WABE held its Annual General Meeting the first Tuesday in December, virtually, so that those connected to the organization can join from wherever they are. The success of this past year‘s conference in the celebration of the 75th is something the executive was very proud of with over 375 attendees and over 60 vendors. It was nice to report that after years of financial difficulty coming out of the pandemic, we have successfully been able to start thinking about the future and have a financial picture and stability that will allow growth and action for the coming years.
As part of the AGM, it was an election year this year. I, Tessa Potter, am finishing my three-year term as president and my eligible successor who had spent two years on the executive was Cameron Thomson of Rogers Sports & Media. Under Cameron’s leadership the organization has many tasks to get done for next year’s coming conference, including choosing the location and the dates, which the executive is hopeful to start marketing in the new year.
With Cameron’s former position as vice-president vacated, the membership elected Alex Loewen from Altona, MB to lead WABE connection to our exhibitor sponsors and partners. Loewen, a technical manager at Golden West Broadcasting, has been a great volunteer over the years as well as helping to secure programming for our local meet-ups in Manitoba. His hard-working prairie nature is a great addition to this executive.
Our longest-serving executive member, Rob Brown, who could serve a maximum term of nine years but has already served seven, allowed that if there was anyone else who would like to join the executive this year under our new structure was willing to allow their nomination to stand, and was happy to step into the background while continuing to support the organization as a volunteer and WABE Chancellor. Howard Chen, formerly of Fairchild TV and now of Bell Media Vancouver, put his name in the hat and will be looking after the organizational Secretary position. Howard has exceptional technical skills along with great organizational skills which has allowed him to lead the engineering department for years at Fairchild. Bell Media is lucky to now have him on their team in B.C.
The current treasurer, Daniel Oong, has successfully put together the most comprehensive two-year financial review the organization has had in awhile, and we are so thankful for his hard work which puts us in a position to make decisions, choices, and move on all of the ambitious plans the organization has to keep technical professional professionals connected.
As we transition this executive, I speak on behalf of myself and Rob to say that volunteering at WABE has been fulfilling, a huge learning opportunity, and a very connected community experience. We look forward to helping transitioning this new executive who has all the skills to make this organization thrive. Governance and growth has led my presidency, and this executive is committed to continuing to strengthen the organization and reaching out and making new WABE friends.
You can dig around the WABE website to find our mission and vision and our core values, of which we tried to take a feeling of what this organization is and why it’s successfully been so positive for so many people for over 75 years. While we know it’s rooted in radio and television broadcasting given its name, I’ve spent a lot of time in the last number of years thinking about how to describe to people the connected organization that is WABE. It’s valuable, there’s concrete examples.
The fact that many of us will have career transitions, especially in Western Canada, between different companies and different roles and often work with some of the same people. They may be your boss one day, you may be looking for them for a job the next, you may be their boss next week, and some of them may have transitioned away from conventional television and radio but are still doing the same type of work in a different segment of the industry and you bump into them when technical paths cross in unexpected places like for me at the arena.
The knowledge this group holds, hundreds of hours of working behind the scenes with all kinds of tech, being diverse, supporting 24/7 businesses, working with creators and sales professionals and community members, understanding laws and the CRTC and broadcast acts and hearings…at the same time connecting with engineers and understanding RF principles and audio basics and video streams, basic electronics, as well as project management…to name just a few of the hundreds of skills this group has and provides.
A lot of us do it quietly, come when called to your desk, drive out to a transmitter site no one else ever knows, go in behind a rack or hang off the side of a mobile truck trying to find a solution to a problem. A bit nerdy, a bit wizards, but kind, open, and always learning. And now with 80% of Internet traffic being streamed audio and video, these people are needed in the back end of schools, companies with broadcast needs, marketing, AV, and staging. There’s opportunity out there for these skills, and while broadcast technicians traditionally have them in spades, it’s often those behind the scenes – veterans of changing technology – who can see what’s coming next.
Congratulations to Alex Loewen, Howard Chen, Cameron Thomson, and Daniel Oong, for putting their hands up as volunteers to lead an organization that those of us who have been part of the membership for years truly value. I’m looking forward to attending the conference next fall, continuing to be part of the community, and thankful for this opportunity.
