When anyone comes out with the expression that a broadcaster can “raise the intelligence of the nation”, I begin to marvel at the “intelligence” behind such a farcical assertion. There is a buried assumption that somehow intelligence is acquired.

Education is acquired, so is training, knowledge and skills. IQ is a measurable quotient that has a scale. What school or University, anywhere on the planet teaches intelligence?

Intelligent programming? What an absolute crock of rubbish.

A better description might be a niche market product. Which is a product specifically created and targeted at a minority of a like minded consumer base.

What we are actually talking about here is the fabrication of an illusion that somehow, by listening to a narrow set of “intellectualized” social values, we establish superior intelligence.

No, we create ideological elitism which in turn serves to hide their missing elements, reason, common sense and intelligence.

I think some have been a little too quick to dismiss Radio National.

Where else on public radio (apart from 2SER) might you find programs like:
The Science Show (other stations coverage of science is practical non-existent )
The Philosophers Zone
The Book Show
Poetica
Lingua Franca
Ockham’s Razor

What we need to do is distinguish the wheat from the chaff: winnow out the bias.

At times the Science Show takes on shades of a comedy caper as Robyn Williams tries to coax, cajole, lead, beg his interviewees into
saying something (anything!) that lends credence to the official IPCC line on AGW.
And most times Australia Talks sounds more like the ABC Sermonises --but overall it makes a positive contribution.

What we need to do is take back Radio National, & the ABC generally. So that it talks for and to the majority of Australians, and NOT just for the Eclipse Now’s , Fancy Nancy's Poirot's & Squeer’s.Make it trully representative, trully objective. Then it will win more listeners, and then we’ll be well on our way to becoming a cleverer country.

<< Are the conservatives suggesting it should be dumbed down for them? >>

Ha ha ha ha ha, a good belly laugh on a Sunday morning is the best medicine.

Am writing this while listening to Background Briefing.

However, I did find Valerie Yule's article somewhat pretentious and not at all endearing to those who may be potential listeners to RN. There is a wide range from the religious to the scientific, I listen regularly to the Science Show and don't understand SPQR's issues with it at all. But that's the point - each to their own.

RN covers a diversity of topics; no one can please all the people all the time, but RN manages something for everyone and would hate to see it dumbed down to the banality of commercial radio.

I gravitated to RN after listening to state capital ABC radio and then News Radio.
Admittedly over the past year, I haven't listened or watched much electronic media at all (save for news online). Prior to that it was exclusively Radio National - mainly because it suited me. If I was doing something, I just tuned in. Most programs get you thinking, you learn things, form opinions and generally ruminate on the content...it's the same reason I come to OLO.
My mother listens exclusively to commercial radio (as I did when I was young). So when I visit her, that's what's on. Endless commercials and excitable blather - the only highlight is when I hear a favoured song from long ago which I haven't heard for years....which is some consolation, I suppose.

SPQR it takes trust to listen to the ABC today. Unfortunately that trust is mostly misplaced.

No one can know all that much about everything. Unfortunately that appears to be even more the fact with the ABC, & something the programmers depend on. They often put the most utter rubbish to air as fact.

At a recent gathering of half a dozen quite well educated, & very experienced old blokes ABC's Quantum came up. This was always one of their better efforts.

However what we found, almost with out exception recently, was that when a topic where we had real expertise was examined we all found the same thing. Most of what was stated as fact was mostly poppycock. It appeared that the problems were equally divided between presenters who did not have a clue, & where propaganda was being presented as fact.

This was particularly interesting, as the group had widely different experience gained post graduation, in the real world.

Many of us had assumed that the ABC just did not handle our areas well, but the rest was interesting & informative. This group showed how wrong we had been.

I still watch Quantum occasionally, just for fun, but find that when ever Robin Williams is involved in anything it is beat avoided. That is if you don't like propaganda dressed up as fact. Only a greenie, or a masochist would listen to the science show these days.

For those who complain that RN is elitist and biased, there are always alternatives - community radio stations which receive no government or big business funding and are supported by people and local small business. The variety of shows range as diversely as RN's. For example, Triple R is today running its annual funding drive. No excuse if you are not from Victoria as it podcasts all its shows. Currently Einstein au Go-go is on air, it is a science show which presents a broad range of peer reviewed established science. Of course if music is your thing, then you will hear local and independent music - none of that commercial, mainstream, but music that you may not have heard when released years ago to music that is contemporary.

While I am a subscriber to Triple R, I am not touting that station exclusively, check the following link to learn what is available in Australia for those who want truly independent thought, opinion and entertainment:

http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/community-radio