TAB Board nominations process underway

posted on 7.07.2009

Broadcasters will fill 13 open seats on the TAB Board of Directors during the Annual Convention and Trade Show, Aug. 19-20 in Austin.

Nomination forms were mailed to all members June 18.

Nominations are due July 22.

The Board of Directors typically meets six times each year. Directors set TAB's state and federal legislative policy. They also direct staff on the development of programs and services for members.

Because Board terms are staggered, at least one seat in each market category is on the ballot each year.

The open seats include:

• Four radio members (one each in Small, Medium, Large and Metro market categories)
• Three television members (one each in Large, Other or At-Large market categories)
• Three Associate members
• One Non-Commercial member
• One Retired/Pioneer member

The Texas Association of Broadcast Educators also will elect a member to represent student interests on the Board.

Station market categories

TAB's bylaws define the market categories:

• Radio-Metro: Stations in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio
• Radio-Large: Stations in Amarillo, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Killeen, Lubbock, McAllen-Brownsville, Midland-Odessa, Temple, Tyler-Longview and Waco
• Radio-Medium: Stations in Abilene, Bryan-College Station, Laredo, Lufkin-Nacogdoches, San Angelo, Sherman-Denison, Texarkana, Victoria and Wichita Falls
• Radio-Small: Stations not listed in any of the three categories defined above
• TV-Large: Stations in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio
• TV-Other: Stations outside of the four largest markets in the state
• TV-At-Large: Stations in all Texas TV markets vote on this seat

Election process

After the July 22 deadline, TAB staff tallies the nominations and determines the top two nominees in each category.

Preliminary ballot packets will arrive in members' mailboxes by Aug. 5.

Final ballots will be distributed at the Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.  Votes will be cast then.

Members must be present at the meeting in order to vote. Customarily, members only vote for candidates who attend the business meeting.

TAB staff tallies the ballots and winners are announced at the end of the business meeting.

Frequently asked questions

• Members may nominate themselves
• TAB counts one vote per set of call letters (e.g.: a vote from a GM for a six-station cluster counts six times)
• Associate Members get one vote per firm
• Retired/Pioneer members vote on their representative at the Pioneer Club Banquet on Wednesday evening, Aug. 19. Results are announced at the business meeting.
• TAB can provide members with contact lists of other members in their market category for campaign purposes.

Questions can be directed to TAB's Oscar Rodriguez at (512) 322-9944.

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