A former ABC presenter says the purpose for which the public broadcaster was created “ceases to exist” and that the billion dollars spent on it is a benefit to the “upper middle class”, who should instead pay for a subscription service.
Kel Richards, who hosted ABC radio’s weekend current affairs programs AM and NewsRadio and also worked as an associate producer of current affairs programs for television, said the “wasted” dollar on ABC should be “recouped”.
Writing for Sky News on Thursday, Richards said the “clear, well-explained reason” the ABC was commissioned in 1932 was to “bring Australia together by providing a service that could be heard across the country”.
“That reason supported its continued existence and funding for many decades,” Richards wrote.
‘Those grounds no longer exist. There is no longer any reason for the ABC to exist. It has become redundant.’
Richards argued that while the ‘invaluable link between all Australians’ was a ‘valuable goal’ in 1932, when commercial TV and radio stations were spread across the continent, today it is ‘not possible for any media organization to play that role’.
He pointed out that when he was growing up in Sydney there were eight radio stations, six commercial and two ABC stations, but now there were about 50 on AM, FM and digital bands.
Also, for years there were only a few commercial TV stations and the ABC in Sydney, but now there was an abundance of both free and subscription broadcasting, along with streaming services and other content available online.
Veteran broadcaster Kel Richards has argued that the ABC, which he used to work for, no longer serves the foundation’s purpose
The same was true across Australia.
“In such a busy media market, everyone’s needs are met – if not by a local media outlet, then by a global media outlet (all of which are now at our fingertips),” Richards wrote.
“So why are we spending a billion tax dollars to have an ABC?”
“It now looks like what it has been for a few years: middle-class prosperity.”
Richards recognized that there was an ‘upper middle class’ section of the population who liked the ABC.
But he argued that it is “unjustifiable for every taxpayer in the country to fund a media service for a select few… especially when the national budget needs that billion back.”
He proposed splitting ABC’s 52 regional radio stations, which he acknowledged “still play a real public role”, into a separate service, which he called ARM (Australian Regional Media).
Richards concluded his column by asking whether any government, even a coalition government, would have the courage to implement such radical changes at the ABC (pictured, ABC chairman Kim Williams)
Richards argued that when the ABC was founded in 1932, it should serve as a link between all Australians.
These channels could continue to offer local programs and news, while being linked to also offer national content.
Everything else the ABC does should be offered through a Netflix-style subscription model, Richards argued.
Richards concluded his column by asking whether any government, even a coalition government, would have the courage to make such a radical change.
He also echoed fellow News Corp pundits in saying the ABC lacked “diversity of opinion” without a single conservative host or executive producer among its legions of left-wing progressives.