User:Robert W. Brown - Canadian Broadcast Technologist

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Robert William Sydney Brown (born July 19, 1963), commonly known as Rob Brown, is a Canadian broadcast technologist, also known for his experience doing numerious different jobs in a commercial radio station.

[edit] Career

Brown started his career as an announcer and producer for various Canadian radio stations between 1983 and 1998. These stations include 1480 CKAN Newmarket, 950 CKBB Barrie, Ont., CKAP Kapaskasing, Ont., 1080 CKSA Lloydminster, Alberta, 1600 CHNR Simcoe, Ont., 1380 CKPC Brantford, Ont. and DC 103/Hot 103..5 CIDC Orangeville.

From the start, he was able to quickly adapt to changing technologies in the broadcast environment. Rob worked closely with the engineering staff to make sure the seemingly impossible work. From assisting CKAP in Kapaskasing with repairs to their AM transmitter by teaming the station up with a local Canadian Forces radar technician to making sure the live breakfast shows on CKSA Lloydminster got to air. His technical prowess also had him involved in the planning, execution and operating of the morning show from EXPO 86 in Vancouver. Although he entered his broadcast career hoping to excel on the air as an personality, his contributions are more known behind the scenes as the 'go to person', including training new employees on equipment, procedures and formatics at the radio station he was employed with.

While working on a project relocating a production studio, he had the opportunity of working with David 'Geets' Haydu who planted the seed of returning to school and entering the broadcast engineering side of the business. By 1998, Rob decided to make that dream come true and attended Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in Belleville, Ontario. Six weeks prior to writing his final exam, he was hired for his first technical job at the CORUS Entertainment properties in Peterborough. (CHEX-TV, 980 Kruz and 101.5 The Wolf) Rob successfully completed the three year Electronic Engineering Technology program and became a qualified Electronic Engineering Technologist on June 15, 2001.

After working for nearly five years for CORUS Entertainment in Peterborough and then Barrie, Ontario (CIQB/CHAY/CKCB), Rob left Central Canada and headed to the Maritimes in the summer of 2005. He worked as a lead technologist for a cluster of independently owned stations in New Brunswick before accepting the Chief Engineer and Operations Manager roles with the new Halifax youth contemporary station Z103.5 "The Beat of Halifax".

Since 2001 and even though he is in a support role in the industry, Rob has found himself 'on-air' as an announcer or news reporter on 93.1 CHAY FM Barrie (Superhits Saturday Night), CFQM Magic 104 Moncton (some Saturday morning fill in shows) and Z103.5 CKHZ Halifax.(fill in afternoon news) His voice has also been featured on various commercials on the stations he has worked for.