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September 1, 2018 7:13 am  #1


And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

The AGM meeting at Jazz FM was held yesterday and donors were quite irate and not necessarily listened too it seems...the "politics" and the bitterness of this really creative station is to me, alarming...it is just radio, honour the donors, listeners and advertisers and do your craft well, keep it simple...it is a fabulous medium and friend to the listener at the end of the day.

Here is the low down (there is more that occurred yesterday at the AGM), I will have more later...

But here is what the Toronto Star is reporting...

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/08/31/angry-donors-pack-jazzfm-meeting-amid-corporate-interest-in-deal-with-station.html

A website is fighting the fight to Save Jazz FM...from what some are seeing as the demise of the station, both financially and internally...

Here is the link to that and it discussed their mandate too...

http://savejazzfm.com/

As a donor and fan of the station, I find it to be extremely disappointing, that what's happened, has happened...and apparently, I am not alone...

Jazz FM posts the opposite of what the Toronto Star and some insiders have posted about the AGM meetings yesterday...it seems the Spin is high coming from the station...here is there take on the meetings yesterday...

https://jazz.fm/jazz-fm91s-donor-members-offer-unprecedented-support/

Yes, the Spin is high, but me thinks the station is "Spinning" out of control...


 

Last edited by Muffaraw Joe (September 1, 2018 7:42 am)


The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
 

September 1, 2018 8:16 am  #2


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

This is all very sad.  I was a donor but stopped recently.  IMHO, there is a real lack of transparency and accountability towards the donors. 

The station, as we know it, is done.  It doesn't have the leeway for donations to fall substantially while paying professional fees and severance to former staff.

I will watch from the sidelines to see what comes next.

Last edited by Leslieville Bill (September 1, 2018 4:58 pm)


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

September 1, 2018 12:54 pm  #3


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Thank you Tim and Leslieville BIll for your comments...I promised more later and this information about the AGM yesterday is from a donor/member...Heather Green, she posted this on Facebook and I asked for permission to post it here...

There is a cry for help from outside the current Board of Directors...(Save Jazz FM)...but the events that happened yesterday are pretty well documented here...

Heather writes...So just a recap of the AGM today and why people were so upset.
1/ There was no opportunity for members to propose their own nominees for the Board, as the format to do this is listed in the bylaws and there was no access to bylaws until 5 days before the AGM. (The deadline to submit nominees is 10 days before.)
2/ The deadline for nominating potential Directors (in writing) was the same day that the AGM was announced
3/ The Board secured more than 470 proxies so their slate of Directors were automatically voted in. (That's why all of those letters were sent out requesting your proxy; they wanted to ensure a succesful vote for their candidates. They didn't explain to members that the proxies defaulted to their choices.)
4/ The Board approved the dismissal of on air talent after the last fundraiser, citing financial issues, but announced today that three new on air hosts were starting at the station - Tim Shia, Marc Jordan, and Carol Welsman. (Interesting to note that the last two were supporters of the station and Ross Porter, and posted their support on Jazz Fm's website.). They also said that more programs were under development.
5/ They would not answer questions as to what Ross Porter's salary was or what Board expenses / reimbursement were, despite the fact that this should be available to members because Jazz FM91 has charitable status and is supoorted by donor members. (Their financial information, including top salaries, is available on the CRA website, so this new information should be made available to members.)
6/ Charlie Cutts stated that some un-hosted shows are getting great ratings despite the fact that ratings for the period during which the unhosted shows began airing don't come out until September.
7/ They would NOT define the role of "President Emeritus" - Ross Porter's new title. What does this allow Ross to "do" at the station?
8/ They admitted that the station was mismanaged for some three years or more (which was during a period when the station - via the Board - was under the leadership of Board Chair Bernie Webber and Vice Chair Renah Persofsky, both of whom were named as being complicit in a letter sent from past and present employees alleging sexual harassment and bullying). Yet they could not justify their decision to keep both of these individuals on the Board of Directors to this day
9/ Articles in the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star all discussed donor outrage at the lack of transparency and accountability from the Board. (You really should Google the articles and read them.) Yet the station spin, as posted on their website, reflected nothing even remotely close to the tone in the room at the AGM. Here is their post: https://jazz.fm/jazz-fm91s-donor-members-offer-unprecedent…/
10/ Many more questions went unanswered, which enraged those in attendance.Hopefully after reading this synopsis, you will realize that this sort of governance is not going to help this station that we love!Please go to www.savejazzfm.com and read the information contained on the site. This is a group of donors, volunteers, musicians, and general supporters to want to maintain the integrity of this independent Jazz radio station and not-for-profit organization that is so important to the music and arts community of our city and our country. The goal is to create a safe environment for employees, and accountability and transparency for donors.


The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
     Thread Starter
 

September 1, 2018 5:04 pm  #4


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Thank you for the update M. Joe.  Sounds like the usual tricks that boards play when they think they can ride it out.  Time will tell but I suspect not.  If they are a few hundred thousand dollars in the red then that is about half a fundraising campaign.  Dark days indeed.


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

September 3, 2018 11:41 am  #5


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

September 3, 2018 12:30 pm  #6


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

I have a feeling this is going to end up in court with members arguing that their rights have been violated, that the bylaws etc haven't been followed etc and asking for a court order for a new AGM or to put CJRT into trusteeship. 

 

September 3, 2018 3:34 pm  #7


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Some questions that I don't have answers for:

What if Garvia wins her suit and is awarded the $420,000 she's after?

Is it also possible that the Board decides to ask Mr. Porter to leave and has to pay him off?

What would these two payouts cost? Would insurance cover some or all of it?

If not, the amount could be crippling for the not-for-profit station dependent upon fundraising
for the bulk of its budget. This is a terrible situation. One of the few solutions would be a donor or
entity willing to make a healthy one-time contribution, quite possibly with strings attached (goodbye,
Mr. Porter).

Also, a further thought...

Who made the decision to run the morning show without a live body to do the talking? Obviously,
not a broadcaster.
Put your "live" voice in the morning, then a track or no voice midday if you have to, and leave Barker
in PM drive. McElligott would sound good earlier in the morning when he comes back from vacation.
I'll bet he'd love to hit those Beeb newscasts.

 

September 3, 2018 5:19 pm  #8


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Is it also possible that the Board decides to ask Mr. Porter to leave and has to pay him off?

My understanding is he's still being paid in a consulting capacity and as a program host.

Who made the decision to run the morning show without a live body to do the talking? Obviously,
not a broadcaster.
Put your "live" voice in the morning, then a track or no voice midday if you have to, and leave Barker
in PM drive. McElligott would sound good earlier in the morning when he comes back from vacation.
I'll bet he'd love to hit those Beeb newscasts.

Terry Elligott was the morning host when they first flipped to all jazz. 

Driving the JAZZFM91 train is Charles Cutts in the role of interim CEO.  Former President of Massey/RT Hall and GM of O'Keffe Centre.



 

Last edited by Leslieville Bill (September 3, 2018 5:21 pm)


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

September 3, 2018 6:09 pm  #9


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Leslieville Bill wrote:

Terry Elligott was the morning host when they first flipped to all jazz.

I'm sorry. I should have done a better job explaining my point. I was just saying they could ask Terry
to do mornings until they figure out what they're going to do. It's more important to have a "live" voice
on the morning show. Terry sounds good on JAZZ.FM91, so he's a familiar voice, too.

Another concern: The Board appears to be digging in, calling in favours/comments from some heavy-duty
names, hoping to ride out the negative publicity. It's probably not going to work. If they insist, they'll drive it
into the ground.
 

 

September 3, 2018 7:10 pm  #10


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Known Terry since the good old days at CHOM but sounds like he tracks midday's now as does John (get your dialin' finger ready) Devenish ... tracking is a cost effective way of controlling costs only if it is done well....unfortunately JAZZ-FM 91 does not. More useless information that is trivia and does not speak to passion,engagement or curation.

 

September 4, 2018 6:44 pm  #11


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Sorry, I wasn't being dense. I did get your point.  You figure someone would point out to senior management the importance of a live voice during the morning drive program.

mike marshall wrote:

Leslieville Bill wrote:

Terry Elligott was the morning host when they first flipped to all jazz.

I'm sorry. I should have done a better job explaining my point. I was just saying they could ask Terry
to do mornings until they figure out what they're going to do. It's more important to have a "live" voice
on the morning show. Terry sounds good on JAZZ.FM91, so he's a familiar voice, too.

Another concern: The Board appears to be digging in, calling in favours/comments from some heavy-duty
names, hoping to ride out the negative publicity. It's probably not going to work. If they insist, they'll drive it
into the ground.
 

 


- Not an industry person.  Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio. 
 

September 5, 2018 12:05 am  #12


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Looking through this thread one question came to mind.  It may seem a bit dense or even mean-spirited, but I don't know how else to ask this?

Why on earth would someone want to donate thousands of dollars to a radio station?  And this is especially considering the salaries that some of the staff are possibly making?  I know someone has to pay the bills but commercials and sponsors can be discretely added to programming and be unobtrusive.

If it's because of the music, heaven knows that a 4-figure amount would be sufficient to acquire a decent library of one's own.

I can understand a community radio station staffed by volunteers, but a non-profit with paid staff just doesn't seem right for some reason.

Like I said.  I might just be dense on this and missing something important but knowing that the likelihood of someone jumping down my throat and being a first-class dick has subsided, I just had to ask.
 

 

September 5, 2018 12:52 pm  #13


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

Bring back Mark Wigmore. A great lover of Jazz and also a great entertainment editor.  Terry does voice track mid days. Has done for years.

 

September 5, 2018 1:40 pm  #14


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

@Peter the K.... at the risk of sounding... oh let's say, Ziggy-ish... I don't accept your position that a radio station is not worthy of donations.  I understand your point on the surface, but i feel the underlying facts are to the contrary.

CJRT is no different from any other non-profit org... christian radio, TVO,  the AGO, ROM, or even the united way. all pay their employees well to provide high quality service, yet they also receive untold funds from their public benefactors.

Unlike commercial broadcasters, places like jazzfm etc. typically can't generate enough revenue through competitive ad sales, mostly due to their limited tuning share.  they are (supposed to be) providing a unique cultural arts experience for altruistic reasons, not unlike the mcmichael gallery or the Soulpepper theatre.

I figure it's entirely acceptable to donate your money to any non-profit offering something as a benefit to the community without the need to please shareholders.

(after this comment, i'm not getting involved in the other thread about allowing US ownership in Canada!)

 

September 5, 2018 1:48 pm  #15


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

At what point does the CRTC get a say in this, if it continues to escalate? Or do they have any role here at all?

 

September 5, 2018 2:00 pm  #16


Re: And the winner is? Not the donors it seems...

RadioActive wrote:

At what point does the CRTC get a say in this, if it continues to escalate? Or do they have any role here at all?

At this point, only if the board of directors falls apart, or if the board's composition is not reflected in the station's by-laws.  beyond that, the commission usually considers such things as internal matters for the broadcaster to deal with.  what was the recent situation in montreal with a community/ethnic station whose membership revolted, and the station had to be voluntarily shut down?  I can't recall exactly... faguy covered it this past spring...