SCMA | Southern Community Media Association

The Southern Community Media Association (SCMA) is pleased to announce that two more member stations have completed the process and will sign Memorandums of Understandings to become only the second and third Community Broadcasters to sign MOU’s with the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner (OESC). STEREO 974 based in Brooklyn and Plenty Valley FM located in Mill Park will join the only other station to sign a MOU; 3 UGE FM Alexandra who are also members of the SCMA.

The signings will take place on Tuesday the 12^th of October and will be signed by the Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron and Acting Emergency Services Commissioner Joe Buffone as well as key Station personal from both Community Broadcasters.

The SCMA has worked hard and long to get Community Broadcasters recognised as Emergency Broadcasters with its efforts dating back over 4 years. The SCMA had identified the valuable roll that community broadcasters could and do have in times of natural disaster and emergencies and began work on developing a protocol to recognise these efforts and introduce uniform emergency broadcasting formats for it’s member stations and the sector as a whole.

The President of the Southern Community Media Association Helen Bath said “It was great to see member stations being recognised for a role that so many community broadcasters had been carrying out for such a long time in an unofficial capacity. The SCMA has achieved what we set out to do and we hope that the fruits of our labour will have a flow on effect throughout the community broadcasting sector right across this Great Southern Land. – Australia”

While these stations are the start of the MOU faze for community broadcasters within Victoria it is hoped that the groundwork laid by the SCMA and the OESC will become the template for MOU’s throughout the nation. While the MOU roll out and development continues community broadcasters from not only the SCMA will continue to pass on vital information to their listeners in times of emergency.

The SCMA is proud to have been deeply involved in this process and congratulates not only the stations that have reached MOU status but all community broadcasters who have made a commitment to emergency broadcasting.

More information or comment on this release by contacting SCMA’s President Helen Bath – either via our web site www.scma.org.au or by phoning 0407770209

SCMA Member becomes the first Community Broadcaster to sign Emergency Broadcasting Memorandum of Understanding

Member Station UGFM Alexandra has become the first Community Broadcaster in Australia to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in regard to Emergency Broadcasting. UGFM and the Victorian Office of Emergency Services Commissioner formalized the MOU in at studio complex of UGFM in Alexandra. UG FM played a vital role in Emergency Broadcasting during the Black Saturday fires and continues to broadcast recovery information to its area.

Community Radio has always been involved in emergency broadcasting in as much as when there is an emergency community broadcaster’s do all they can to assist.

The President of the Southern Community Media Association, Mrs. Helen Bath said “It is gratifying to see all the work of the past five years come to fruition. The SCMA has had an ongoing commitment to the formalization of community broadcasters role in Emergency Broadcasting for a long time now and we have done all we could to support our members to achieve Emergency Broadcasting Status”

CEO of the SCMA Ray Hazen congratulated the team at UG FM and in particular Peter Weeks on this achievement. Today is a proud day for all community broadcasters” Peter has been part of the SCMA’s emergency broadcasting committee that has worked hard to ensure that community broadcasters role in Emergency Broadcasting was formalized.

UG FM has made history by becoming the first community broadcaster to gain recognition as an emergency broadcaster in Australia. There are more stations in the system who will be accredited in the coming weeks as part of a push to ensure that people are better informed in times of emergency.

Bruce Esplin, Emergency Services Commissioner said “It’s a fantastic outcome to have community broadcasters now being officially recognised by the State as official emergency broadcasters.”

He went on to say “Community broadcasters can play a vital role in that they can target messages direct to local communities and reach some areas of Victoria where there is no access to commercial or other radio broadcasts”

Emergency Broadcasting and community radio really go hand in hand as Community broadcasters have a real commitment to their local community. They are local vibrant and vital and a valuable part of the fibre of communities all over Australia.

There is no doubt that the addition of community broadcaster’s to the Emergency Broadcasting MOU can only be beneficial to all in times of emergency and recovery.

The Southern Community Media Association remains committed to emergency broadcasting and supporting stations throughout Australia to achieve recognition for the emergency and recovery work they do. The president of the SCMA said “it is vital that we as an organisation remain at the ready to assist all community broadcasters in times of emergency. It isn’t about ego it is about getting the message out in a quick and concise manner and ensuring that listeners are as well informed as possible about the situation at hand.

There is no doubt that this is a great achievement not only for the team at UG FM or the SCMA but also for the community broadcasting sector in general.

Ends

For more information or comment on this release please contact the President of the SCMA on 0407770209 or via email helen@scma1.com