Melbourne’s JOYFM says it is taking claims of a bullying culture at the station seriously, but it’s not always possible to keep everyone at the volunteer based station happy.
Yesterday a letter from a group of past and current members of the station was distributed to the station’s membership calling for an emergency special Annual General Meeting.
The letter said it was no secret that morale at the community broadcaster was at an all time low and there had recently been an exodus of on-air talent.
The letter from the ‘Save JOYFM’ campaign was signed by over 25 members including well known presenters Shannon Power, James Findlay, Kate Purvis and Dean Beck. Founding member John Oliver is also a signatory.
The disgruntled members say they’ve had enough of bullying, lack of action of the board and claim the organisations constitution is not being observed. They say the station does not respect its volunteers and has become disconnected from LGBTI communities.
The letter calls for the station’s membership to demand a special AGM to address their concerns.
JOYFM Chief Executive Tennille Moisel has told OUTinPerth that the station’s board acknowledges that a small group of members are seeking a Special AGM.
“The Board and management team at JOY are aware that a small group of members and volunteers have recently circulated a letter seeking support to convene a Special General Meeting.
“JOY’s Board has been working with a subset of the members named in this letter to understand and investigate their concerns. The Board has already responded to the allegations and has been doing everything possible to be constructive and resolve the situation.” Mosiel said.
The station manager said the board were focussed on the long term future of the station and not everyone would agree with the way the organisation was run.
“JOY turns 25 years old in December this year, which is a marvellous achievement and a credit to everyone who has contributed to JOY over the years. JOY is now a modern media organisation, and is the voice and communications hub for the LGBTI community. The Board and management team must ensure the ongoing health and sustainability of JOY, and ensure it is well positioned for its next 25 years.
“The Board and management team are conscious that there will always be parts of the membership base that do not agree with how the station is run, and we believe that this is the motivation for these allegations and the call for a Special General Meeting. The Board’s focus has at all times been to do what is best for JOY – for our members, our volunteers, our staff, our sponsors, our supporters and our listeners.
Moisel said the board would deal with any requests for a special AGM through the mechanisms outlined in the organisation’s rules of governance.
“As a membership organisation, our Rules of Association provides mechanisms for members to raise concerns, and the JOY Board respects this. At this stage, there are no grounds to convene an SGM, but we will continue to respond to any reasonable requests by our members appropriately and fairly.” Moisel said.
An email sent to members from the station’s board has said that there is no substance to any of the claims of bullying at the station, but accuses those behind the push of running a “vicious” campaign.
“It appears that the group’s objective is to run a vicious and calculated campaign to undermine your Board, our volunteers, staff, and supporters, and to maximise damage to JOY,” the email to members said.
The Sydney Morning Herald has also reported that the board intends to call in Victorian police as they believe the station’s membership database has been compromised.
Graeme Watson
