BEK Communications Cooperative annual meeting was June 11, held through a virtual broadcast due to the coronavirus panndemic.
The virtual annual meeting was broadcast across BEK digital television and over the air on KNDM, KNDB and KRDK. It was also live-streamed on Facebook and the BEK TV website. The nine members of the board of directors were in attendance, along with limited BEK staff required for broadcasting.
The theme of this year’s annual meeting was "Think Big, Inspired Locally," and that’s what BEK planned to do, even virtually. Although unique in format, the 68th meeting incorporated the same agenda. Election announcements and amendment vote results were announced and prizes were given away.
Due to the virtual format, voting participation had a 426% increase compared to last year’s votes, with members enjoying the convenience of voting from home. CEO and General Manager Derrick Bulawa gave his annual report, chronicling changes in funding, expanding customer base and diversifying products.
The cooperative was brainstorming ways to capture its excitement virtually and settled on gathering all kid participants on a Zoom call for a prize giveaway. BEK was able to share all of the kids on a 16-foot-by-9-foot videoboard.
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Jordan Hassler, BEK TV chief operations officer, commended the push to give members the information in an accessible way, saying, “Televising live events statewide is normal for BEK TV, but a virtual annual meeting complete with a Kids Zoom prize giveaway could be considered a "new" norm.”
Discussions of continuing a virtual component of future meetings are underway.
