Some of Australia’s Christian broadcasting stations have been criticised for breaking their commitment to localism and breaching the spirit of the community broadcasting sector’s licencing and advertising policies.

Speaking during a session on Broadcasting Policy at the Radio2005 Conference, Darce Cassidy told the audience that UCB and Vision FM stations in various towns are breaching guidelines by acting as a single entity through an advertising agency and having a small number of people exercising control.

Cassidy says some stations in the UCB and Vision networks claim they are independent community stations, but have common board memberships and managers, common income streams and common news services.

“We are seeing a McDonalds-like franchise organisation… they should maintain the spirit of volunteerism,” Cassidy told the audience.

The UCB organisation, which is based in New Zealand, operates commercial licences in that country, but operates mostly community broadcasting licences in Australia, which have different regulations governing them.

Cassidy cited an action in the Federal Court from an aspirant community station in Gosford, which is challenging the recent licencing of a UCB Vision station, as evidence that there is community concern about the broadcasting group’s practices.