CJSW’s new program director will be a familiar face to many at the station, as former news and spoken word coordinator Joe Burima is moving into the position.
Burima said the choice was a tough one after developing the news department at the station during the last few years.
“It was a very difficult decision to make,” Burima said. “There was huge growth and I think a lot of success in the news position.”
Burima will be responsible for managing the sound of CJSW, choosing on-air programmers and programs and determining the voice of the station to the larger community of Calgary. The new program director said there’s a lot of work ahead for him, but hopes that many things will stay the same.
“Mark [Shields]’ run has been great, it’s been fantastic working with him,” said Burima. “There’s been so many big changes at CJSW and we’re going to be implementing new changes but definitely there’s going to be a return to basics.”
Station manager Chad Saunders said the move is a natural progression for Burima, who built up the news department from a volunteer position to a full department.
“The challenges that lie ahead for the programming department are the wake of technology and maintaining a terrestrial relevance to our listeners,” said Saunders. “I think our DJs do a great job of keeping everyone informed with what’s going down and Joe’s going to be a great conductor of that.”