01/12/2022
STATEMENT BY ALDERNEY BROADCASTING COMPANY LTD
RECENT STAFF CHANGES
November 30, 2022
Alderney Broadcasting Ltd operates Channel Islands’ local radio station QUAY-FM, broadcasting on 107.1 MHz, DAB and online.
QUAY-FM is regulated by the Guernsey Registry under the Charities etc (Guernsey and Alderney Ordinance and also by the UK authorities in London (the Office of Communications, “Ofcom”) who license broadcasting throughout the British Isles.
The radio station is required to be compliant with Ofcom licence conditions and broadcast Codes, the new Charities law which is now fully in force, as well as copyright and broadcasting law and other areas.
In recent weeks and months certain regulatory and copyright clearance issues arose. In addition, the new Charities Ordinance came into force at the end of July mandating additional oversight of financial matters, including “four-eyes authorisation” of items of capital expenditure.
Despite this, it remained the case that irregularities relating to limits of authorisation continued. The copyright concerns were also repeated. As a result, legal advice was sought which confirmed that the copyright issues represent a “material risk” to the station and that the Charities law required new control measures to be put into place.
Additionally, as a result and in order to ensure better oversight and protection of charitable funds, the Trustee Members appointed two experienced professionals to join the directors in order to carry out a review of several staff matters as well as the Company’s procurement and payment practices. Warnings were also given internally about repeating the copyright issues and all of the matters of concern have also been referred to the Bailiwick’s regulator of charities and a full report is being prepared for their consideration.
A Directors’ meeting and Members’ meeting were called to discuss the various issues; however some directors (including Mr Bohan) chose not to attend.
As a result of the above, the company has received, and accepted, Notice of resignation of the station manager Robert ‘Dougal’ Bohan and Nic West who carried out paid station management tasks under a job-sharing agreement. They willl leave the company’s
employment at the end of the year.
The station has issued new guidance internally and has taken steps to ensure that the radio station is not at risk from clearance issues and will be issuing new guidance and contracts to advertisers shortly, something that should have been done by the management months ago.
It would appear from Dougal’s broadcast statement that these controls, put in place on legal advice, to ensure the continuation of the station and its operation according to law and which remove a material risk to the station are considered by him to be “undesirable events and actions” and that having proper controls in place is considered “a power play”.
Contrary to that implication, a successful QUAY-FM community and a station to serve our beloved local community in our magical island of Alderney requires proper controls and are essential elements of a modern and surviving radio station, in an increasingly litigious world and are the same controls expected to be existing within other radio stations.
Those seeking to avoid proper controls risk damaging the very amazing things, such as QUAY-FM, that are most valuable and meaningful to the life of the radio station and its community and when any of the staff put the station at risk and refuse to act reasonably, it is sadly time to see them replaced.
QUAY-FM was built on the good spirits and relentless efforts of volunteers and supporters, and the radio station can never be grateful enough to them for their efforts and the Directors
remain committed to a successful radio station and its supporters, friends, volunteers and particularly the listening community.
They cannot be party to and would breach their duties to the station by allowing any one person to put the station at risk. The station is actively recruiting replacement staff and will remain, as ever, committed to its volunteers and the magic that the station provides will continue. QUAY-FM is only QUAY-FM because of the efforts and responsible actions of the Volunteers and supporters and their
brilliant spirit … and of course because of our beloved listeners.
