A former ABC host says the purpose the public broadcaster was created to serve has ceased to exist and the $1billion spent on it is welfare for the upper-middle class who should instead pay for a subscription service.
Kel Richards, who hosted flagship ABC radio current affairs show AM and NewsRadios weekend afternoons as well as working as a TV current affairs associate producer, said the $1billion wasted on the ABC should be clawed back.
Writing for Sky News on Thursday, Richards argued the clear, well-explained reason the ABC was commissioned in 1932 was to bring Australia together by providing a service that could be heard around 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 unnecessary.
Richards stated while the invaluable link between all Australians was a worthwhile aim in 1932, when commercial TV and radio stations were scattered around the continent, today it is not possible for any one media organisation to play that role.
He pointed out that when he grew up in Sydney there were eight radio stations, six commercial and two ABC stations, but now there were around 50 on AM, FM and digital bands.
Also for many years there were also just a few commercial TV stations and the ABC in Sydney, but now there was a plethora of both free-to-air and subscription viewing along with streaming services and other content available online.
Veteran broadcaster Kel Richards has argued the ABC, which he used to work for, no longer serves its founding purpose
The same was true across Australia.
In such a crowded media marketplace, everyone’s needs are being met - if not by a local media outlet then by a global one (all of which are now within reach), Richards wrote.
So, why are we spending a billion tax dollars to have an ABC?
It now looks like what it has been for some years: middle class welfare.
Richards acknowledged there was an upper-middle class section of the population that liked the ABC.
But he argued it was unjustifiable for every taxpayer in the country to fund a media service for the select few ... especially when the national budget needs that billion back.
He proposed the 52 ABC regional radio stations, which he acknowledged still play a genuine public service role be carved out into a separate service, which he called ARM (Australian Regional Media).
Richards concluded his column by asking if any government, even a Coalition one, would have the courage to implement such radical changes at the ABC (pictured, ABC chairman Kim Williams)
Richards argued that when the ABC was set up in 1932 it was to serve as a link between all Australians, a function is no longer serves
These stations could continue to provide local programs and news, while being linked to provide national content as well.
Everything else the ABC does should be provided on a Netflix-style subscription model, Richards argued.
Richards concluded his column by asking if any government, even a Coalition one, would have the courage to implement 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 the myriads of left-leaning progressive ones.