December 14, 2001 - The third annual Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) convention in late October was a surprising success, given the recent events of September 11th. This year's convention drew 2,600 people, down only slightly from last year's record crowd of 2,700. With the September 11 events so fresh in everyone's mind, a number of panelists were not able to attend the convention. Numerous people raised their hand to pinch hit in sessions. The results were better than expected.

Planning for the 2002 convention in Orlando (10/31-11/2) was discussed. There is also a regional convention planned for NYC (March 14-16). Details are available at www.collegebroadcasters.org. Awards were a major topic. CBI will now take charge of the awards for college broadcasters. Plans include new categories and seeking professionals to judge the awards as well as sponsor the event.

There were also a number of important developments concerning the organization. CBI has been operating with an interim board of directors. Early this fall, CBI held its first election of officers. The results of the election were expected at the convention, with the e-board elect to take office January 1. In a vote of confidence, the interim board voted to have the e-board elect take office immediately. This action was well received by the College Media Advisers (CMA) organization, which has sponsored CBI until now. CBI is actively seeking sponsors to further its goals, which include representing students involved in radio, television, webcasting and other related media ventures; ensuring a commitment to education and the student pursuit of excellence through active involvement in electronic media; promoting cooperative efforts between the Association and other national, regional, and state media organizations; facilitating the discussion of issues related to student-operated electronic media; and other community oriented programs. The CBI web site can be found at http://www.collegebroadcasters.org.

The new board members for CBI include, Warren Kozireski, chair. Will Robedee, vice chair. Dan Knight, secretary treasurer and Michael Black. There is also one vacancy for a student board member, which the new board hopes to fill in the near future.

Warren Kozireski is the general manager of student radio station WBSU and an instructor of Communication/Broadcasting at SUNY Brockport. He previously worked professionally in the Rochester, NY market with three different radio stations and with the Rochester Red Wings as a radio announcer and is still active as a free-lance sports writer.

Will Robedee is the general manager of KTRU, and staff adviser for Rice Broadcast Television (RBT) at Rice University in Houston. Will has been actively involved in radio since 1983, both commercially and non commercially, and has written articles for numerous college trade publications. Will currently manages a web site for college broadcasters at http://www.rice.edu/cb.

Dan Knight is adviser to KVR-TV, the student television station at The University of Texas at Austin, and Lecturer in the Department of Radio-Television-Film. His background includes more than twenty years in production and management for broadcast, film, and video.

Michael Black is the general manager of WEOS-FM at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. He has been involved in radio and television for over 35 years, both commercial and public, including ESPN, ABC, and NPR.

The conventions key note speakers were not immune to the need for pinch hitters. Rick Bragg--Pulitzer Prize winner, author of three books and New Orleans-based writer for the New York Times--was scheduled as the first keynote speaker for the October National Convention. Since Bragg was still in Afghanistan, Chris Rose, celebrity stalker for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, agreed to take his place.

The second keynote speaker of the October national convention was scheduled to be Kevin Klose, president and CEO of National Public Radio. With Klose unable to appear due to family illness, Jeffrey Dvorkin, NPR's Ombudsman, took his place. Dvorkin, the former head of NPR news who held similar posts with the CBC, discussed the current state of public radio, outlining differences in commercial and non-commercial journalism and the future of electronic journalism. The event was sponsored by College Publisher.

Among the most important issues discussed during the convention were the DMCA and a position paper on the topic (which can be found at http://www.rice.edu/cb/sos), the future of college broadcasting, the effects of DTV 6 on NCE allocations and how to prepare for jobs in the fast-changing world of electronic media.

In addition to managers, advisers and students, prominent organizations participated in the convention. Some of those include, CNN, Scripps Howard, NPR, Metro Networks, LPB, and The Wall Street Journal.