CIDI FM 99.1 to amend bylaws
Special meeting called for August 19
Community Centre on August 19 at 7 p.m.
Tania Szymanski, coordinator and counsellor for rural development at the CLD Brome-Missisquoi, walked the attendees through the presentation and repeatedly emphasized that specific areas of management are required to change in order to accomplish a successful renaissance of the organization.
While most people in the wide community thought that the demise of the CIDI radio station, a community service reaching a large area of the MRC BromeMissisquoi and parts of the township of Potton, which lies inside the MRC Memphremagog, would be imminent there is an abundance of people who carry a rich and diverse amount of resources that will ensure the adherence of guidelines
within the strategic plan. And already sign-up lists were started as a kick-start to see that 15 hours per week of original programming be organized within the short timeframe outlined by the communications ministry of Quebec.
It turns out that on a number of technicalities related to CIDI’s annual general meeting in December, as outlined by the Quebec government, certain members of the board still officially hold their seats. There are enough of them to meet quorum as outlined by the current bylaws. This means that the organization is not entirely rudderless. With Szymanski’s guidance, President Brian Eddington and the current board of directors will preside at the meeting.
Since part of this special general meeting will be dedicated to recruiting a new slate of officers, the four remaining board members are seeking new blood. That there was a lapse in renewing directors’ liability insurance, already steps are being made to reinstate the policy so that the new board will be protected.
What was glaringly evident within the report prepared by Ronald Martineau of AVOX Inc., an outside management consulting firm, presented by Szymanski is that the governance and management of the radio station that has been in operation since 2005, can no longer be a one-man show and in order to see that the mission and guidelines become less restrictive the current bylaws of the organization must be reviewed and amended. Roles and responsibilities of individuals at the board level as well as throughout the day-to-day operation must be more clearly identified along with a systematic process of evaluation for all areas of the organization. The bylaws need to reflect a more inclusive process that will also result in a wider range of programming content.
As well, it was highlighted that despite the fact that the organization has been “non-profitable” and is in dire financial straits, it serves an area where there is enough business to support it. It takes strong leaders to take charge of the station’s restructuring in order to gain back the confidence from advertisers and investors. Not to be confused with the term “non-profit” Szymanski explained that even with non-profit organizations there is an allowance for a certain amount of profit or surplus at the end of each year as long as that money is earmarked for expenses that support the mission.
It appears that there is enough commitment from volunteers to strive toward the necessary turn-around. They must however, respect the specific demands from Quebec’s Ministry of Communications and the CLD within a tight deadline. Although Szymanski explained that the deadline to prove the community’s commitment to the Ministry of Communication was August 6, her follow-up to the department from the meeting resulted in an extension demonstrating that the ministry does not want the radio station to lose its broadcasting license.
According to board members, a letter stating what steps and measures have and will take place along with the assigned dates should have been posted to the Ministry by Eddington on Monday, August 3.
Already thev30-odd eligible voting members dating back to 2011, many who were not in attendance of the public meeting in Cowansville, have been notified of the upcoming meeting. The board is counting on their presence so that decisions that would impact the future can be made. Given the circumstances of the situation, the CIDI board is also welcoming and encouraging anyone interested in getting involved with the rebirth of the radio station, no matter in what capacity, to attend.
Specifically, there is hope to balance the demographic scales by recruiting individuals who are under-represented in the age bracket younger than 30 years old. As well, considerations regarding the needs of the linguistic communities and interests of the many communities in the region will be weighed. If anyone has ideas for new types of programs, there is room for discussion.
Radio is not just what you are hearing. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen — expertise in advertising, marketing and sales, financial management, human re- sources, technical expertise, office management, networking for partnerships and new ideas. There is an entire range of expertise that will be needed to see the new CIDI FM radio station grow and flourish for its community. The board of directors, along with the CLD Brome-Missisquoi, the MRC Brome-Missisquoi and the Minister of Communications and Culture of Quebec are hopeful that individuals with these kind of resources will step forward to make it happen.
Be there on August 19 at 7 p.m. at the Town of Brome Lake Community Centre on Victoria Street in Knowlton.
(adavidson@sherbrookerecord.com)