Jackie Rae Greening

Last week I was invited to speak at the Power Luncheon for the Canadian Women in Communications – Edmonton chapter – which I highly enjoyed.

Today I attended the Edmonton Broadcasters Club Spring Luncheon and listened to guest speaker Jackie Rae Greening.

Too bad these two events weren’t connected because Jackie, as expected, “knocked it out of the park” as I totally knew she would!

First off please understand I have ‘huge’ respect for what Jackie has accomplished ‘not only in radio’ but also for her connection to the community – which is substantial – and also for her being an amazing ‘role model’ for Women broadcasters, heck lets not be sexist for “all” broadcasters.

Jackie prepared her speech on “bar coasters” just like the late Wes Montgomery taught her how to do. She chronicled ‘exactly’ how she got to the top of her field…
a) by paying her dues in smaller markets b) by taking on new positions for the ‘experience’ and not the ‘pay’ understanding that she needed this knowledge to take the next step in her broadcast career.

Next she highlighted how she carefully moved from city to city – station to station – company to company – because each move “lead to the next best thing.”

This did NOT take overnight (sorry kids) – and in between she not only got married (to a rich guy – cuz he had $10,000 in the bank) – but also became one of the top notch curlers in our Province.

Jackie, as classy as she is, carefully ‘thanked’ and acknowledged the people who helped her in her career; but not without the odd witty funny shot or ‘secret’ that had many of us grinning in the audience.

She spent a great deal of time talking about another ‘radio great’ (they won Country Morning show of the Year twice at CMW) – and was very emotional about the moment she had to announce to the CFCW audience on the morning show ‘live’
that the beloved Wes Montgomery had passed away.

She now runs CFCW Camrose/Edmonton, one of the biggest and best Country Music stations in Canada!

So – very simply – the reason I wish these two events had been held together is for the simple fact that the #1 question I was asked at CWC was “how can a women get ahead in broadcasting? – and my answer is simple.

Pretend you’re Jackie Rae Greening.

The world will be your oyster.