TORONTO – Another industry organization is pulling the plug.
After nearly 50 years in existence, the Radio Marketing Bureau said Tuesday that it will cease operations by August 31, 2010 “in anticipation of the creation of a new, focused, radio-only broadcast association”.
“This move, coupled with the recent closure of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), paves the way for the radio industry to re-establish its presence in the new media environment with one association dedicated to its particular legislative, regulatory, sales and marketing needs”, the organization said in a statement.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters announced in February that it would close its doors by June. CAB board chair Elmer Hildebrand told Cartt.ca that he is in the process of establishing a new radio-only association under the working title of the Canadian Association of Radio Broadcasters.
“Radio’s future is bright and the best way to move forward and continue to be relevant in the current competitive environment is to focus our resources into one association with a broader yet focused mandate”, said RMB chair Lesley Conway-Kelley, in the statement. “The only way this action is possible is that we are able to build on the superior work of the RMB and its team under the leadership of its president, Gary Belgrave, to transition into a new association that will combine the strengths of both the CAB and the RMB.”
The Radio Marketing Bureau, which bills itself as the “national help desk for radio advertising in Canada”, provides consultation, marketing, research and creative services for members and radio advertisers. It also hosts the Crystal Awards, an annual awards competition dedicated to excellence in Canadian radio creative.
