Is the "Educated Middle Class" Really That Stupid?

You'd have to wonder after reading an article on the state of the ABC by Michael Duffy in Saturday's SMH.

Duffy states that the ABC's charter needs to change, based on the performance of the TV service.

... ABC viewers now watch some of the worst television in Australia.

Of course, what constitutes "quality" is a matter of opinion, but there's no argument that ABC TV has deteriorated over the last five years. What I did find strange is that Duffy seems to think the "Educated Middle Class" (EMC) are captured by the ABC and are devoid of rational reasoning to the extent that they are incapable of watching anything else.

The ABC is the most important broadcaster for the educated middle class around Australia, many of whom listen to and watch little else.

and ...

The audience has stuck with the ABC for various reasons, but much of what it sees now is dross, such as The Bill and the endless cooking shows promoting prat British chefs and their books.

Perhaps they like "The Bill" and cooking shows? If not, it's strange that they haven't moved, since ...

... for a long time now, the most successfully innovative programs have come from American commercial television.

Duffy even goes so far to say ...

It can even be argued that businesses have the right to reach the educated middle class through broadcast media, which the ABC's near-monopoly largely denies them.

Those poor commercial networks! Being shunned by the EMC despite producing "successfully innovating" TV. What can they do?

I have a couple of suggestions.

They could review advertisement spacing. The problem with watching commercial TV is the advertisements. Average shows can cope, but quality programs are unwatchable when interrupted every 10 minutes.

Then there's program scheduling. Surely they can arrange programs to start and stop at the advertised time?

Or maybe there's nothing the commercial networks can do to lure away those rusted on EMCs, who regard most what they broadcast as mindless crap. Sure, there is good stuff amongst the crap, but can they be bothered to find it?

So, the EMC keep watching the ABC / SBS or switch off altogether. They hope that one day the ABC will have enough funds to produce some local drama worth watching.

Which leads us to where the ABC goes from here. Duffy states the ABC charter should be amended ...

[To allow] the limited funds available [to the ABC] ... [to] be devoted to areas where the free market arguably fails: regional radio, high-quality local drama and documentaries, and commercial-free news and current affairs and children's programs.

Alternatively, the ABC should consider running advertising in entertainment programs. As SBS has shown, much of the opposition to advertising is no more than dated fundamentalism.

Duffy states, quite correctly in my view, that the SBS has survived the imposition of advertising without too much damage. Of course, the adds are only shown between the shows and don't interupt the actual programs.

It would be preferable if the government just increased the ABC's funding to somewhere near past levels.

However, I'm relaxed about advertising on the ABC if it followed the SBS example.

I fear, though, that the government will use its Senate majority to alter the ABC much more radically than Duffy suggests. Only the EMCs, mostly conservative voters, stand in their way.