Within a week of being named b.c.’s broadcaster of the year, Ron Bremner announced his departure from the president’s office at bctv to take the top job at the Calgary Flames hockey franchise.

After 22 years with the Griffiths family and WIC Western International Communication’s radio and television assets, six as bctv head, it was ‘an opportunity to learn a new business,’ says Bremner, 48, who succeeds ousted Flames president Bill Hay. ‘I didn’t want to end up wondering what it would have been like.’

He starts his new job Aug. 1.

Under Bremner, bctv’s 6 p.m. news has continued to draw massive audiences – about 600,000 viewers nightly – and new shows such as Canada Tonight (a cross-Canada news program airing at 5:30 p.m.) and the Saturday Morning News were introduced, along with a Cantonese translation service for the dinner-time news.

A replacement has not been named.