Year Born: 1947
Year of Induction: 2000
Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Bremner, Ronald S. (1947- )
Ron Bremner became a leader early in his life.
At Hillfield High School in Hamilton, Ontario, he captained the senior football team – he was co-captain of the hockey team – as head prefect of Hillfield he was awarded the Governor-General’s medal – he was president of the Hillfield Student’s Council.
After graduating from Guelph University (where he quarter-backed the Varsity Football Team), Ron set his sights on a career in broadcasting. The first rung in the ladder was a position as a national sales representative with Standard Broadcast Sales in Toronto in 1972. This led to his acceptance of an offer from one of the companies he was representing, and in 1974, Ron moved to New Westminster as a retail sales representative for CKNW and CFMI-FM, a division of the Westcom Radio Group.
Moving up the ladder, in 1979, Ron was appointed General Sales Manager; 1982 – Vice-President and Director of Sales; 1986 – Vice-President and General Manager; 1989 – President and General Manager.
In 1990, Ron leaped to the top of the TV ladder when he was appointed President and C.E.O. of BCTV, Vancouver – a television division of the Westcom TV Group.
In May 1996, after 23 years as a broadcaster, Ron Bremner resigned his position with Westcom to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Flames Hockey Club. In his new role, his responsibilities included the overall operations of the Calgary Saddledome and the presidency of the Calgary Flames Foundation – the charitable arm of the hockey club.
During his years in broadcasting, Ron was in the forefront of many industry activities. He was an executive member of the Television Bureau of Canada and served a term as Chairman of the Television Board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
In his own community, he served as Chairman of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation – an executive member of the Vancouver Better Business Bureau – a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board – on the New Westminister Police Board and as a member of the Board of Governors of Shawinigan Lake School. In the sports area, Ron was a member of the Board of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
In May of 1996, Ron was named “The B.C. Broadcaster of the Year”. On November 1st, he returned to Vancouver to receive the 1996 Golden Heart Achievement Award – Variety Club’s highest recognition for community service.
In 2000, Ron Bremner was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame.
Written by J. Lyman Potts – November, 2000