Barrie McMaster

 

 

 

Barrie G. McMaster – attended Lord Byng High School in Vancouver - UBC trained (64) International Politics - President of Asian Studies Club - CJVI with Hugh Curtis/News CKNW New Westminster early 70's; started Broadcast Journalism program British Columbia Institute of Technology 1974; program director CKNW circa 1980; instructor BCIT mid 1980s; joined management team in Chilliwack that launched STAR-FM Fraser Valley Broadcasters late 1980s. Operations VP last position - Born May 8, 1938.

 

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Just before the sixties took hold - CKNW's newsroom direction shifted from a sports guy (Jim Cox) running it to Warren Barker. - This new manager would become a legend across the country.  Barker, along with Mark Raines, Barrie McMaster, John McKitrick, Mauri Hesketh, Terry Spence, Scott Dixon, George Garrett, Bob Sargent and Carl Waiz out shone the rest and the management hired the best from other stations.  In the early 70’s the veterans were joined by Brian Coxford, Russ Froese, Pamela Martin, Doriana Temolo, Paul Heeney, George Orr, John Daly, Belle Puri, Ramona Mar who went on to local TV fame.  George Madden went on to become a station manager at CJOR and Harry Phillips was hired by ABC News. In that same period veteran broadcasters John Ashbridge, Earle Bradford, John McComb, Yvonne Eamor and Arnold Epp held down senior desk positions.  Doug Rutherford was hired as well to read evening news for a decade before returning to Alberta and becoming a nationally known talk show host.  Dozens more deskmen and beat reporters came and went through this period.

 

 

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1977

 

HON. H.A. CURTIS (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing): Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw to the attention of the House this morning  a former associate of mine in broadcasting who has gone on to assist young people in terms of entering broadcast journalism, Barrie McMaster, has with him 10 members of his senior class of broadcast journalism - students from BCIT in Burnaby. Would the House welcome both groups?

 

 

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Barrie McMaster, vice-president of Star-FM, heard about Rick Honey being taken off the air at NW and approached him about joining Star-FM. After a series of meetings in the summer of 1997, Honey signed a contract. He was notified July 15, 1998 of his termination.

 

Honey testified that during meetings with Bill Coombes and STAR vice-president Barrie McMaster, the radio station executives said they planned to move STAR-FM into the Vancouver market. They were prepared to make the financial commitment to do this over three to five years, he recalled.

 

He testified he was never told by Coombes or McMaster of the assurances given to the CRTC that STAR-FM would not try to become another Vancouver radio station. Honey lost his wrongful dismissal case against Fraser Valley Broadcasters.

 

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“He was a newsie, joining NW while studying poli-sci at UBC in the early 60’s.  He came to Vancouver from CJVI/Victoria, where he also worked in news, handling - among other things - the station’s Legislative reporting.

 

After getting into – and out of – the teaching game, he came back to NW and worked in news, eventually rising to the Program Director’s position, which he occupied briefly before leaving the company to operating the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics franchise(s) throughout Western Canada.

 

He eventually landed in the Fraser Valley, where he worked for Fraser Valley Broadcasters in an administrative role (in Chilliwack) before Bill Coombes and company sold out to Rogers.

 

Lately, he has been involved in municipal and provincial politics, serving in an advisory capacity to several elected civic and provincial politicians (Environment Minister Barry Penner being the latest, I believe).”  - thanks to John Ashbridge

 

 

 

 

      

BC Radio History