Student Union to cut radio station funding
Sam Brown, Station manager of Oxide Radio, which may have to find new ways of funding itself
The Student Union has said it is prepared to cut two sabbatical officers, its Entz manager and all funding for Oxide Radio in order to escape its budget crisis. Last Friday OUSU Council agreed to £73,648 of cuts in an attempt to reduce their £90,000 deficit. It is hoped that if they propose significant cuts, the university will be more prepared to give OUSU an annual grant; they have been negotiating this prospect for two years, and the massive deficit could provide an extra incentive.
Vice-President (Finance) Chris Allan told a packed Council meeting they had to make decisions about what they would be willing to lose to convince the university that the Student Union’s finances are stable. “This debate doesn’t commit us to anything at all, but if we’re not going to follow through with this or an equivalent plan, there is no point in us being here and wasting our time today,” he said.
Oxide Radio’s £5,700 budget for next year was axed, meaning that presenters will have to pay a fee to keep the station afloat. The cut means Oxide will no longer be able to afford an FM licence this Trinity. Station Manager Sam Evans said there was no chance of the station folding due to a lack of funding, but he has asked all Oxide contributors to pay a membership fee. This will go towards buying new equipment for the station.
“Nobody has come to us formally and said we can’t have any more money, but at the moment OUSU can’t continue to write us cheques, and any money we raise, through sponsorship and so on, goes straight back into OSSL,” he said. Evans has produced a business plan in which he hopes Oxide will be financially independent within twelve months, through a combination of show sponsorship and advertising. He also hopes to set up an alumni fund.
“We will still come under the OSSL banner, but once we start funding ourselves we will be in a stronger position to start working more closely with the university, and look for alternative funding elsewhere.” Phill Jupitus, a BBC Radio 6 DJ and comedian, described the situation as “fucking insane”. “Student radio stations provide a useful and vibrant autonomous channel for student communication.
Gigs, sports events, clubs, essential announcements can all be broadcast to the student body with a their own voice. “This unifying effect of a student run and staffed radio station is an invaluable asset to any educational institution.” The Oxide cuts were passed by Council with no discussion, and one Oxide DJ, Michael Way of Plean, said: “we’re almost used to it now, we almost expect it from OUSU. It seems to be the way it happens • we can’t rely on them.
The position of Entz Manager was also cut, only a year after it was first introduced. This will save OUSU £16,926 in salary costs. “Although this is likely to entail cutting some of the smaller Zoo nights, overall the profit should increase once the Entz manager’s salary has been removed,” Allan told The Oxford Student. Current Entz Manager, Madhvi Pankhania, said she thought the cut could lead to a more efficient system of Entz provision.
“Although there won’t be anyone dedicated entirely to entz, the Business Manager will be able to hire part-time assistants when necessary • when there’s more nights they can have more assistants,” she said. It was also decided that the number of sabbatical officers, earning £16,926 each per annum, could be cut from seven to as few as five. Emma Norris admitted this would increase the work load of the remaining sabbatical officers.
“If we do move to five sabbaticals rather than seven there will be more work for fewer people, although the way OUSU is structured would be re-thought by a working party to ensure negative impact is kept to a minimum.” An initial proposal to cover the rest of the budget deficit by increasing fees paid by JCRs by 40% was rejected as being entirely unrealistic.
A revised proposal of a 20% increase met with continued opposition from Council, with Allan suggesting the potential for disaffiliation meant it could give the university a false impression of the money OUSU could raise. Emma Norris, however, said, “to function as a student union we need a minimum level of services. If we say we are considering increasing subscription fees we can go to the university with proof of action without cutting everything.
Nevertheless, the amendment was discarded, and Norris told The Oxford Student she felt this was a positive demonstration of the Council’s commitment to the student body. “They proved the importance of vital services in refusing to make the full £90,000 worth of cuts. I don’t think our financial situation will affect common room affiliation because the most important services the student union offers, welfare provision and representation, remain at the heart of what we do.
Allan said he did not consider the proposals as set in stone, but rather as a demonstration of the Student Union’s willingness to take responsibility. “I don’t think it should be considered concrete; they should be things we would be willing to possibly cut. If we are very cautious, the university may say we don’t need to be so cautious. “Some of them will almost certainly happen, but the likelihood is that not all of them will be necessary.
There are still hopes that the university will provide OUSU with a grant that would render most of the provisional changes unnecessary, and Allan explained that for the changes to take effect, each would have to be individually voted through Council again. “We have not yet made any direct changes as a result of our financial situation; this was simply a preliminary discussion, and any actual cuts would have to be voted through with the budget in Trinity Term.
A spokeswoman for the university declined to comment on the likelihood of financial aid from the university, saying decisions could not be made until a consultation process had taken place. The preliminary proposals produced by Council will form part of an ongoing financial assessment by the university, to be conducted over the next three months.
26th Jan 2006