Quay FM’s future in doubt following on-air resignations
TALKS to save Quay FM appear to have failed.
The Alderney radio station has been in turmoil since station manager Robert ‘Dougal’ Bohan and his deputy, Nic West, resigned on air at the end of November.
The resignations came after Alderney Broadcasting Company, which runs Quay FM, highlighted a number of problems, including commercials that breached the broadcast code and failures to obtain copyright clearances.
Mr Bohan, who is central to the saga, has not been available for comment since posting a long statement online shortly after he resigned, which made no reference to the issues flagged by the station’s parent company.
‘Recently certain undesirable events and actions, out of my control, have been imposed on myself and the interests of Quay FM,’ he wrote.
‘This I cannot and will not accept or support, or even be party to. I’d like to use a very fitting analogy. When certain players or individuals think they are bigger than the club and are happy to damage it and those in it for their own gains, it is time to leave the club.’
Volunteer DJ Ian Taylor, who had stepped in to try and resolve matters, gave an update on the situation yesterday.
‘We had all hoped to see common sense prevail for the good of our island radio and our community. Regretfully, that hasn’t been possible and Dougal, Nic and up to nine of us volunteer presenters will be leaving Quay FM in the coming days. We will be doing something and as Arnie nearly said: ‘We’ll be back’.’
Nigel Roberts, company secretary of the Alderney Broadcasting Company, reiterated that no one had asked Mr Bohan to resign and that the presenter had refused all attempts at mediation.
He was hopeful the station would continue.
‘Several volunteers are going to stay and we have already had enquiries about the paid roles,’ he said.
Alex Snowdon, an Alderney representative in the States of Guernsey, had tried to act as mediator between the various parties.
‘I tried to get the two parties around the table and see each others point of view, but it appears that common ground could not be found,’ he said.
‘The future of the station is now in question. The volunteers do an amazing job and it is very sad it has come to this.’
