JOY we are challenged No Images? Click here HelloJOY has some challenges going forward and your Board needs all members, volunteers and supporters to be aware of them. Radiothon, whilst a good outcome, was not where we needed it to be. There are plenty of good causes, both for the LGBTIQ community and otherwise, that compete for donations that otherwise might have come to JOY. Sponsorship in the current difficult business climate has become increasingly hard to secure and we are competing with many other platforms. The reality is that we have to right size JOY for the uncertain future that we face. That difficult landscape includes: 1. The move to the Victorian Pride Centre We have had a laser focus on costs, but in the absence of a substantial lift in revenue (which we are working hard to achieve) we have no choice but to further reduce our cost base to keep JOY sustainable. Our largest fixed costs are salaries and wages, and we need to lower this cost base immediately. James Hamilton has chosen to pursue other opportunities externally and he will leave JOY on the 23rd of August. James has been with JOY since late 2018, and in that time has fulfilled both income development and leadership roles. In particular, we thank James for stepping into the Acting CEO role while we took the time to find a permanent CEO for JOY. Dominique Haslam has been with JOY just over a year. Her Operations Manager role has been made redundant with immediate effect and we will work with her to finalise outstanding projects for a handover to our new CEO, Ange Barry. The Board sincerely thanks both James and Dominique for their service to JOY and we wish them both well in their future endeavours. They both have plenty to contribute to other organisations. Ange Barry our new CEO starts on 5th August and I know that Ange has a deep commitment to community radio. Ange is well aware of the challenges we face at JOY and is excited to be joining JOY at this time. Yes, we have secured 4 x $200k annual funding from the Victorian Government which will help JOY. This will primarily, but not exclusively, be used to assist the move to the Victorian Pride Centre. Our equipment, despite a large ongoing investment over the last few years, is not state of the art and we need to significantly invest in this in the years ahead to maintain our ability to broadcast and sustain JOY’s reach and impact. The move to the Victorian Pride Centre is a good catalyst for reinvestment in our technology platforms, but it will be an expensive exercise to future proof JOY. There are no easy options. If there were, we would have taken them. Now is the time to cut our cloth to suit the environment in which we are operating now, and into the future. I know that the Board, paid staff and key volunteers understand the size and nature of the challenges ahead of us. I am not going to sugar coat the difficult position the station is in. We face an uncertain future and we need ALL JOY members and supporters to understand the challenges and to work with us to secure our future at the Victorian Pride Centre and beyond. We will report a substantial deficit at the AGM in October and we will need the financial support and community passion of everyone who loves JOY to secure our future. Without this support, our future looks uncertain. JOY belongs to all of you, it's your station and it's your voice. JOY is our community’s greatest asset and our greatest achievement. Now more than ever our community needs this voice. Melinda Rich |