AMRAP Look To Four-Year Commitment After Government Rescue Package

Community radio distribution service the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project [AMRAP] will seek four years of Federal Government support in the next budget after they received $250,000 in funding late last year to secure the next six months.

The service distributes local music to community radio stations around the nation and despite being considered a 'no brainer' for funding by industry stakeholders, its funding was pulled in the last budget.

Originally part of the Communications portfolio, where they received $2.4 million in funding over four years, they were dropped when the program was shifted to Arts and they'd applied for another four years. Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy appeared supportive of the program, though, and it was the belief that he was “exploring options” to secure the service that prompted reserve funds to be gathered by the community radio sector that have kept AMRAP afloat in the past six months.

Senator Conroy announced 21 December that the government would provide the quarter-of-a-million dollars injection and said that the funding would serve to keep the service alive “pending consideration of the project's long term funding in the 2013-14 Budget.”

AMRAP Manager Chris Johnson told theMusic.com.au today that the service hadn't been disrupted during the time of uncertainly and their focus is now on the next budget.

“We really owe a big debt to the Community Broadcasting Association [Australia, CBAA] and the Community Broadcasting Foundation who provided reserve funding for the last six months,” he said. “We hope that this rescue package took six months because Senator Conroy was looking to secure the long term future [of AMRAP].”

The CBAA receives government funding for a number of aspects and the government was aware during the last six months that it was from these reserves that AMRAP was being propped up. The current rescue package will tie the service over until the 2013/14 Budget, where its fate will likely be sealed.

“It would be our hope that at an absolute minimum we would secure another four years,” Johnson said. “Because of the service we provide to community radio… we can't do year-to-year, it can't be hand-to-mouth.”

In other community radio news, CBAA have announced that Jon Bisset will take over the role of General Manager in place of the outgoing Kath Letch.

He has previously held roles as the CEO of the Public Relations Institute Of Australia, as the Chief Executive of the Council On The Ageing (NSW), Deputy CEO of the Fundraising Institute Australia and as General Manager, Operations for Netball Australia and will take up the CBAA role in February.