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The last paid presenter with Joy 94.9 will finish up on February 19. Bridget Boson, who hosts the popular 4-7pm Campervan show, will end her two year stint after the station decided they could no longer afford paid presenters. Joy will continue with an all-volunteer line-up. “We’re trying to work towards the viability of the station in the long term,” Joy general manager Danae Gibson told MCV. “It’s certainly no reflection on the quality of the broadcasting: Bridget’s a great broadcaster. “But Bridget understands in a perfect world we would be able to pay broadcasters […] but we just can’t spend that money at this time. We’ll certainly miss Bridget.” Boson said the news had come as a shock and a disappointment. “More a disappointment for Joy and what it’s going through really, rather than for myself,” Boson told MCV. “I’ve already had a number of offers for both on-air and off-air work, so I’m just taking the time to look at those and decide which is best for me. These things happen; it’s in the nature of the broadcasting or entertainment industries. You just have to move forward.” Boson said she was proud of what she had achieved over the last two years. “I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from people over that period, and the intimacy. I’m constantly astounded by the intimacy people offered,” she said. “I hope Joy will be able to work towards a model where they can again have professional broadcasters providing consistent quality programming for their listeners.” Gibson said many community groups and especially community broadcasters have been hit by the global financial crisis. As a result they “need to spend effectively”. “Looking on the positive side, we can use this as a chance to give an opportunity to a number of people who’d like to be volunteer broadcasters,” she said. Gibson said it is difficult for presenters to sustain a show five days a week, and she envisaged changing the drive-time format to something similar to the breakfast slot and other times of the day, where teams of people work together alternating as presenters. “We’ll be making those decisions in the next couple of weeks,” she said. Gibson, who took on the top job at Joy in November 2009, said she was enjoying her new position. “I’m just settling in now,” she said. “I come from Perth, so it’s a new job and a new city and a very busy time of year to come on board with Midsumma going on. There’s been a lot to absorb.” Gibson said she hoped the changes such as going to an all-volunteer list of presenters would not only keep Joy viable in straitened times, but also develop and increase Joy’s commitment to showcasing the diversity of Melbourne’s GLBTI communities.
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