NOTICE OF 2022 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Free Broadcast Incorporated (FBi Radio) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 6:30pm on Wednesday 7 December 2022.

WHAT IS THE AGM?

The AGM is the instrument through which members most actively influence the way FBi is managed.

At the AGM, members can hear our Management Committee and staff talk through the activities of FBi Radio for the past year. It is also an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our volunteer base and community.

Importantly, the AGM sets broad station policy and elects the Management Committee who will represent the members in the ongoing management of the station.

Attendance can be in person at 44-54 Botany Road, Alexandria, NSW 2015 or via Zoom.

AGENDA

The nature of the proposed business at the AGM is as follows:

• Opening, Quorum & Apologies
• Minutes of previous Annual General Meeting to be accepted
• Business Arising
• Management Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Programming Report
• Election of Committee Members
• Other Business
  

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Further details can be accessed at the links below.

FBi Radio Management Committee Nomination Form | docx / pdf

FBi Radio AGM 2021 Minutes

FBi Radio Constitution

FBi Radio Annual Report FY22

ELECTION OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Like a lot of community organisations around the country, FBi is a membership based incorporated association which means that it is required to be governed by a Management Committee.

The Management Committee are volunteers elected by FBi Supporters each year at the Annual General Meeting. 

This year, the positions open for nomination are:

• President (3 year term)
• Vice-President (Youth) (2 year term)
• 2 x Ordinary Member (3 year term)

If there is more than one applicant for each position open for nomination, there will be an election at the AGM for that position. Individuals may nominate for more than one position.

Only existing Financial Supporters, or ‘Members’, at the date of this notice are entitled to nominate for and run for the Management Committee, and vote at the AGM. New supporters who join or renew after this date are welcome to attend and participate in discussion. 

Nominees for Management Committee membership and any submission of resolutions for discussion at the AGM must be submitted to the Managing Director, Tanya Ali at tanya.a@fbiradio.com 14 days before the meeting – that is, by 6:30pm on Wednesday 23 November 2022.

In accordance with Clause 19 of FBi’s Constitution, nominations of candidates for committee election must be made in writing, signed by 2 financial supporters of FBi and accompanied by the written consent of the candidate (which may be endorsed on the form of nomination). These may be signed and submitted electronically. 

As part of the application, we request that candidates provide answers to a number of questions, including up to 500 words outlining your experience relevant to the position/s you are nominating for on the FBi Radio Management Committee.

To ensure good governance, we aim to attract candidates to be elected to the Management Committee who each have different areas of specialisation, professional experience and skill sets.

Read about the FBi Radio Management Committee positions here.

2022 NOMINEES

PRESIDENT (3 YEAR TERM)

Amy Solomon

I’m a long time FBi Radio volunteer and broadcaster, and Senior Adviser at leading corporate affairs firm Cato & Clive, where I act for ASX-listed and international clients on communications strategy, stakeholder management, corporate transaction, litigation support and regulatory issues. I started my career as a lawyer at MinterEllison and have worked at leading advisory firms, and as a producer at the ABC.

I’ve been actively and passionately involved with FBi since 2008 and have hosted Arvos, Canvas and was Secretary of the Management Committee for nine years, before being appointed FBi’s President in 2021.

In my time at FBi I’ve worked closely with volunteers and staff members on countless projects and initiatives, acting as a source of support and counsel, particularly for our current and former Managing Directors. I’ve helped guide the station’s response to Covid, led crucial fundraising and donor engagement activities, and have worked collaboratively to oversee important governance initiatives to improve transparency, diversity, equity and inclusion, and accountability. I take pride in my relationships across the station and our alumni network, and have an unwavering and demonstrated commitment to FBi and our mission to support the extraordinary talent that is nurtured and celebrated on and off air.

As President, I’m focused on achieving a program of board renewal, delivering our Strategic Action Plan and creating a positive culture across the Committee and organisation, ensuring that we bring together a diverse mix of skills and perspectives. I want everyone at FBi to feel energised and engaged, and for your experience to be valuable, memorable and worth your donated time and expertise. In my view, the most important role the Committee can play is to facilitate, mentor and support our staff and volunteers to follow their instincts and foster their growth so that they can shape and execute their vision for FBi.

It’s the honour of my life to be President of this incredible and vital radio station, and to learn and work alongside so many passionate and intelligent people as a member of this community.

2023 will mark 20 years of FBi being on air. This is a huge milestone and I look forward to being part of the team to celebrate this achievement and set the station up for many decades of success in the future.

Please reach out to me any time at amy.s@fbiradio.com if you’d like to say hi or get involved with our program of work.

VICE PRESIDENT YOUTH (2 YEAR TERM)

Lindsay Riley

I’ve volunteered at FBi Radio since 2017, and would love the opportunity to give back to a place that’s given me so much by serving on the Management Committee. This station has opened my mind to new areas of Sydney music, arts, culture, and introduced me to so manyinteresting, talented and dedicated people that I would never have met otherwise. 

I started on the front desk as a Frontliner, before moving on to produce Friday Mornings and executive produce Mornings. I currently volunteer on the music team and host the Sunday Overhang. I’ve felt FBi Radio change and grow over the last couple of years, and I’m more excited than ever for its future. I’ve been a part of this community for years, and through my work in various teams on and off air, have developed the skills necessary to maintain a strong working relationship between the Management Committee and FBi Radio volunteers.

I’ve been lucky to fill in on the Management Committee for the last three months due to a vacancy in the vice president youth role. I hope that serving in this role, along with being a current volunteer, will allow me to bring the specific qualities needed for the VP Youth Role, to properly represent and amplify volunteers on the board and deepen our community imprint.

ORDINARY MEMBER (3 YEAR TERM)

Angela Stengel

I’m currently heading up the ABC’s Innovation Lab, and I have almost 20 years of experience in the media, across content production, digital transformation and strategy. I’ve produced radio, built websites and apps, made music, worked in museums and education, and reported on sport and the arts. 

I got my start at FBi Radio, building up my knowledge, experience and contacts, and wouldn’t be where I am today if not for my involvement with the station. I became a supporter before FBi went to air full-time, produced and then presented The Bridge: Sydney Retrospective, and also produced stories for Sunday Night At The Movies. I really care about FBi, what it means for Sydney music, arts and culture, and I want to see it have a strong future for many years to come. I believe I can meaningfully contribute to the projects the Management Committee will take on as part of FBi new 3-year strategy.

​​FBi’s new 3-year strategy aligns with my knowledge and expertise, particularly in thinking about the future of radio. This year I have been supporting station management and the Management Committee in the development of a new website and digital strategy – a few of the many projects I‘d like to lend my experience to. 

In terms of experience, I’ve launched numerous digital products (many in the audio space including ABC listen, triple j website and ABC Local radio sites), led projects to distribute ABC audio content on smart speakers, becoming first-to-market as launch partner with Google and, later, Amazon, have been a member of the Commercial Radio Australia industry app committee, negotiated distribution partnerships with a variety of live-streaming and on-demand audio services, and developed connections with like-minded people in radio/audio at BBC, NPR, public service media in Europe as well as local independent producers. As Editor of ABC Classic FM’s website, I’ve also led the editorial strategy across regular programming, special events and social media. I’m a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee at ABC. I actively drive implementation of diversity & inclusion plans through conscious hiring practices, assigning budget to content projects for diverse audiences, and ensuring diversity of backgrounds are represented in decision-making forums. Lastly, I have experience managing large teams, multi-million dollar budgets, creating business cases and interacting with boards and senior execs in a variety of media and arts organisations. 

Jackie Leewai

(Pronouns: she/her). I’m a proud migrant representing the Pasifika diaspora with mixed heritage. I volunteered at FBi Radio in 2003 and had the best time assisting with the music library and as a frontliner meeting and greeting guests, volunteers, and staff. I went on to produce the “Stolen Records” show for some three years where I habitually made my way to Redfern from my home (at the time) in Campbelltown and immersed myself for 2-3 hours in local Australian hip-hop. Our small, fun and dedicated radio family hosted a number of Stolen Records parties and all supported by FBi Radio – sharing space with guests, listeners, and friends – and feeling part of this larger community that we now see as a mega genre with many genres now part of the Hip Hop family representing South West and Western Sydney and beyond.

I work to understand the current state of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with over 10 years’ experience in the multicultural and DEI sectors across strategy, community engagement and implementation. Making space for difficult conversations is fundamental to inclusive thinking and requires time, trust, and investment in building relationships and understanding the people. I support leadership with strategic and people-led conversations to support better decision making, which I hope to bring to the Management Committee. These are governance and partnership skills I gained and flexed whilst at SBS supporting the Board, Community Advisory Committee and Executive while working for and with our digital, broadcast and television audiences.
I acknowledge and understand FBi’s focus around “Anti-racism and Equity” and see this as a compliance area in most if not all organisations – across community, government and corporate.

Luke de Zilva

I am a musician, the curator of the experimental music series Surfacing and its FBi Radio program counterpart, a senior digital and arts consultant, a committee member and the community liaison for the Life for Koori Kids charity, and a person with a chronic neurological condition. 

The constants of my professional career – and my unwavering work passions – are digital and the arts. For more than 13 years, I have explored these areas with dedication and focus, having worked for, and consulted to, some of Australia’s best-known and most respected arts organisations, including Sydney Opera House, Art Gallery of NSW, and Sydney Festival. I’m also extremely familiar with the not-for-profit sector and working with volunteers – I have been a committee member for Life For Koori Kids for 6 years after beginning volunteering with the charity 16 years ago. As a committee member, I work to ensure the viability of the charity, and as the charity’s community liaison, I support a close-knit community of inner-Sydney Aboriginal families to provide them essential services, activities and development opportunities. I simultaneously work with numerous arts organisations in facilitating Indigenous outreach projects.

Having been exposed to some of the inner workings of FBi over the past 7 months as a volunteer presenter, I’ve come to appreciate even more the huge volume and standard of work that the station outputs. As a musician, music curator and music lover, I know the local and international music landscapes well, and understand the opportunities and difficulties that exist within the industry for Australian and Sydney musicians and music workers. I have great relationships in the music and broader arts community, as well as with leading service providers and agencies, many of whom I work and collaborate with frequently, and I would be pleased to bring these relationships to FBi when needed. I also describe myself as an ‘arts lifer’. The not-for-profit arts sector is not only my professional realm, but my creative and personal community, too. I am determined and proud to contribute to a thriving Australian cultural landscape.

FBi WORKING GROUPS – ANOTHER WAY TO GET INVOLVED WITH FBi RADIO

As there are a limited number of positions on the Management Committee up for election, we encourage anyone interested to also consider lending their skills and experience by becoming involved in the implementation of our Strategic Action Plan by joining one of our Working Groups. 

What are FBi Working Groups?

Working Groups provide oversight on each of the areas of focus by:

• Identifying how actions are prioritised and how projects are resourced.
• Making resource and funding requests to the Management Committee.

Each Working Group will have a minimum of one Management Committee member and one staff member.

The new Working Group structure allows for:

• Greater accountability to volunteers / members on progress in strategic areas,
• Opportunities for volunteers to contribute their skills beyond program-making,
• More rigorous governance and process around FBi’s key objectives, and
• Full transparency of Management Committee activity to staff, volunteers and members.
  

The 5 Working Groups and their areas of focus are:

Community

• Audience Development 
• Outreach Programs & Events 
• Volunteer Diversity
• Values

Programming

• Music Diversity 
• Program Diversity
• Content Development 
• Advocacy

Revenue

• Sponsorship 
• Membership 
• Philanthropy 
• Grants & Funding

Infrastructure

• Multi-platform Production 
• Website
• Premises

Governance

• Organisational Capacity 
• Board Processes 
• Partner Alignments 
• Transparency

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We’re always looking at new avenues for people to engage and interact with FBi, new placemaking across digital and physical spaces, new opportunities for arts and culture to be shared, and building a safe and equitable station for all young people across the city. 

If you join the Management Committee or one of our Working Groups you’ll help us achieve our three year Strategy.

Participation in our Working Groups is not elected at the Annual General Meeting. 

We’re looking for:

• Emerging and established thought leaders and compassionate creative operators, 
• Clear and conscious communicators with excellent interpersonal skills,
• Collaborative and non-territorial individuals who are able to work in flexible environments both autonomously and with a diverse range of people, including volunteers,
• People who have skills or experience in one or more of the following areas: broadcast, not-for-profit operation, arts administration, business or financial management, digital environments, music, art or culture industries more broadly, strategy and legal expertise.
• People who align with FBi’s strategy, with a strong commitment to anti-racism and equity in practice.

FBi Radio is based on Gadigal land, in Redfern/Waterloo – an area of cultural significance, and a site of strength and resistance for many First Nations communities. FBi Radio acknowledges its position as a beneficiary of the ongoing settler-colonial project, and is firmly committed to anti-racism in policy and practice, striving toward equity across all levels of the organisation. As the leadership body of the organisation, FBi is committed to ensuring the Management Committee is reflective of the communities we serve.

As such, FBi strongly encourages applications from First Nations peoples, and people of all ethnicities, genders, orientations and abilities.