re:
"According to the ABC website, the ABC Charter outlines that the principal function of the ABC is, inter alia, to provide services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians."

I am inclined to give the ABC the benefit of the doubt here. And I missed Felicity's definition of "left", unless it's meant to be inferred from context, from the nine times she used the terms left and leftist.

If folks want entertainment, why not watch the commercials on the free-to-air channels? Some are very entertaining, at least the first couple of times. Of course, they do get irritating when they slice the programs to buggery with mindless repetition.

If folks really want entertainment, why not watch Good Morning, America? Pure entertainment, with hardly a trace of pertinent news, just mostly smarmy, folksy trivia from our most powerful ally. You never seen so many Colgate Smiles.

I remember what the ABC was like back in the 70's, when it had more cojones than it's got now. Maybe Felicity should ring up Malcolm Fraser and ask him about "leftist" (inferred from Felicity's context) ABC journos. So far as I can tell, they've all passed on or moved on.

As for outraged taxpayers, hey, Fee, I say I pay for those dopey ads on the commercial channels, and so do you. How is that?

Ads are tax deductible, non? I call that an opportunity cost which is very frequently charged by free entrepreneurs. And it is, if you think about it, a kind of socialism for the corporate world - those with the ability supporting those with the need - we taxpayers can pay, they need to advertise (I guess).

And one of the great things the corporate world gains from the economic flows associated with advertising is the power to control information. I wonder if that is why "Good Morning America" is reduced to such sappy drivel? Is it OK because it isn't "leftist"?

I certainly hope the ABC isn't reduced to paying its way from corporate handouts, or fussing over whether they will offend their sponsors.

If the ABC is privatised to stop having 'left' ideas given any airing (for 'left' read concerns for liberty and social justice?)
then for balance sake, the commercial channels should be nationalised, to stop having blanket coverage by non-think and illiberal ideas, pushing consumerism.

If you count all 90 or so programs on Radio National, the vast majority have nothing to do with politics, and for almost all the political ones, 'left' or 'right' are irrelevant.
Count also all the programs on TV and local radio. The same would apply.

I would be very sad to see the ABC go private.

However a very close relative worked for the ABC and he put it this way;

There are no gays in the closet in the ABC.
Why ?

Because it is full of Liberal voters !

He said if you wanted to get on in the ABC you kept quiet about
being a liberal voter.

Oh, please! It's the last bastion left to the Left! Most of the country's other publications are so far right as to be just short of fascist. If Aunty is trying to balance this, good. It will take a few more Left media outlets to get a real balance. Peddle your wares elsewhere.

felicity ,

fair go , we have far to many right leaning media [tv and Print ] . They bring Howard's message to the "masses" in bucket loads . That's what the Liberals want .

We don't want another one of your right wing outlets .

The ABC may not be perfect ,but be ready for the hoots and howls of protest from the Left should Rudd get in !

Many thanks to Simon Bedak for his link to

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/counterpoint/stories/2004/1111283.htm

which he suggests may be the source for some of Felicity's arguments, in her entertaining diatribe.

I am not so sure.

While Fee used the words "left" and "leftist" a total of nine times (whilst not defining the words even once, like a good debater oughta), she didn't mention the word "radio" even once, at all.

Surely, if she'd read the piece, she would have mentioned ABC radio?