ABC Troubles
Some prat tried to tell me a couple of months back that the ABC wasn't biased. If that's the case, why is their union having a cry:
One of the unions representing staff at the ABC says it is concerned about a new 'bias test' to be formally announced later today.
The ABC has come under sustained pressure over allegations of left-wing media bias by some sectors of the Federal Government.
One suggestion to fix the ABC is to privatise it:
The ABC today comprises businesses that include television, radio, 38 retail outlets, book publishing (over 120 titles each year), magazines, videos and DVDs, contemporary music including Renee Geyer and Kate Ceberano and logo licensing. These are all crowded commercial markets, yet Australian taxpayers are subsidising ABC businesses to the tune of nearly $800 million each year. In broadcasting, Australia has 627 operating radio stations and 138 TV stations, plus pay TV. The internet is a further ubiquitous source of information and entertainment. Why is a government broadcaster competing in this mix?
Government broadcasting is favoured by totalitarian states and Islamic theocracies. New Zealand has no government broadcaster and the CBC in Canada gets 60 per cent of its revenue from commercials.
It started out with roughly 50 per cent market share of Australian media in 1932; today its total media market share must be 5 per cent or less. The Government has a clear role to regulate media, but there is no compelling reason why it should own and operate an entertainment business.
Personally, I rarely watch the ABC (even when we had a TV The Bill didn't float my boat) and I never listen to Radio National. I tune into JJJ occasionally Sunday nights. Still, the ABC costs $800 million in tax-payer money (sheepishly, I am currently not a taxpayer - I like to think of myself as an investment).
I don't want to lose a radio station that plays some half-way decent music. Then again, if privatisation of the ABC gets rid of that screeching arse-clown Wil Anderson, I'm all for it. The man is as funny as cancer. Failing all else, axe The Glasshouse.
One of the unions representing staff at the ABC says it is concerned about a new 'bias test' to be formally announced later today.
The ABC has come under sustained pressure over allegations of left-wing media bias by some sectors of the Federal Government.
One suggestion to fix the ABC is to privatise it:
The ABC today comprises businesses that include television, radio, 38 retail outlets, book publishing (over 120 titles each year), magazines, videos and DVDs, contemporary music including Renee Geyer and Kate Ceberano and logo licensing. These are all crowded commercial markets, yet Australian taxpayers are subsidising ABC businesses to the tune of nearly $800 million each year. In broadcasting, Australia has 627 operating radio stations and 138 TV stations, plus pay TV. The internet is a further ubiquitous source of information and entertainment. Why is a government broadcaster competing in this mix?
Government broadcasting is favoured by totalitarian states and Islamic theocracies. New Zealand has no government broadcaster and the CBC in Canada gets 60 per cent of its revenue from commercials.
It started out with roughly 50 per cent market share of Australian media in 1932; today its total media market share must be 5 per cent or less. The Government has a clear role to regulate media, but there is no compelling reason why it should own and operate an entertainment business.
Personally, I rarely watch the ABC (even when we had a TV The Bill didn't float my boat) and I never listen to Radio National. I tune into JJJ occasionally Sunday nights. Still, the ABC costs $800 million in tax-payer money (sheepishly, I am currently not a taxpayer - I like to think of myself as an investment).
I don't want to lose a radio station that plays some half-way decent music. Then again, if privatisation of the ABC gets rid of that screeching arse-clown Wil Anderson, I'm all for it. The man is as funny as cancer. Failing all else, axe The Glasshouse.
posted by Engels at 9:53 am
11 Comments:
Slipperly slope indeed. The poms come over here and whinge (surprise surprise) about how many ads we have, but then we don't pay for licence fees.
SBS has recently (last month perhaps) started showing ads during their programs, and not just between programs. Of course couple of my fellow PhD students weren't happy about this at all. Then again, like me, they ain't taxpayers.
They also didn't like it when I said highschool students shouldn't learn Marxism in English.
The ABC should be sold off to the highest bidder, and the proceeds used to fund one final celebratory slap-up binge drinking session.
Then the arrested youths at JJJ can be made to find jobs more suited to their talents - like test subject.
Oh yes, Wil Anderson is a fuckwit.
He's like the "ebola" of Australian comedy.
Seriously, how the hell did he get his own TV show? Adam Spencer was the funny one.
I had somebody try to convince me that he was intelligent the other day. In what universe?
There's a cute PhD girl here. I lost all respect for her when she she said bought tickets for his standup. I was incredulous, "But why? Here, love, I'll yank your finger nails out with a pair of pliers. It'll be a riot in comparison."
I'm convinced Anderson has naked photos of the head of the ABC.
Nothing else could explain their fascination with them.
And it's terrible to think cute PHd students think he's funny....what hope is there for the rest of us.
I'm throwing down the take-over gauntlet of capitolisation and bidding the princely sum of $15 dollars for the ABC....
my first move as New Owner Purchaser Dude will be to scrap everything currently on the ABC except Rage (and even that will be limited to select guest programmers of my chosing, probably nude teenybopper popstar-type chicks... gagged and bound, but using their untied toes to push the Play button to kickstart heavy metal videos), and possibly as many leftover late-night international "arthouse/porn" films as i can purchase from SBS... who's with me?
I'll throw five bucks, and half slab (of light) towards the cause.
I recommend Swedish and Dutch, um, arthouse films.
I've been watching a lot more ABC recently, and can say I'm a Wil Anderson fan. You guys just like Adam Spencer more cause he's smart. Wil's show is quite funny, they had Barnaby Joyce as a guest last week, which was quite amusing.
I have noticed that Adam Spencer, who was recently a co-host of channel 10's Wild Turkey Celebrety Joker Poker, which was on very late Sat nights (like 11pm or possibly Sunday morns, not sure, I was always coming home pissed), has recently been axed from the show in place of that fuckwit Mike Goldman now that the show is being shown prime-time. Poor bugger.
Anyway, ABC is good, you guys are just cut they don't show Quantum or Beyond 2000 anymore.
"Anyway, ABC is good, you guys are just cut they don't show Quantum or Beyond 2000 anymore."
BURNT!
I'm very disappointed in your Wil-anderson-lovin', Martini, I'd have preferred to hear that you once fucked Holborow.
I thought that it was common knowledge that I have shagged Dale.
I gave, he received by the way.
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