Get to Know Your New Board Member

Karen Wirsig from Toronto joins Patrick Watt (St. Andrews, NB), Ivan Traill (Neepawa, MB), and Richard Ward (Calgary) on CACTUS' board.

Karen Wirsig has worked for the Canadian Media Guild since 2005, first as Communications and Policy Co-ordinator and now in an organizing role for the national union, which represents 6,000 media workers across Canada. Prior to joining the Guild, Karen was a municipal reporter in Toronto. As a student, Karen was involved in community radio in Montreal and helped launch a community newspaper in London, Ontario.

Partnership with Karen and the CMG have been critical for CACTUS’ survival in its first three years, and in developing and promoting The Transition to Digital Over-the-Air Television: New Technologies. The CMG has also been a key partner in the push to salvage CBC infrastructure for community use, and partnered with CACTUS’ Executive Director in authoring and presenting the paper Public and Community Partnerships to Improve Local Media, presented at the Journalism Strategies conference in April of 2012, and at UNESCO’s International Association for Communications and Media Research in Durban in 2012.

Karen brings to our board representation from central Canada that has been missing since Cathy stepped down.

Welcome, Karen!!