Committee

Attached to this Blog posting is a letter address to Mr Michael Hyams authorised by Mr R Coutts' Management Committee, signed by Ms Dianne Jensen.

Hyams' membership application form together with fees dated 2nd August, was sent in good time to be considered by the August monthly meeting of the Management Committee.

The Management Committee by its decision has effectively denied Mr Hyams the opportunity to participate at the Annual General Meeting on the 30th August.

Readers can form their own opinion as to the reason/s for this latest snub of ACMA's directives.

When Cairns 89.1FM applied to the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) for the renewal of its broadcasting licence it did so in the midst of several CCBI members' complaints about various breaches of its Code of Practice.

ACMA, after serious deliberation, agreed to renew 4CCR's licence on the 1st December 2009. It was not plain sailing for 4CCR as ACMA imposed 7 conditions, titled AGREED MEASURES.

Condition 7 imposed the requirement that 4CCR:

The Friends meeting of 27th April 2010, decided to send the below attached letter to 4CCR's solicitor for their urgent attention. To this date no response has been received by the Friends or Michael Hyams.

For readers who are not familiar with the events surrounding this issue it concerns the revoking of Michael Hyams' membership of 4CCR on spurious grounds and his appeal rights.

The President of Cairns FM 89.1 Mr Rodney Coutts is playing Russian Roulette with 4CCR's radio station licence and in so doing is thumbing his nose at the Australian Communications and Media Authority(ACMA). As Mr Coutts is already skating on thin ice, ACMA will not take too kindly to Mr Coutts' inept and bungled attempt at changing the Constitution.

As Chairperson of Friends, I was handed the below quoted letter. The letter has been sent to ACMA by Mr Michael Hyams a member and presenter of CCBI who had his membership terminated capriciously and without proper redress to appeal procedures.

It should be noted by readers that Mr Coutts' Management Committee that revoked Mr Hyams's membership was the very body that was going to hear Mr Hyams'appeal.

I will let you form your own opinion on procedural fairness and the application of natural justice as administered by Mr Coutts.

To: Alexander.ash@ACMA.gov.au

Greetings to members of CCBI and Friends.

Since February, I on behalf of the Friends of 4CCR have been trying unsuccessfully to make contact with Mr Coutts so that we could have a chat on the various proposals I believe would restore harmony to and the community’s trust in a besieged radio station.

Features that distinguish humans from other creatures are our intelligence, our ability to rationalise and to communicate. Once we abandon these attributes and become insular and/or mute we are doing mankind a profound disservice.

Preamble

Whereas

1. Cairns Community Broadcasters Incorporated (CCBI) and Friends of Cairns Community Radio ('Friends') have a common objective of ensuring that Cairns FM 89.1/4CCR provides a quality community-based radio service;

Some of you may not be aware that the Friends meetings are now on Tuesdays.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 16 March at 3 Findlay Street Brinsmead, at 6.30 for 7.

Chairman: Ross Parisi
Secretary: Michael Moore
Treasurer: Diane Forsyth
Minutes Secretary: Donn Corcoran
Events/Programme Coordinator: Wayne Hipgrave
Membership Coordinator: Michael Hyams
Corporate Liaison: Chris Forsberg

Elected on 27 January 2010