By Julia Foy
For Puget Sound Radio
Monday May the 11th, 2015
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Under sunny skies, over 350 broadcasters from 50 years of British Columbia Institute of Technology alumni started pouring into the Hilton at Metrotown in Burnaby BC on Friday night.
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Link to Pics HERE
More Pics HERE
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With a rockin’ sound track created by Den O’Neill laying the beat, radio ,television and journalism grads from 1966 through 2015 jammed the Crystal Ballroom. The vibe was electric as friends shouted across a sea of laughter.
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For over 4 hours classmates, workmates and BCIT Broadcast and Media Communications supporters schmoozed the night away. There were several special guest speakers including Associate Dean Randy Singer, BCIT President Kathy Kinloch, and longtime former Broadcast Associate Dean Brian Antonson. Kathy gave a nod to a grad from the very first broadcast class of 1966- Gary Hanney who is one of the most famous ( and fabulous) cameramen in the province. She also saluted Rob Nason, who has been an instructor in the BCIT television program for 40 years.
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MC Brian Adler did a fine job promoting our silent auction, glam photo booth and fun photo stage. But it appears someone fell in love with the Darth Vader helmet and took it home a the end of the night! A sign of a crazy, fun filled evening.
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Our broadcast constellation was full of stars, including Tamara Taggart and Mike Killeen of CTV News at 6, and CBC‘s BC Almanac Gloria Macarenko, and Global BC Morning News Kaitlyn Herbst just to mention a few.
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A big shoutout to our Reunion Committee who worked tirelessly for close to a year to make this event happen: Judy Phipps, Susan Einarrson, Kim Kuhn and hugs to the many faculty and student volunteers who stepped up to help in the final push to the party.
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Thanks to everyone who came from across the country and around the world to play. Our industry has weathered some rough seas in recent years, but we remain committed to keep producing the best radio, TV and broadcast and online journalism students in Canada.
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Now that we have celebrated what we have accomplished over the past 50 years, we are focused on creating a new vision of Media Communications which will blend the strengths of our 3 programs into an exciting expanded program for future students.
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Stay tuned for details!
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Julia Foy
BCIT Broadcast and Online Journalism Faculty
News Reporter/ Global BC
Email Julia:
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jf**@bc**.ca
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As someone who’s been part of the BCIT Broadcast fabric in many different roles through each of the past five decades, I enjoyed seeing so many people from all the different threads in the mix. The organizers did a grand job, and hundreds of people who started their careers at BCIT could celebrate their successes, and point to a positive future. Well done, all…and here’s to the next five decades!
Talk about having a blast and networking for the future! Oldies like me ( Class of 1979 — and there were a few of us there!) enjoyed ourselves. A few out of towners would have liked to see everything say…via Skype, but hey, technology can only do so much.
I was in Brian Antonson’s first full time class ( 1977-1979) and for the record..it was OUR class that turned his hair white…lolz.
For all grads, lets keep networking and NOT let this be “just a one nighter”…lol.
Hats off and thank you to the Organizers, Instructors and those who pulled together the big BCIT Broadcast Reunion.
It was a great turn-out and a blast seeing classmates and Industry friends and going down BCIT memory lane!
Don’t wait for 60 years…55 has a good ring to it!
Wow .. it sounds great – however too bad a lot of grads never heard about it until just after it happened!
As a BCIT broadcast alum (who worked in Vancouver for almost 10 years) , there is no shortage of receiving the BCIT alumni magazine but didn’t hear about the reunion til the week of the event, and from a non-broadcast related person at that… what is that about?
I guess as someone who doesn’t work in “the industry” anymore, it wasn’t important to be invited.. only big shots who are on the air are worth it eh??
Very cool to read through. I was an 82 grad…still doing well on air and loving it . Had such a great time at BCIT with Brian, John and other great instructors. And there’s plenty of my grad who agree!
Well done
Sorry that ’81er Tony King and I couldn’t make it from Calgary. Who else fromt he ’82 class was there?