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February 15, 2019 4:07 pm  #1


The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

The voting was darn close...449-440  now voting on a second resolution...but change is on it's way.

This is coming from my FB contacts who are associated with this issue at Jazz FM.

Stay tuned...the healing begins!


 


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

February 15, 2019 5:20 pm  #2


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Tweet, tweet

Simon Houpt
@simonhoupt
·
Breaking: slate of board of directors of
@JAZZFM91
nominated by dissident group
@savejazzfm
has been elected by a vote of 446-435. (Members of the original board are currently nowhere to be seen.)

Simon writes about media for Globe & Mail.

Last edited by mike marshall (February 15, 2019 8:37 pm)

 

February 15, 2019 5:39 pm  #3


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Fear will keep the others in line. Fear of this Battle Station.

 

February 15, 2019 6:05 pm  #4


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Muffaraw Joe wrote:

...change is on it's way. 

Rock on!!!
Oops, never mind. Wrong station. 
 

 

February 15, 2019 6:11 pm  #5


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

The Save Jazz FM Board members are:

Rohit Bhardwaj

Chris Churchill

Dave Cole

Brian Hemming

Pat Holiday

Noelle Jenkinson

Lorne Lofsky

Joseph Manzoli

Catherine Mitro

Lorie Russell

and Bryan Snelson

These were the Save Jazz FM proposed directors...

Let's see who is actually on the board.


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

February 15, 2019 6:24 pm  #6


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Muffaraw Joe wrote:

The Save Jazz FM Board members are:

Rohit Bhardwaj

Chris Churchill

Dave Cole

Brian Hemming

Pat Holiday

Noelle Jenkinson

Lorne Lofsky

Joseph Manzoli

Catherine Mitro

Lorie Russell

and Bryan Snelson

There's a programmer in that bunch.
 

 

February 16, 2019 12:39 pm  #7


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

I am happy with the results of the vote, however, I get anxious when I think of the financial situation the station is now in.  I guess we'll find out shortly.  Time to start my monthly donation again!

Last edited by Leslieville Bill (February 16, 2019 12:39 pm)


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

February 16, 2019 5:12 pm  #8


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Simon Houpt Globe and Mail Feb 16 wrote:

In a brief phone call following the meeting, Mr. Porter told The Globe and Mail: “They threw the baby out with the bathwater.”

 

February 16, 2019 7:06 pm  #9


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Here is what was written in the Globe and Mail and details what transpired yesterday

My aim is not to go on about Jazz FM...but to report...and it is worth reporting...

Here is what the Globe and Mail had to say:

Written by: Tijana Martin
TIJANA MARTINA dissident group of member-donors of JAZZ.FM91 triumphed in a tight proxy battle Friday afternoon – capping months of turmoil that began with allegations of workplace misconduct – by tossing out the board of directors of the not-for-profit Toronto radio station and replacing it with their own slate.In a four-hour meeting of member-donors, a group known as Save JAZZ.FM91 defeated the former board by a vote of 449-440, which included the casting of about 800 proxies. A follow-up motion confirmed the group’s slate of 11 directors by a vote of 446-435.The meeting followed a short, nasty campaign between the two sides that included an 11th-hour retraction from the board, under threat of libel action, over e-mails sent out by the station to its members that questioned the motives of the dissident group.Save JAZZ.FM91 was founded by industrial-relations professional Brian Hemming last July, shortly after allegations of workplace misconduct spilled into public view, and the station let go a number of popular on-air hosts.Chief executive Ross Porter stepped down following an investigation into those allegations, saying he was doing so to spend more time with his ailing wife and son. But Mr. Porter’s continued presence – he hosts a show on Saturday mornings, and was granted the title of president emeritus when he left – troubled many donors, who noisily criticized the board at the station’s annual general meeting last August.And a number of employees continued to say the station’s workplace culture was toxic, aided by a board that had adopted what former on-air host Ralph Benmergui called “a siege posture.”During the meeting on Friday, held at the Toronto Reference Library, the former on-air hosts Walter Venafro, Heather Bambrick and Dani Elwell stood at the microphone together and accused the chair of the board, David McGown, of a lack of transparency, noting that the results of the workplace investigation were not shared with those who had made the complaints.Other donor-members criticized the board for not being forthcoming with information, such as the financial state of the community station.After the vote, Mr. Hemming said he was looking forward to repairing the ill will that had erupted over the past year. “I feel excited about the possibilities. I feel grateful for all the people who got behind us. It’s time to get back to the real business of making the station successful, and I think we’re a good team to do that.” He added that he hoped to be able to provide more information about the workplace investigation to those who made complaints. “If it’s possible to give them more answers, I think they have a right to see those,” he said. "To the extent that people whose lives were disrupted deserve answers, we’d like to find a way to give some closure.”Mr. McGown struck a magnanimous tone. “I certainly wish Mr. Hemming and his new board all possible success. JAZZ.FM is an extraordinary cultural icon and I wish him every good luck.”In a brief phone call following the meeting, Mr. Porter told The Globe and Mail: “They threw the baby out with the bathwater.”


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

February 16, 2019 7:10 pm  #10


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Here too is the link to the story in today's National Post...

Now we wait and see what will happen... I wonder what "on-air" changes will happen and if they will bring some people back and who might be let go.



https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/barry-critchley-supporters-group-succeeds-in-replacing-board-of-beleaguered-toronto-all-jazz-radio-station?fbclid=IwAR25aM4b3CFMVRofQukmamKjbxtQyjUBoTSGqAHb_CbmtzyqMXACrG_iYAg


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

February 16, 2019 8:35 pm  #11


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Tim Brown 2016 wrote:

Now the real work begins... Wishing the new board, along with the new team they'll put together, nothing but the best of luck.

I second that emotion, Tim.
This morning's Music To Listen To Jazz By will surely be one of the last outings on JAZZ.FM91 for Ross Porter.
According to a Simon Houpt tweet, David McGown was asked at yesterday's meeting if Porter was on the payroll.
McGown, citing privacy issues, said he couldn't directly answer but, "yes, Porter did have a contract that needed to be honoured."

It's all in the wording, of course, and monetary decisions made when Porter gave up some of his duties. If the money stayed the same, they may still owe him a lot of money. One of the first things the new people should do is ask him to leave. Figure out a way to pay him off, even if you do it with monthly deposits. That shows the remaining staff and donors you mean business.

They appear to have some good people on the new board.

Last edited by mike marshall (February 16, 2019 11:13 pm)

 

February 23, 2019 10:54 pm  #12


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

Bill King, once a contributor to Jazz FM and these days heard as the live piano player on Ted Woloshyn's NT1010 Saturday show, weighs in on how things changed there over the years and traces how CJRT morphed into Jazz FM.

"When Chuck [Camroux] departed, and [the] new regime moved in, all spontaneity and comfort were drained. There would be no more interviewing by on-air personalities, no more independent specials – everything was centralized – capped and filtered through one body. In one short phrase – the joy was gone, as was I."

FYImusicnews.ca: Save JAZZ.FM91 May Just Do It!

 

February 25, 2019 4:39 pm  #13


Re: The current board at Jazz FM has been dissolved

No this isn't about Jazz FM, but for those who love old timey jazz, this is certainly unique - it's an online radio station that plays nothing but jazz tunes from the 1920s and 30s. Very unique but definitely not to everyone's taste. 

Radio Dismuke