Despite strong opposition from ethnic community broadcasters and many others within the community broadcasting sector, the CBF has announced it will go ahead with a new governance and structural model.
“The changes will have a dramatic impact on how ethnic community broadcasters continue to broadcast in Australia. The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC) will maintain its campaign against the disempowering changes being implemented by the CBF,” said NEMBC president Dr Tangi Steen.
“The NEMBC represents all the ethnic stations and programs, reaching supporters and audience of over 5 million people throughout Australia,” said vice president of the NEMBC Nick Dmyterko.
“The CBF’s new model will mainstream and dilute ethnic funding that will mean ethnic radio stations will lose funding, ethnic language programs jeopardised and metro and regional stations will lose their incentive to attract and broadcast new language programs,” said Mr Dmyterko.
“We are concerned that ethnic community broadcasting will be controlled by a small group of people – the CBF board – that will hand-pick its own organisation. Under the CBF’s changes, democratic processes will be abolished and the NEMBC will be excluded from any say in how funds are to be distributed to ethnic community broadcasting. The new CBF board will make decisions and determine new guidelines without democratic ethnic community representation,” said Dr Steen and Mr Dmyterko.
“The NEMBC is asking all ethnic community broadcasters and stations to boycott the CBF’s new model and boycott the call for nominations for any of the positions on the board or committees,” stated Dr Steen.
