CBAV
NewsLetter
Community Broadcasting Association of Victoria Incorporated
ASSOCIATION NUMBER: A0000434R ABN: 55 160 850 487 Postal Address for CBAV: 36 John st, Kangaroo Flat, Vic, 3555
CBAV Email address is cbav@cbav.org.au Telephone: (03)-5447-9359
CBAV renewal making progress
National and licensing issues addressed at AGM
Web-Site Issues – it was noted that:
1. The station is liable for all websites of its presenters - in terms of compliance with the codes of practice and website ethics. ACMA is taking an interest in this area.
2. It was suggested that only the station web-site should be promoted and that if others exist - they could be linked.
3. Promoting a presenter's website where advertising for personal gain was being undertaken was seen asa fairly blatant misuse of a community radio license.
ACMA Guidelines - available on its website
Community Participation
1. Licensees must encourage members of the communities they serve to participate in the management and running of their stations.
2. Licensees must encourage members of the communities they serve to participate in the selectionand provision of their programs.
3. Licensees must continue to represent the community of interest that they represented when thelicense was granted or renewed,
4. Licensees should use a range of initiatives and measures to encourage community participation and to ensure they represent their community interest. No single activity or initiative alone would result in compliance with these requirements.
5. Licensees should monitor and respond to changing community needs.
6. Licensees should have an appropriate organisational structure, regularly take steps to identify the needs of the community they serve and have a program schedule which reflects the needs of the community they serve.
Sponsorship Guidelines - key points only
1. Community broadcasters must not broadcast advertisements - except if it is accidental or incidental accompaniment to a broadcast and no payment or valuable consideration has been received by the station.
2. Community broadcasters may broadcast sponsorship (appropriately tagged) up to five minutes per hour.
3. Community licensees are responsible for all material they broadcast, including material sourced externally or produced by the stations.
EDITORIAL
by John Worcester
It’s four years since CBAV produced a NewsLetter. With a re-vitalised Committee, determined that CBAV be much more active and visible to Victorian stations, this really provides a great opportunity to improve things for the sector. While there might appear to be some stated “rivalry” (Southern NSW body extending into Victoria and Melbourne), CBAV’s view is that the more that can be offered to stations the better.
Traditionally, all licensed stations were members of CBAV. Not all are currently financial. There is a $50 annual flat fee which provides useful finance for covering expenditure (and we hope all stations will contribute!)
CBAV COMMITTEE MEETING
CBAV Committee met on 6th March to prepare its program for 2011.
COMING UP! - 2 seminars in May -one in Bendigo to be repeated in Gippsland to focus on License Renewal Application processes (reps from ACMA).
CBAV NEWSLETTER
CBAV NewsLetter has been reinstigated!
The NewsLetter is being distributed by email as it was in the past - and soon with increased availability onour website which is in the process of being re-established. We welcome news items from you ! - from your station or from individuals.
CAN WE HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
CBAV has a database of an email address for each station and group. CBAV is keen to add a second
database - covering individuals active in community broadcasting. You don’t need to be a member of your station’s Committee of Management but might be a staff member or a volunteer. We can then distribute notices and newsletters directly to you. Please send your email address to cbavinc@yahoo.com.au
This Newsletter has been prepared by a team -
Ken Thompson and John Worcester.
cbavinc@yahoo.com.au
News items are always appreciated - please send them to this email address.
CBAA Discussion
We were pleased to have both the CBAA President and the CEO - the first time CBAV has ever managed to have both at the same time!
The leadership (President Adrian Basso and CEO Kath Letch) of the CBAA advised the following:
1. The regulator (ACMA) has been very busy developing and enforcing guidelines on community participation and sponsorship (key points outlined below) and is working on "not for profit" guidelinesat the moment.
2. A convergence review of legislation this year may also have implications for our sector.
3. License renewal processes are increasing in robustness with ACMA seeking more emphasis from licensees in meeting their commitments in areas such as engagement of local communities assessed via the community engagement guidelines, seeking five year business plans and budgets (CBAA had been pushing for two years), details on sponsorship, etc - process is far more intrusive than in the past. The attitude of ACMA is hardening as the availability of spectrum is more precious than ever - telco's seeking frequencies for other commercial services, etc.
4. APRA is looking to develop a packaging approach to broadcasting and streaming - which may reduce costs to us.
5. The PPCA (Phongraphic Performance Comapny of Australia) is currently in the Federal Court seeking to lift the cap it can charge for copyright (currently 0.4% for our sector) - this is likely to occur and result in increased costs for us.
6. The CBAA is to launch a mediation/conflict resolution partnership to assist stations where required.
7. The CBAA annual conference will be in November this year - venue to be resolved.
Digital Broadcasting
1. The framework is complex - but a key difference to the current regime is that broadcasters will no longer be responsible for transmission - that will be delivered by joint venture companies on behalf of a number of broadcasters.
2. Community radio has been allocated 2/9 of available capacity in Melbourne whilst regional roll-out yet to be resolved for the medium term.
3. DAB+ has been submitted as the platform for digital radio (apparently the UK now wishes it had adopted this superior technology); commercial radio will have higher bitrates (128kb/sec) - however whilst community sector will have a lower rate 64kb/sec it was advised that this will still sound very good.
4. A number of community radio test services are now running in the capital cities.
5. Whilst stations may simply simulcast on digital radio - this does not make full use of the technology - as text, logos, song information, graphics and sponsorship can all be transmitted along with audio - note that legislation is silent on limits for such (non audible) advertising.
6. Digital radio will also allow for station interchange (one to one or one to many) - if the national broadband roll-out occurs - the satellite technology may become obsolete.
7. Costs of transmission are likely to reduce (electricity usage) - however the Government is currently funding our sector for data transference - this may not always be the case.
8. You will not be able to monitor off air with digital - takes about 8 seconds from delivery to receiver.
Great Roll-up for CBAV February Workshop
by Ken Thompson
A large gathering of station representatives heard from CBAA President and its CEO on a range of issues affecting the sector at the recent CBAV workshop. A summary of the discussion is outlined below. The AGM was also held in February where a number of new members were elected to the CBAV Committee. The whole event was extremely well received and there is much optimism and energy driving the CBAV to fulfill the needs of Victorian based stations.
The new committee comprises:
President – Mike Tobin (3EON - KLFM, Bendigo)
Secretary – Chris Zerafa (3NOW)
Treasurer – Heidi Tobin (3EON - KLFM, Bendigo)
Committee Members – Alan Martin (3ECB),
Emma Johnson (3MDR),
Eugene O’Rourke (3ZZZ, 3WBC),
Ken Thompson (3GCR),
John Worcester (3MBS, 3WBC),
Ania Zamecznik (3ZZZ - pending).
Public Officer is John Worcester.
The new committee is committed to re-building the support and networking opportunities for Victorian based community stations and will be seeking input from all such stations (financial members or otherwise) on the issues and services that stations would like to see from its peak State body.
The Committee have already kicked off a range of initiatives which will help facilitate improved dialogue with Victorian community stations and move us all towards improved services for the sector.
This includes:
the re-birth of the CBAV website, more frequent communication by newsletter,
the commissioning of a station survey seeking input on issues and services that stations would like the CBAV to cover, and
the scheduling of the next workshop in May, 2011 whilst all these matters are being progressed. Importantly, the CBAV wishes to uphold the values and foundations upon which the sector was built.
CBAV hopes to work in a manner that supplements and complements the work of its member stations and the CBAA, however it is important that all stations provide input to the CBAV to guide its future direction and related activities – the more we all put in, the more we all reap the benefits.