Your WBA is planning changes to the 2021 event line-up to, in part, connect broadcasters with educators and future broadcasters.
This is the tentative plan for 2021:
–Elements of the WBA Winter Conference will be split up into separate events.
–The Job Fair and EEO session will happen in conjunction with the Student Seminar.
–State Legislative Day will be scheduled strategically during the winter or spring. The timing will depend on the state of legislative affairs at the Capitol and when it would be most beneficial for members to be calling on their lawmakers.
–The membership meeting held during the Winter Conference business luncheon will be consolidated into the membership meeting held at the Summer Conference. Going forward there will be one membership meeting each year.
The changes were discussed by the WBA Board and WBA Foundation Board at their winter meetings and were also explained to the membership at the winter membership meeting.
The WBA is excited about the future of the Student Seminar and is still working out details for how the event will be structured. Having the job fair at the same time broadcasting students are gathering has a lot of great potential.
The changes will also mean that those elected in January to leadership positions on the WBA Board will serve for more than a year, as elections will not be held again until the 2021 Summer Conference. At that point, single year terms will resume.
To accommodate these changes, updates to WBA bylaws were required. Those changes were given initial approval by the WBA Board and the membership at the winter meetings. To finalize approval, the membership will vote again on the changes to the bylaws when they meet June 18 at the WBA Summer Conference in La Crosse. Anyone wishing to review the proposed bylaws changes ahead of the membership meeting should contact the WBA office.
Much like broadcasters, the WBA is embracing change and the benefits members can expect from it. While there are numerous factors prompting these changes, the desire to increase support for future broadcasters is the most critical. It is hoped that the changes will open opportunities for WBA members to connect with and support the broadcasting students who will someday be leading your stations.
