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Community radio station 2YOU in Tamworth has submitted two court-enforceable undertakings after the ACMA found the station in breach of radio broadcasting rules.
By failing to broadcast a variety of programmes that appropriately tended to the requirements of the community, 2YOU was found to have violated the Broadcasting Services Act of 1992 (BSA) by ACMA investigations.
The ACMA also discovered that there were insufficient opportunities for locals to get involved in the station’s management, which limited operations to a small number of personnel and indicated poor corporate governance procedures.
The ACMA also discovered that 2YOU had violated its licence terms by transmitting advertisements and going above sponsorship time limits.
The licensee is required by the related court-enforceable undertaking to set up systems and procedures to keep and record broadcasting sponsorship announcements, community information, and promotional material, as well as to give BSA compliance training to all relevant 2YOU members and personnel.
Additionally, the station must show that it has adopted a plan for community engagement and consultation and that it has given community members programming opportunities.
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ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin says community radio stations are obliged to make sure that its personnel and volunteers are aware of and abide by the terms of their broadcasting licence.
“The range of breaches we have found suggests that 2YOU has a lot of work to do to get its compliance in order,” O’Loughlin said.
“Community radio operators provide vital services and opportunities to local audiences and residents. We expect them to follow the rules and will take action when this does not occur.”
Another investigation also found that the station violated the Radiocommunications Act of 1992 (RA) by boosting the power of its broadcasting transmitter above the maximum allowable level without providing sufficient justification.
Due to this, 2YOU entered into a second court-enforceable undertaking obliging it to submit to recurrent ACMA audits to evaluate the technical specifications of its radiocommunications transmitters.
Over the following 12 months, the ACMA will keep an eye on 2YOU’s adherence to the terms of its licence.
The ACMA may think about starting Federal Court action if the licensee fails to follow the enforceable obligations.
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Source: The ACMA
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
