before the pandemic. This is the community where you can talk about the technology you have been working with or where you are hoping to take your career without the blank stare a family member might give you when you talk shop.
Over 70 years ago, WABE was started by broadcast engineers and technicians from radio and television stations who came together to share information about technology and learn from each other. Today, WABE members are found in every nook and cranny that media and entertainment tech is used. Some still work as broadcast technicians in radio and television, but many, like myself, have an ever-expanding list of places they work for that use similar technology. You may support, install, operate, or sell technology ranging from transmitters to cameras. You may work in an AV department, an independent production house, or be up a mountain installing a tower. The shared experience of the community is that we have seen behind the curtain, we have unlocked a piece of the technical mystery that makes a story transform into something ready for an audience. No matter if you are mixing a live band at church, the PA at the local arena, or pinning a mic on a corporate executive about to be live streamed to employees, you are a WABE friend.
Tuesday, Nov. 28th starts with breakfast at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier leading into our speaker sessions where we are going to cover topics ranging from IP video, network security, lens filters, to the opportunities emerging in ATSC. After an ingestion of technical info, we open our free, sold-out Exhibit Hall at The Pipe Shop Venue in Lower Lonsdale. If you work in a technical communication department and need a new piece of RF equipment, if you have a budget to buy any audio and video gear this year, or if you need that light for your next commercial production, this is the exhibit hall for you. We know not everyone locally can make it to NAB Show in Las Vegas or head overseas to IBC to check out the latest tech from manufacturers. WABE brings the community of suppliers and vendors who can help you find almost any media tech gear in the world. Because the exhibit hall is a one-of-a-kind local opportunity, we open it again the next morning, Wednesday, Nov. 29th, from 9 a.m. until noon to give as many people as possible the chance to come down and explore the exhibit floor.
Lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 29th is part of the tradition of supporting, encouraging, and celebrating community members with our Award Ceremony. In Canada, there are very few opportunities to highlight those behind the scenes who are doing amazing things. So, we pull back the curtain and take a snapshot of careers, projects, and members who are continuing to push our industry forward. We finish off the convention with an afternoon of discussions including AI in media, conversations affecting broadcasters, radio in the cloud, Audio Mic fundamentals, and end the day with an industry panel discussion.
It’s going to be two full days of meeting new people, hearing new concepts, and engaging you in the industry. In a time of great change, it can be hard to see exactly what is next or where technology is leading us. Attending WABE has always helped me answer questions like: What media tech should I recommend? What media tech are others using with success? Where and who can sell me this tech in Canada?
You don’t always hear about grassroots local membership organizations because their bandwidth to get their message out is limited to volunteer resources and not-for-profit budget constraints. If you are already a WABE friend, make sure to spread the word as you know how valuable this connected group of technical folks is. The opportunity to invite new people to be a part of this community, which has helped keep me employed, educated, and connected, has been the greatest benefit of being President of WABE.
I really am looking forward to welcoming you to Vancouver this fall!
