The current Working Group on Active B Stars (WGABS) was established under IAU Commission No. 29 at the IAU General Assembly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1979. Its main goal is to promote and stimulate research and international collaboration in the field of active B stars. Originally known as the Working Group on Be Stars, its name was changed at the 22nd IAU General Assembly in The Hague, Netherlands in 1994 when the research interests of the group were broadened to include activity in all B stars, especially pulsating OB stars, interacting binaries, stellar winds, and magnetic fields.
The WGABS publishes the Be Star Newsletter. Since 1980, The Be Star Newsletter has become a main source of information on new discoveries, ideas, manuscripts, and meetings on active B stars. The online edition, published since 1994, is updated as soon as new submissions are accepted. When an edition is finalized, a pdf-version is created and distributed.