A dispute between the board members of LGBTQI radio station JOY 94.9 and its listeners has broken out over claims of internal bullying.

Claims of bullying and “low morale” have been circling for more than a month, with many listeners going so far as pushing the station to dissolve the board of directors.

Employees, volunteers and avid listeners of Melbourne-based JOY 94.9 have banded together to establish a ‘Save JOY’ community group and have called for JOY to “reshape itself” in a letter signed by 28 JOY members, including the founder John Oliver.

The letter says: “The time has come to reshape JOY 94.9’s future by calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM).”

It’s no secret that JOY 94.9 has seen an exodus of extraordinary on-air presenters and volunteers who have been forced out of who felt the need to walk away under the current management and board”

“Nor is it a secret that morale at JOY 94.9 is possibly at its lowest point ever.”

“Enough of the bullying. Enough of the lack of action by the board. Enough of breaking the rules of JOY’s constitution.”

In response, the board touted a stolen database as the reason for the bullying, and completely refuted claims of internal issues.

Sent to JOY members, the letter called the campaign “vicious”.

“It appears that the group’s objective is to run a vicious and calculated campaign to undermine your Board, our volunteers, staff, and supporters, and to maximise damage to JOY,” the email says.

Now, the SAVE JOY community has come back with a reply of their own, claiming they are “not vicious”.

“We are made up of passionate volunteers and members whose involvement at JOY spans many years and in some cases, decades,” the follow-up letter said.

“We are not ‘vicious’, we love JOY as much as any other volunteer or listener. For us, JOY is family.”

“We refute many of the claims in Rich’s statement including the assertion that, ‘a small group of JOY members has sought to bring into the public domain internal matters that deserved to be dealt with in-house’,” they added.

And the war wages on.