Tuesday 2 February 2010

"Friends of 4CCR" launch marks need for radical community radio reform

Launch of ‘Friends of Cairns Community Radio’ today at 11am - marks need for urgent reform.
Local community radio needs radical reform, say Cairns Regional Councillors Linda Cooper and Diane Fosyth.
They will join former Mulgrave Councillor Ross Parisi this morning to launch ‘Friends of Cairns Community Radio’ at a media event at 11am.
“The launch of ‘Friends’ is the community’s reaction to the serious administrative turmoil that has engulfed our local radio over recent months,” Ross Parisi says.
“The events over recent months and years, has shown that there is an urgent need to have fundamental and constitutional reform for what should be a wonderful and inclusive community asset. It has a long way to go to meet that,” Parisi says.
Councillors Linda Cooper and Diane Forsyth are also supporting the formation of ‘Friends of Cairns Community Radio.’
“This is a great opportunity to get involved and I hope that everyone with an interest in community radio, joins the 'Friends' group, that is proactively working towards turning this organisation around.” Cr Linda Cooper says.
Councillor Forsyth, whose membership was rejected by the Association along with 14 others this month, following an incident when she lodged an assault complaint against the station’s vice president, is seeking urgent change in the community radio station.
“I am very concerned that there is no openness or transparency, and that’s what I want to see dealt with,” Di Forsyth says. “The last ACMA findings and the new investigation launched two weeks ago are very concerning.”
“The ‘Friends’ will draft a Memorandum of Understanding that will form the basis of any negotiations between the current radio management. The purpose of this document is to indicate to all interested parties that the negotiations will be conducted in a spirit of goodwill,” Ross Parisi says.
“ I acknowledge there is a way forward and we will propose a path of conciliation with the current committee,” Parisi says. “I think everyone in Cairns would like a better community radio station. I would like to see it become known and popular, and extend an invitation of friendship to schools and community groups.”
"We have invited the current station management, along with Councillors and look forward to a new era in community radio starting," Ross Parisi says.
Membership of 'Friends of Cairns Community Radio' is open to everyone interested in helping achieve the objective of an open, community-based radio station.
  • MEDIA LAUNCH - “Friends of Cairns Community Radio”
    TUESDAY 2nd February – 11am ALL welcome
  • Cairns Sebel Hotel (Cairns International) Upstairs, Level 2 (old Kingsford Restaurant)
    MORE INFO: Ross Parisi 0419 645 818 - Cr Linda Cooper 0419 656 995 - Cr Di Forsyth 0438 729 407
  • Email: Friendsof4CCR@gmail.com

19 comments:

Col Johnson said...

Tribute to the late Alistair Hulett will go to air at 3.00pm on Wednesday February 3

Michael P Moore said...

What the F#*k has that got to do with the formation of a group to rid the community radio of Coutts and his ignorant managament, that you are part of Col?

Col Johnson said...

It proves that some of us are carrying out the functions of informing the comunity rather than spoiling for a fight, but then a resolution by all involved is not good blog material. CAUTION defamation is an offence

Michael P Moore said...

The blog has no secret agenda mate... Only u do in keeping your spot on a silly radio station that no one listens to. You seem to love sucking up to Rod Coutts and having secret meetings with me and Di Forsyth. ... You'd better join the winning mob before Coutts gets wind of your silly games mate, otherwise you'll have nothing left when he and Pieter Blaauw, who you also love, go and get booted out by ACMA.

KFC said...

How can you inform the community when no one is listening Mr Johnson? What a total waste of community resources for a small group of self indulgent individuals and what they believe is their own private radio club.
As a long serving board member and past president of Cairns Community Radio in earlier years, I know the important role this station has played in the Cairns community. Please explain what important role it is playing at the moment.

Tommy said...

What a compliment Mike, 4CCR now utilising your blog to advertise their pathetic programs. Perhaps you could open an advertising account for them, the slush fund (of public money) in Coutts bottom drawer will more than cover the cost.
Oops, is that defamation? I retract.

Little Minx said...

Who is Alistair Hulett pray tell? Love to know more.

Uncle Sam said...

Col Johnson, running with the hares and hunting with the hounds is a dangerous occupation.
Your actions are not smart and you will end up with no friends and what is more having no programme to present.
My friend, you will need to choose your allegiances. Am unsure though whether any new management structure would condone your less than dignified behavior.

The devils advocate said...

Just a view from what I saw on the local news the other night, there was not much "community" support fot a coup , just about a dozen people and mr law , is this really a big deal in the community? mike you have given it a lot of blog space . Is there really a lot of interest?

hieronymus bosch said...

Little Minx,

Alistair was a Scottish folk singer who lived in NZ and Australia during his formative years.

He died awaiting a liver transplant last week.

He was and is very influential, particularly his band Roaring Jack, among younger folk punk artists.

He was a great bloke and a friend, and will be sorely missed.

Sorry this is off topic.

Unknown said...

Maybe we can have a new show

CairnsBlog for the Print Handicapped

I have tried to listen in to 89.1 a few times, but sorry what i hear just isnt enough to keep me interested. On my drive home from work the last thing i want to hear is the Cairns Post being read out to me by people that have no interest in what they are reading.

I can understand its purpose, and do support it, but when its on during the "Drive" time slot it really is a worry. isn't that "Prime time" for a radio station?

Tony Hillier said...

Mark, you're soooooooo right. As a past manager and program director of the station in question, I concur that the current schedule is palpably not listener friendly.

Even though community radio is mercifully not driven by a commercial agenda, it does not make sense to put a program such as 'Radio For The Print Handicapped' in prime-time — even if it is competently presented! Nor to have ethnic programs monopolising evening slots.

Whatever currently blights the administration of 89.1 FM and the station's public accessibility — and there certainly seems to be serious ills, despite management counter claims — the programming clearly needs a major overhaul and an intake of fresh and talented presenters, if it is to regain any sort of audience. Otherwise, 4CCR is a waste of time and effort, and is best disbanded.

KFC said...

Mark,
Once upon a time that time slot was actually a drive time format slot where sponsorship was raised to support the more specialised programs outside prime time slots on the station (common sense really). Breakfast was once like that too. In fact 4CCR was probably the first station in Cairns to have a two announcer set up now used by most commercial stations in Cairns. The funded RPH program was on at a time later in the mornings outside the prime times where print handicapped people had a better opportunity to tune in.
Also Mark, please don't judge community radio by what you are listening to at the moment.

Can I also add that the station also once fostered and trained young announcers for their own programs. Many have gone on tho develop a career in the media. Adam Boland, who produced the Sunrise Show on Channel 7 started his career that way.

Tony Hillier said...

Actually, KFC, if memory serves me correct, young Master Boland, as he was then, was sent packing to 4AM after attempting to play commercial jocks on 4CCR, complete with phony intonation and Top Twenty playlist. He's still churning out glib rubbish on a commercial TV network. How does that French expression go ... plus ça change! Having said that community radio has nurtured genuine talent, e.g. Roy & HG.

KFC said...

Possibly so Tony, but you may find this interesting
"Sunrise producer Adam Boland has nothing but good wishes for his new competitor.

"My head was too ugly, so I started on community radio at a terrific little station called 4CCR," he says. "For that reason, I really value community media. It allows some rather wild experimentation."
This is from an article in the Age.
Try this link if you want the full story.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/05/06/1178390129649.html?page=fullpage
Funny how everybody's perceptions are different.

Col Johnson said...

saw the whole 13 of you an Channel 7. Think you are Christ with his disciples? Hah! what a joke!

Bryan Outlaw said...

Although clearly the people running this station are sleazeballs, this is all a tempest in a teacup. Radio is irrelevant as a communication medium. Despite the big commercial push, John Mackenzie's audience is only measured in the hundreds, down from over 10,000 just a few years ago. ALL radio numbers are down substantially. Radio has become personalised, with iPods and internet radio dominating the market now and growing.

I too would like to know what the real agenda is of the people stirring up trouble.

Chris Forsberg said...

Mr. Outlaw's assertion that John Makenzie's audience "is down from 10,000 a few years ago to mere "hundreds" is INcorrect.

Whereas there has been NO radio survey done in Cairns this century, the FACT is that Mackenzie's audience INCREASED quite substantially when he was, barely a year ago, compelled to put-in an extra hour on-air - from noon to 1.00 pm.

There are reasons for this: ABC Radio audiences are traditionally larger from noon thru to 1.30 - due to what used to be called the Country Hour - and the ABC National News at 12.30. Cairns 'movers and shakers' were among this ABC audience, most of them too busy (in business, offices etc.) to listen to 'Macka' from nine-til-noon. To keep an ear on 'what's happening around town', a lot of these 'community opinion-moulders' switched FROM ABC to Mackenzie.

This is evidenced by the quality of his call-ins during the noon-to-one timeslot. And has 4CA-AM have slotted-in Alan Jones straight-after Mackenzie, they're holding a lot of this audience 'til 2.00 pm. Moreover, radio audiences always tend to 'build' - the longer a show is on air, the greater the audience retention and increase.

Mackenzie may or may not have wanted to put-in the extra hour (presumably he got a pay increase for it) - but it has increased his audience....significantly. The four competing commercial stations (HOT-FM, SEA-FM, ZINC-FM and 4CA-AM) now have roughly 20% each of the available audience - no doubt, the way the industry likes it - as there are only TWO owners (Southern Cross: HOT & SEA, and Prime Radio: 4CA & Zinc FM). The remaining 20% - roughly, there are NO current accurate stats - is shared by half a dozen ABC stations, and smaller fringe signal audiences for 4AM Mareeba and 4KZ Innisfail - 4CCR-FM has NEVER had sufficient audience to show-up on a survey !

The gag going around after the 1988 survey, which showed a 1.2% for "others" (including 4CCR, which wasn't mentioned by name) was that "Black & White Cabs had more listeners than 4CCR".

There are now SIXTEEN radio stations delivering a listenable signal in to Cairns on the FM Band - and five on the AM Band. Which, obviously, makes it hard for a reformed 4CCR-FM to get anything like a viable audience - but there ARE ways....

Mr. Outlaw is correct regarding I-Pods. Alternative audio, from I-Pods, CD players in cars, and to a MUCH LESSER degree internet radio, HAVE sliced into traditional radio audiences - but not to the extent that Outlaw is flagging, by any means. Radio - both commercial and community - remains a widely listened-to medium all over Australia.

Any suggestion, oft-made by your bloggers, that "radio is dead" is completely without factual foundation.

Jack said...

This has now attracted national interest.

aus.radio.broadcast
and
cbaa.org.au


The investigation, the blatant violation of Codes of Practice serve as a warning to stations like 2ARM and 2MAX FM