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Programming and Appeal Policy

Programming Policy | Appeal Policy

 

CFUV PROGRAMMING POLICY

January 20th, 2010

(Passed by the University of Victoria Student Radio Society BoD on June 12, 2006)

 

PART 1 – MANDATE

1. The Board of Directors of the University of Victoria Student Radio Society (CFUV) must ensure that:

CFUV meets the CRTC regulations as required by our license.

The purposes of the Society as laid out in the Society Constitution are fulfilled.

This includes the following:

i. The commission’s primary objective for the campus radio sector is that it provides programming differing in style and substance from that provided by other elements of the broadcasting system, particularly commercial stations and the CBC. The commission considers that campus stations should add diversity to the broadcasting system by providing alternative programming in both music and spoken word. [ CRTC Campus Radio Policy 2000-12; Section 13].

ii. See Section 2 of the University of Victoria Student Radio Society Constitution.

iii. See Section 18-19 of the CRTC Campus Radio Policy and Public Notice CRTC 1999-117 in regards to multi-cultural and multi-racial programming and employment.

iv. See the CRTC Guidelines for The Equitable Portrayal Code 2008-23.

PART 2 – ROLES AND RESPONSIBLITIES
1. CFUV is a campus radio station, which is defined as a not-for-profit undertaking associated with institutions of post-secondary education. Campus radio stations rely almost exclusively on volunteers from the campus, and from the community at large, for their programming and operations. [CRTC Campus Radio Policy; paragraph three of the summary]

2. The CFUV Board of Directors must retain full control over all decisions concerning the management and programming of the station. [CRTC letter file: V94-0366-me]

3. The Program Director is responsible for the day-to-day management of the program schedule. For example: scheduling traffic and syndicated programs; arranging fill-ins; ensuring programming meets CRTC and CFUV policies; assignment of time-slots and disciplining on-air volunteers.

4. The Programming Committee will advise the Program Director regarding the assignment of new time-slots, evaluations of programs, drafting of programming policies and disciplining of volunteers. Please see the Programming Committee Mandate and Procedures document.

5. The Program Director must regularly report to the Station Manager regarding any disciplinary measures and changes in the schedule. If the Station Manager decides to overturn a decision of the Program Director the Station Manager must give reasons for doing so in writing and must do so in conformity with CRTC and CFUV policies.

6. The general composition of the program schedule is established by the CFUV Board of Directors. The Station Manager will keep the Board informed of changes to the schedule and of significant disciplinary measures (eg. dismissal of a volunteer).

PART 3 – DEFINITION OF PROGRAMMING ROLES AND SLOTS

1. Host: A staff-approved, fully trained on-air volunteer designated to a specific time-slot, who has submitted a show proposal in writing and is responsible for the show.

2. Producer of a Collective Program:
i) Any program that has three or more trained on-air volunteers participating on a program will necessitate the designation of a “producer.”
ii) The producer will: be responsible for the overall concept of the program; will organize the rotation of the other on-air volunteers; will fill the time slot and ensure that the other on-air volunteers have gone through the training process and been approved by the Program Director for on-air programming before joining the rotation.
iii) Departure of the producer from a program requires that another on-air volunteer of the rotation take over as producer. If this fails to happen the remaining on-air volunteers must apply with a new program proposal or the program slot will become open.
iv) All such arrangements must be made with the approval of the Program Director.

3. Contributor: Someone who contributes a pre-produced segment or live interview to an existing program. Non-members cannot be contributors to a program. New volunteers in process may contribute to existing programs after completing a studio one quiz with the Program Director. Volunteers in process may only contribute to a program for two months after which they will no longer be able to participate until they have completed their training.

4. On-air Guest: Anyone not fully-trained and staff-approved for on-air who sits-in with the host and speaks on mic. Frequent on-air guests will be asked to become members and go through the training process.

5. Guest Programmer: Someone who is not a member who is invited to provide content, direction and host the program with an on-air volunteer. The use of a guest programmer is subject to the consultation and approval of the Program Director.

6. Interview Guest: Anyone invited by a host to be interviewed about a subject on-air.

7. Student Slot Defintion: A student slot is a timeslot designated for fully-trained UVic undergraduate students. A community member may temporarily program in a student slot but when a student becomes available for the slot the community member will be given two weeks notice before vacating the slot. All reasonable efforts will be made by the Programming Director and Programming Committee to re-assign community volunteers to any other time-slots that may be available on the program schedule. If a student graduates and is not returning to UVic they will be designated as community members in a student slot.

8. Community Member Slot Definition: A community member slot is any slot not designated as a student slot. Either a student or a community member may program in the slot.

PART 4 – PROGRAM SCHEDULE COMPOSITION

The program schedule is divided into the following sections:
i. Morning: 6 am to Noon
ii. Afternoon: Noon to 5pm
iii. Prime-time: 5pm to Midnight
iv. Late Night: Midnight to 6am

A) Student Representation on the Program Schedule
1. During the Afternoon the station will endeavor to maintain at least 50 per cent students on-air in terms of overall hours in the section from Monday to Sunday (excluding pre-recorded syndicated programs).
2. During Prime-time the station will endeavor to maintain at least 50 per cent students on-air in terms of overall hours in the section from Monday to Sunday.
3. To facilitate this goal any slot vacated by a community member in the Afternoon or Prime-time will be designated as a student slot if there is less than 50 per cent student slots in that section.
4. Designated student slots cannot be turned into community slots.

B) Programming Policy on Gender Equity:

1. Every effort will be made by the station management to help achieve gender equity of the on-air volunteers on CFUV’s program schedule.

2. Efforts to increase the number of women on-air should include:
i. The station management will promote the equal representation of women on the Programming Committee.
ii. Preference given to program proposals by women when proposals of equal merit are presented.
iii. The maintenance of at least one woman focused program with a producer and rotating hosts to provide training and mentoring to future women on-air volunteers who will go on to host their own programs.

C) No Alternating Programs Policy:

1. Alternating music programs shall be phased out on the broadcast schedule from 6am to Midnight. Alternating music programs are those where two different programs alternate on a bi-weekly basis.
2. The only exceptions to this policy are spoken word programs, due to the amount of work necessary to produce such programs.

D) Priority of New Programs:

1. When a slot becomes available, priority shall be given to a new program rather than giving two adjacent programs extra time.
2. If there are no proposals for a specified time-slot, extra time may be granted on a temporary basis to adjacent programs at the discretion of the Program Director.

E) Maximum Length of Programs:

1. The maximum length for a music program is two (2) hours; one (1) hour for spoken word programming and one hour and a half (1 ½) hours for multicultural programs during the CRTC broadcast day (6am to Midnight).

F) Volunteers with Multiple Programs:

1. While the establishment of volunteers with multiple programs is not encouraged it is recognized that this may occur on a temporary basis.
2. On-air volunteers hosting multiple programs are expected to have each program fulfill significantly different roles within the schedule.
3. Granting access to the airwaves to new on-air volunteers will be a priority over approving or maintaining programs by hosts who already have other programs on the schedule.
4. If there is a need to make space for a new program a volunteer hosting two programs will be directed to give up one of the programs.

G) No Seniority:

1. Seniority or similar concepts that suggest ‘ownership’ over timeslots by on-air volunteers will have no bearing on scheduling decisions made by the Program Director and the Programming Committee.

PART 5 – PROGRAMMING PROCEDURES:

A) Changes to the Broadcast Schedule:
1. Any proposed changes to the program schedule’s composition by the station management will be made in consultation with those volunteers impacted by the change.
2. A consultation may include a discussion at a Programming Committee meeting with the affected volunteers.

B) ‘No Shows’ Policy:
1. ‘No Shows’ are defined as the failure of an on-air volunteer to broadcast during a scheduled timeslot and the failure to arrange for a trained on-air volunteer to fill the timeslot. The Program Director must be notified of any fill-in arrangements.
2. Two ‘no shows’ within a year from an on-air volunteer will constitute sufficient grounds for a one month suspension of on-air broadcasting privileges and loss of timeslot.
3. Upon the first occurrence of a ‘no show’ the volunteer will be given written notice as a warning regarding the consequences of a second incident. If a second incident occurs the volunteer will receive a formal letter of suspension.
4. Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances. The determination of extenuating circumstances is at the discretion of the Program Director after consultation with staff and the Programming Committee.

C) Community Volunteers in Student Slots:
1. A community volunteer can assume programming responsibility for a student slot for a four-month term when a student volunteer is not available at the time.
2. Any community member assuming a student slot must sign a letter of agreement with the Program Director.
3. At the end of the four-month term the community volunteer must vacate the slot if a student volunteer is available. If a student volunteer is not available for a slot the community volunteer may be approved for the slot for another four month term.
4. If removed from a student slot, all reasonable efforts will be made to relocate the community volunteer to another timeslot.

E) Evaluation of Programs:
1. The Programming Committee shall evaluate programs on a regular basis as determined by station management or the Programming Committee.
2. The first evaluation shall be done by the Program Director or a member of the Programming Committee. If it is determined that the program is in need of significant improvement, the host(s) shall be informed in writing that they need to improve the program in specific ways within a certain time period.
3. After this time period, the Programming Committee or Program Director will do another evaluation of the program. If no significant improvement has occurred the program will be removed from the schedule.

F) On-air Volunteer Requests to Move or Change Time-slots:
1. A request by an on-air volunteer(s) to move or change timeslots or to change the concept or format of their original show, requires a written proposal to the Program Director and the Programming Committee and is subject to the availability of timeslots.

G) Grandfathering Policy:
1. The passing of timeslots from one on-air volunteer to another volunteer without the approval of the Program Director is prohibited.

H) Access to Airwaves:
1. New on-air volunteers are on probation for the first three months of programming. During the probationary period staff may remove the volunteer from the timeslot without notice.
2. The mandate of CFUV is to give airtime to people who are not represented in the mainstream media. Therefore volunteers at CFUV are not permitted to host other programs on other radio stations within Victoria (this includes the CBC and CKMO). Exceptions may be allowed for those interested in programming in late night time slots (midnight-6AM).

I) Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and On-Air Advertising:

1. PSAs are only accepted from not-for-profit organizations.
2. All on-air volunteers are asked to refrain from promoting businesses who have not contracted with the radio station for paid sponsorships. On-air volunteers who contravene this policy will be subject to disciplinary action including loss of broadcasting privileges.
3. Local cultural for-profit events may be promoted by on-air volunteers without the mention of ticket prices.
4. Local performers who appear on-air may promote up-coming performances (with mention of ticket prices) in exchange for their guest appearance.
5. On-air volunteers are restricted from using their on-air privileges to self-promote or cultivate trust for business ventures or the provision of services outside their broadcast time on CFUV.
6. PSAs will not be accepted from not-for-profit organizations that promote their services by promising a guaranteed result or benefit.
7. Not-for-profit organizations promoting fund-raising events with a cost may be announced on-air but ticket prices cannot be mentioned.

J) Leave of Absence for On-air Volunteers:
1. On-air volunteers must receive the approval of the Program Director regarding any time off from their regularly scheduled program.
2. It is the on-air volunteer’s responsibility to find fill-ins during their absence and to notify the Program Director.
3. Extended or repeated absences may result in the loss of the timeslot.

K) Religious programming:
1. Programming with a religious focus will need to conform to the expectations of programming on the CFUV schedule; which is the promotion of an alternative to the mainstream media.
2. Alternative programming with a religious focus will include an interfaith focus that demonstrates a respect for a diversity of religious belief and recognition of the theological struggles within every religious community.
3. Expression of religious belief by any DJ will not act as a defence of programming that promotes hatred or contempt of individuals or groups based on gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.
4. For further guidance please see the CRTC Religious Programming Policy Public Notice CRTC 1993-78.

L) Soap Boxing:
1. Public affairs programming should be composed of interviews and dialogue with individuals with a background in the subject discussed.
2. Programmers who wish to express their personal opinions are limited to five minutes maximum.
3. Programmers reading a written passage from a publication or book on-air must acknowledge the source and are limited to a few lines due to copyright restrictions.
4. Professional standards on an issue discussed still apply during an expression of personal opinion. It should be noted that stating that a section of a broadcast is an editorial opinion does not protect the individual or station from libel or slander charges.

M) Personal or Internal Grievances:
1. On-air volunteers may not discuss personal grievances or internal station business over the air. Only issues in the public interest are appropriate for broadcast.
2. Any issues with other volunteers or management of the station must be dealt with via the appropriate station procedures.

N) Underage Volunteers and Volunteers with Special Needs Policy:

1. As an adult organization, CFUV recognizes the need to provide a safe environment with adequate support and supervision for volunteers who are under 18 years of age.

2. All staff members who supervise youth or special needs volunteers must supply a recent criminal record check.

3. Before an underage individual can begin to volunteer at the station:
i. A meeting must take place between the Volunteer Coordinator, the underage individual and their parent or legal guardian
ii. CFUV must receive a signed permission form from the parent or legal guardian of the underage individual

4. Certain restrictions will apply until the volunteer is 18 years of age:
i. Volunteers under the age of 16 are only able to program with a legal guardian or parent present
ii. At 16 years of age a volunteer may only program during staff hours. The volunteer cannot have guests until she/he has been programming for three months. After that point the volunteer may request permission from the Program Director to have guests on-air.

5. The involvement of underage individuals or those with special needs, with CFUV under the auspices of external organizations (eg. schools, youth groups) is subject to special arrangement.

 

 

 

 

CFUV Appeal Policy
Redrafted and Approved by the BoD on October 30, 2008
Suspension or dismissal of a CFUV volunteer is the only decision which can be formally appealed to the Board of Directors. Information about addressing disputes or concerns with the operation of the station can be found in the Orientation Manual.

1. Appeal Deadline
An appeal must be filed in writing with the Chair of the Student Radio Society (CFUV) Board within 14 days of the notification of the suspension/dismissal.
2. Grounds for an Appeal

An appeal will only be considered on the following grounds:
(i) due process was not observed, or;
(ii) the suspension/dismissal is inconsistent with precedent/established practice at the station, or;
(iii) the suspension/dismissal is in violation of CFUV board policy.
The Board Chair (or Vice Chair or other board member appointed by resolution of the Board in case of conflict of interest or absence on the part of the Chair) will determine whether the appeal meets the criteria outlined above. The decision of the Board Chair in this regard is final.
Within 14 days of receiving the notice of appeal, the Board Chair will notify the complainant in writing that the appeal either does not meet the criteria and will not proceed, or that it meets the criteria and has been forwarded to an ad hoc appeal committee.

3. Ad Hoc Appeal Committee
If grounds for an appeal exist, the Board Chair (or designate) will appoint an ad hoc appeal committee from among the Board members. The Board has delegated decision-making authority to this committee.
The committee will comprise three Board members, one of whom must be a UVic student and another a university representative. The Board Chair will designate one committee member to be the chair of the committee.
After appropriate consideration, (which may include either written submissions or an oral hearing, as the committee decides) the committee will inform the Board Chair of its decision on the appeal and its reasons for the decision. The decision of the appeal committee is final.
The Board Chair will forward the decision of the appeal committee and its reasons in writing to the complainant as soon as possible thereafter.
The appeal committee will make reasonable efforts to provide its decision and reasons to the Board Chair within 30 days of the filing of the appeal by the complainant.

 


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