‘The time has come to reshape JOY’s future.’
Accusations of bullying and low morale at Australia’s premier LGBTIQ community radio station, JOY 94.9 FM, have come to a head.
An email from the board of directors refutes all allegations, saying its members database has been “stolen”, and used to circulate claims of bullying and mismanagement by station managers and board members.
The email is in response to a letter distributed in March to JOY 94.9 members and volunteers, calling for the station’s board of directors to be dissolved and replaced with a temporary leadership team.
JOY’s board said the bullying claims had been investigated and could not be substantiated. It said the alleged database theft would be reported to Victoria Police.
The letter is signed by 28 JOY members including station founder John Oliver and several broadcasters including Triple J producer James Findlay, and says “the time has come to reshape JOY 94.9’s future by calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM).
“It’s no secret that JOY 94.9 has seen an exodus of extraordinary on-air presenters and volunteers who have been forced out or who felt the need to walk away under the current management and board.
“Nor is it a secret that morale at JOY 94.9 is possibly at its lowest point ever.
“Enough of the bullying. Enough of the lack of action by the board. Enough of breaking the rules of JOY’s constitution.”
In its email to JOY members, the board said “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.”
In a statement made to Fairfax, JOY CEO Tennille Moisel responded to the claims:
“The Board has already responded to the allegations and has been doing everything possible to be constructive and resolve the situation.
“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.
“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.”