radioinfo has spoken with the Chair of the RadAd Station Worker Association Nicky Page following an earlier media release, citing some concerns with the new management of Radio Adelaide.
Rob Popplestone has been appointed as the station’s new General Manager after a decision was made by the University to no longer run the station, beginning a process to hand the licence on to an “independent community group”.
Shortly after the University’s decision, youth community station Fresh 92.7 announced it had “entered into an agreement with the University of Adelaide to secure an independent future for Radio Adelaide.”
The decision was not universally accepted and a campaign to pressure the University to reverse its decision was mounted.
The campaign ultimately failed and a new board appointed which is currently not in a position to hold a licence.
Ms Page met with the new Chair of Radio Adelaide, Iain Evans and the General Manager at lunchtime today.
“Our main concern is a lack of a mechanism for participation in management and programming which is a community radio licensing requirement,” says Ms Page.
“…what we have been dealing with so far is not consultation, it’s been to ‘announce and defend’. We are calling for participation.
“Under previous management Radio Adelaide was very unusual in that it was set as a University department. Unlike most other stations we didn’t have either a board of management or a programming committee but we did have excellent mechanisms whereby staff were employed and worked with the wider station community to make decisions.
“Program changes have happened all the time, but never in this urgent and abrupt way,” she says, in reaction to claims Mr Popplestone has axed all Classical and Jazz programs on the station without consultation.
It’s understood funding from the University will run out within the next few years, although as of today that still remains unclear.
“..we did discuss this with Iain Evans but there is no formal agreement signed with the University – yet.
“Our role is to participate in moving this station toward becoming a fully financially sustainable not-for-profit organisation. But we also need to be doing the due diligence to ensure that high risk for profit financial strategies are not undertaken,” says Ms Page.
“But we need to know what are the changes that need to happen to keep the station going?”
radioinfo expects to interview the new GM soon.
