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The exterior of the not-for-profit Toronto radio station JAZZ.FM91 is photographed in Toronto.Tijana Martin

An ugly fight over control of JAZZ.FM91 which grew out of allegations of workplace misconduct last spring is now coming to a head, as the board of directors of the not-for-profit Toronto radio station and a dissident shareholder group are set to face off Friday at a special meeting of members, capping weeks of insults between the two camps.

And now the dispute has snagged the family of Canadian jazz royalty, with the daughter and widow of the legendary pianist Oscar Peterson lining up on opposite sides.

Save Jazz.FM, a group of member-donors that began demanding changes after the allegations broke into public view, will force a vote to replace the current board of directors with its own slate. In a statement sent to supporters, the group charged that “the station has faced a steady deterioration in reputation, audience and donations” since last spring.

Both the dissident group and the station are gathering proxies in preparation for a meeting set for the Toronto Reference Library.

According to Save Jazz.FM, many of the jazz station’s most popular on-air hosts have been “forced out or resigned because they no longer want to work in a dysfunctional and oppressive workplace.”

Last week, some of those hosts took to Facebook to voice support for the dissident group. Ralph Benmergui wrote of a “siege posture” by the board and said “it is time for a new era.” Terry McElligott, an 18-year veteran who quit on Feb. 1, said he had “watched in dismay as station employees have been subjected to intimidation, bullying and petty vindictiveness that would simply not be tolerated in any other workplace.”

In a Facebook post criticizing the board and station, Celine Peterson, a music manager and the youngest daughter of Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson, wrote of an unpleasant interaction she had with an unnamed previous board member, and noted that “there is a lot of damage continually being done because lies are being spread and egos are larger than ever. It’s enough. It was enough a long time ago.”

She declined an interview request from The Globe and Mail.

The troubles seem to have hobbled the station’s finances: The most recent on-air fundraising drive pulled in only $186,000 of the $350,000 goal.

The station has responded with its own flurry of communications, calling the efforts of Save Jazz.FM a “hostile takeover” and alleging in an e-mail to members last week that the dissident group was “being funded by someone or some group with deep pockets.” (Brian Hemming, a founder of Save Jazz.FM, said that allegation was “untrue … shameful.”)

In an e-mail sent by the station to members last week, the musician and music producer Marc Jordan warned that “there are those who look at JAZZ.FM91 as a transmitter on the CN Tower, and that is more valuable in itself than the multicultural messenger that it has become.”

The board declined a request for comment from The Globe and referred a reporter to statements on the station website. Mr. Jordan did not respond to a request for comment.

An e-mail sent out Tuesday from Kelly Peterson, Celine’s mother and Oscar Peterson’s widow, as well as a member of the board of directors, struck a more positive tone and refrained from attacking Save Jazz.FM: “It is my profound hope that we can get past this period of turmoil and that you will have faith in our desire and our skills in continuing to work for the station to thrive.”

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