Grants
Grant for Cert III in Broadcast Training obtained - 3rd round
Well done to those who have successfully completed the first two rounds of training, next round begins shortly, keep up the great work!
New Board Members
We would like to welcome our newest board members;
Shane Walker
Sue Wilkinson &
Fred Bresolin (Italian presenter)
The board has also accepted Ryan's nomination to attend board meetings to observe and assist
the board believing his expertise in areas to be a valuable contribution
Manager
Mat Wall will be available on a regular basis at the station for the next month from
1pm to 3pm Monday to Friday
Mat's position is to oversee the running of the station on behalf of the board not to run the station on a daily basis. If you wish to raise any matters with him please see him during these times. If you are unable to make these times then please make an appointment to see him at another mutually agreeable time or alternatively put it in writing and place it in his pidgeon hole for him to consider.
Mat spends alot of time doing things for the station including but not limited to; meeting with outside contacts, training in the evenings, on call for security issues (including weekends), resolving transmission problems, assisting on committees and coordinating OB's. Please assist him by raising only important matters which need addressing, think about being constructive instead of destructive when raising matters and remember he is there because, like most of us, he wants the station to improve and grow.
The board thanks Mat for his excellent efforts and commitment to what can be a very difficult job.
New Sales Person
Welcome to Charlene Riley (Shaz) into the role of Sales. Shaz has a degree in Marketing and is keen to make a go of this role. So if you see Shaz around the station, please make her feel welcome & remember any potential sponsorship sales leads can be given to Charlene, Annette or Janet or delivered to them via email @ sales@5gtr.net
Easter Programming!!!!
If you are going to be away over the Easter Break, Please arrange a fill in for your programme NOW!!!!! It is better if you ask someone to fill in then write it up on the white board. There have been some complaints by presenters that when someone fills in on a show they don’t keep to the format. If you have a format for your programme it is important that it is documented so that when someone fills in they can easily keep the audience entertained. Some forethought into your programme prior to it airing each week doesn’t take much effort, and then when you are not there to do the show, the listeners know they can expect the same quality of programming. Then there is no excuse for someone not keeping to the programme.
Administration Assistance
If people have some spare time & wish to help in the front office, please feel free to offer assistance to answer phones, re-direct e-mails, make up prize packs etc. See Mat about this as if others can assist it allows Mat to do what he needs to.
We also will be reviewing our Code of Conduct Book & Training Schedule over the next few months. All presenters will be asked to have a look at the document & offer suggestions prior to the board’s approval of any new documentation.
License Renewal
The paperwork has arrived from ACMA regarding our license renewal. All presenters will receive some information over the next few weeks about this & their obligations in our license renewal. For those that were not at the recent Volunteers Meeting this is due by the End of May, but needs to be worked on soon. Please be on the lookout for this paperwork in your pigeon hole from Early April.
Security Cameras
The Board has made the purchase of Security Cameras to be positioned within the station. These cameras will not be intrusive on people doing what they normally do at the station. The sole purpose is to monitor property & equipment. This should also reduce our insurance premium as it will offer additional coverage to our contents. The Security cameras will be placed in the On-Air studio behind the presenter to monitor the equipment (so you can sing and pull faces or whatever you want to & not be worried). Also there will be cameras in the Hallway, Record Library & Volunteers Area. The board understands that there are issues with some presenters about the security cameras being installed, however the system will be password protected and the only access will be by the Station Manager & 2 Board Members.
Incident Report Forms
There has been a few incident report forms placed in the box that have not been completed with all the relevant details. If you fill in an incident report form all areas need to be completed, or the issue may not be addressed. Recently some forms have been submitted for very minor issues that could have easily been discussed between presenters without the need to write a form. Every presenter has the right to present their programme in the correct environment. If there are issues when you enter the studio for your programme, please make the previous presenter aware personally, rather than letting it stew & writing a report on it. If you still have unresolved issues get management involved. We do not need incident forms submitted for leaving one cd out, or not completing the log book. Just a friendly reminder from a fellow presenter will suffice. If we all do the right thing the station will function smoothly.
On the other side of the incident report forms. If you see or hear an out of date sponsorship spot in your playlist, please fill in a form so it can be removed. Sometimes they slip through the system. One was noted this week that expired over 2 weeks ago, but no mention has been made of it by the people who have had it in their programme. Please be vigilant of what is aired in your programmes, or what you hear when others may be on.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Upcoming Events
SACBA Workshop
Friday 3rd April
Adelaide
Chris is attending on behalf of the station and will no doubt
have some great things to share when he returns
Working Bee
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd of May
Further details to follow
Volunteers Meeting
Saturday 2nd May
12pm BBQ - 1pm meeting to start and will run for about an hour
This is your opportunity to discuss any issues that are concerning you
Hosting of SACBA Conference 2009
Saturday 18th & Sunday 29th September
City Hall
Further details to follow
Friday 3rd April
Adelaide
Chris is attending on behalf of the station and will no doubt
have some great things to share when he returns
Working Bee
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd of May
Further details to follow
Volunteers Meeting
Saturday 2nd May
12pm BBQ - 1pm meeting to start and will run for about an hour
This is your opportunity to discuss any issues that are concerning you
Hosting of SACBA Conference 2009
Saturday 18th & Sunday 29th September
City Hall
Further details to follow
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Highlights
I would like to inform Members about the circumstances that have seen Benji McQuade more than capably present a weekly programme - at least during the school term - and create a "first" as far as "Community Radio", 5GTR-FM and the Education system in this South East Region. When the training programme for Benji was completed, we approached The Border Watch to consider the newsworthiness of the project and they were very keen and eager. However they wanted to investigate the programme even deeper and it seems that the project now lies dormant in some reporter's "In" Basket. But I believe it is important for you to know what we have achieved as a Community Radio Station.
Late in 2007 we were approached by Tenison College and, during October and November in that year, we spent a lot of time together trying to formulate a programme which would suit the needs of Tenison, Benji, and for which we could provide the resources. Basically, the SACE accreditation system changed so that students could complete a full-time community based project and receive an exemption in one their Year 11 subjects. Tenison needed to address the criteria Benji would need to demonstrate at the end of the programme. Benji has some certain special needs to be taken into account so we then sat down and developed a term by term programme which would suit Tenison's criteria, develop Benji's skills and work in with our own scheduling. After a bit of fine tuning, we were ready to go with the resumption of the 2008 School Year.
The programme we developed took a bit of a backwards approach to training Benji because it was felt that he could be better prepared for on-air work if he was already familiar with Production Techniques. But no stone was left unturned and initially, Benji was even involved in some of the more mundane administrative duties around the Station. In fact it was Benji who first started entering vinyl titles into our Music Data Base.
Benji has a very hectic schedule and, although this was a school related project, he was only able to come along for an hour each week AFTER school hours. So time management became another issue we needed to address with Benji. After 4 - 5 weeks we moved into Production and the basic skills were taught to Benji. To test him he had to script a Station ID - and record it - "Blue Lake to the Pines" and also produced a Programme ID and another Station Promo. He also contributed in the production of a Sponsorship Spot and so eventually Benji understands Samplitude, DRS2006, Logs etc.
Time to prepare him for on-air work. In effect this involved several weeks of Benji preparing a half hour programme, research artists, practising Weather Bulletins and then taking home a recording of his output for the day (after review with his instructor of course). I think we could have been considered a bit tough on him over this period but, if you listen to Benji now, you will agree that this guy has come through the programme with flying colours. Thanks go to Mahalia and Maddy for making some of their on-air time available for Benji and I think both those girls had jaws drop when they first heard Benji go to air live. So I think this project has been a milestone in our own development in our Community and I think it is something that we should all be aware of and take pride in!
The Smith
Late in 2007 we were approached by Tenison College and, during October and November in that year, we spent a lot of time together trying to formulate a programme which would suit the needs of Tenison, Benji, and for which we could provide the resources. Basically, the SACE accreditation system changed so that students could complete a full-time community based project and receive an exemption in one their Year 11 subjects. Tenison needed to address the criteria Benji would need to demonstrate at the end of the programme. Benji has some certain special needs to be taken into account so we then sat down and developed a term by term programme which would suit Tenison's criteria, develop Benji's skills and work in with our own scheduling. After a bit of fine tuning, we were ready to go with the resumption of the 2008 School Year.
The programme we developed took a bit of a backwards approach to training Benji because it was felt that he could be better prepared for on-air work if he was already familiar with Production Techniques. But no stone was left unturned and initially, Benji was even involved in some of the more mundane administrative duties around the Station. In fact it was Benji who first started entering vinyl titles into our Music Data Base.
Benji has a very hectic schedule and, although this was a school related project, he was only able to come along for an hour each week AFTER school hours. So time management became another issue we needed to address with Benji. After 4 - 5 weeks we moved into Production and the basic skills were taught to Benji. To test him he had to script a Station ID - and record it - "Blue Lake to the Pines" and also produced a Programme ID and another Station Promo. He also contributed in the production of a Sponsorship Spot and so eventually Benji understands Samplitude, DRS2006, Logs etc.
Time to prepare him for on-air work. In effect this involved several weeks of Benji preparing a half hour programme, research artists, practising Weather Bulletins and then taking home a recording of his output for the day (after review with his instructor of course). I think we could have been considered a bit tough on him over this period but, if you listen to Benji now, you will agree that this guy has come through the programme with flying colours. Thanks go to Mahalia and Maddy for making some of their on-air time available for Benji and I think both those girls had jaws drop when they first heard Benji go to air live. So I think this project has been a milestone in our own development in our Community and I think it is something that we should all be aware of and take pride in!
The Smith
Discussion Corner
This will be a regular feature each month for those who would like to open up discussion amongst volunteers about matters relating to the station. You can email your submissions to manager@5gtr.net
Thank you to The Smith for the first contribution.
1. Soccor BBQ
At the volunteers meeting 3/3/09, Nathan asked for discussion through this site and others about our commitment to the Junior Soccer B.B.Q. (Can anyone actually spell BBQ in full these days?) - should we continue this year or not and who is prepared to take on the workload?
Apart from last year when other issues got in the way, I have been a member of the workforce since we first began out at Tenison several years ago and I have seen how it has become accepted by patrons as a part of the occassion on Saturday mornings. And, while it means a bit of work behind the counter and the grill, it has also been the source of a hell of a lot of fun what with B.B.Q's catching fire and bamboozling the kids with their change and it has also provided substantial income for the Station. That's income that has enabled you to sit and enjoy working with quality equipment (check out some other Stations) with little input.
The Roster system that has been applied in recent years needs overhauling because it tended to impose an obligation on members rather than invoke that "volunteer" spirit. However it did behove many members to understand what is going on on these few short Saturday mornings and I am sure that the "volunteer" spirit is raring to go.
So, yes, I believe that we should continue with this valuable fundraiser again this year and perhaps a list of dates and shifts could be put up on the Notice Board so that those who really want to help the Station can put their own names down in a preferred spot(s) where they feel they could volunteer their services. Some adjustments to the final Roster may well be required but at least we would have a list of people enthusiastic about 5GTR-FM on the board.
The Smith
2. Talk Back Radio
Discussion about our 7 second delay system for Talk Back Radio has been steady for many years and the issue was raised again at our Volunteers Meeting 3/3/09 and every discussion brings us a step closer to having the facility operative. I feel it is a facility that should have been operating for a while now.
I believe however that this can be a powerful and dangerous tool in the hands of Presenters and consequently I would like to renew an earlier suggestion that, when it is in place, it is not a facility that everyone can just use "carte blanche". If not used sensibly and correctly, the system can put the Station - and members - in jeopardy through legal defamation issues, through our Broadcasting Licence obligations and through who knows how many other matters.
Consequently I suggest that we should devise a Training programme that aspirants wanting to use the facility can work through. I believe that training should be a one-on-one course - not groups of 3,6,10....as I feel presenters need to make sure they get it right, not just drift along at the back of the pack. I believe the training should take perhaps 8 -10 hours to complete and include several "test" phone calls. I feel that we should issue a Licence to those who complete the course satisfactorily and that the only people who participate in a "Talk Back" session must hold such a Licence.
Now I realise that this is perhaps a suggestion that should go straight to the Board however there may be others of you out there that have a view on this issue and discussion in these pages may be helpful to the Board setting any criteria for the facility.
The Smith
If you wish to make comments you will need to create an account first, this is quite simple to do, costs nothing and also lets us know how many people are actually using the blogspot for information about the station.
Thank you to The Smith for the first contribution.
1. Soccor BBQ
At the volunteers meeting 3/3/09, Nathan asked for discussion through this site and others about our commitment to the Junior Soccer B.B.Q. (Can anyone actually spell BBQ in full these days?) - should we continue this year or not and who is prepared to take on the workload?
Apart from last year when other issues got in the way, I have been a member of the workforce since we first began out at Tenison several years ago and I have seen how it has become accepted by patrons as a part of the occassion on Saturday mornings. And, while it means a bit of work behind the counter and the grill, it has also been the source of a hell of a lot of fun what with B.B.Q's catching fire and bamboozling the kids with their change and it has also provided substantial income for the Station. That's income that has enabled you to sit and enjoy working with quality equipment (check out some other Stations) with little input.
The Roster system that has been applied in recent years needs overhauling because it tended to impose an obligation on members rather than invoke that "volunteer" spirit. However it did behove many members to understand what is going on on these few short Saturday mornings and I am sure that the "volunteer" spirit is raring to go.
So, yes, I believe that we should continue with this valuable fundraiser again this year and perhaps a list of dates and shifts could be put up on the Notice Board so that those who really want to help the Station can put their own names down in a preferred spot(s) where they feel they could volunteer their services. Some adjustments to the final Roster may well be required but at least we would have a list of people enthusiastic about 5GTR-FM on the board.
The Smith
2. Talk Back Radio
Discussion about our 7 second delay system for Talk Back Radio has been steady for many years and the issue was raised again at our Volunteers Meeting 3/3/09 and every discussion brings us a step closer to having the facility operative. I feel it is a facility that should have been operating for a while now.
I believe however that this can be a powerful and dangerous tool in the hands of Presenters and consequently I would like to renew an earlier suggestion that, when it is in place, it is not a facility that everyone can just use "carte blanche". If not used sensibly and correctly, the system can put the Station - and members - in jeopardy through legal defamation issues, through our Broadcasting Licence obligations and through who knows how many other matters.
Consequently I suggest that we should devise a Training programme that aspirants wanting to use the facility can work through. I believe that training should be a one-on-one course - not groups of 3,6,10....as I feel presenters need to make sure they get it right, not just drift along at the back of the pack. I believe the training should take perhaps 8 -10 hours to complete and include several "test" phone calls. I feel that we should issue a Licence to those who complete the course satisfactorily and that the only people who participate in a "Talk Back" session must hold such a Licence.
Now I realise that this is perhaps a suggestion that should go straight to the Board however there may be others of you out there that have a view on this issue and discussion in these pages may be helpful to the Board setting any criteria for the facility.
The Smith
If you wish to make comments you will need to create an account first, this is quite simple to do, costs nothing and also lets us know how many people are actually using the blogspot for information about the station.
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