pommie bastard

I must admit to watching ABC which is the best channel on Aussie TV by far , like the good old BBC its being hammered by the goverment for biting the hand that feeds it .
The main channels push out back slapping Aussie bollocks plus down market Yank TV , so the attack on ABC by the Tories is of concern.

Dumbing down as easy as ABC

RESTRICTION of the education and current affairs activities of the ABC will play a part in the increased "dumbing down" of Australian society.

Citizens are increasingly exposed to a soporific diet of television sport, music, soapies and cartoons. Aboriginal television and radio already produce similar coverage, plus a plethora of Christian fundamentalists plying their trade.

And then there's our Asian neighbours who are informed about the mindset of Western society by the Christian fundamentalist group which took over the Cox Peninsula transmitter from Radio Australia a few years ago.

Such "dumbing down" goes hand in hand with existing economic and social conditions and together encourage a "bread and circuses" attitude. The loss of ABC programming will not help any of us form informed opinions about conservation, governance or foreign policy issues. It will not groom our kids to take over the running of the country nor persuade our neighbours that we are all fellow human beings. More and more we'll be at the mercy of government by gut feeling or big business.

Some readers may be uncomfortable with the ABC's coverage of the Iraq war or the children overboard affair. But remember Four Corners' brilliant exposure of corruption in the Queensland police force and more recently of insurance and superannuation scandals?

Often citizens are not in a position to keep an eye on government, statutory bodies and big business. We should all ensure that we have a strong public broadcaster well-positioned to act on our behalf.
Denise Lawungkurr
Parap, NT

Megalania

...The BBC gets £2.4bn a year ... (~$A6G)
Sky chief demands BBC funding review

...In 2003-04 the ABC will receive a total of $760 million in Federal Government funding ... (~$A0.8G)
Federal Government funding commitment to the ABC 100% rock solid

I like the ABC.

pommie bastard

Gets my vote too but not your Tory mates, plus it buys many BBC programs , so it has good taste?

Megalania

They seem to be buying BBC rubbish, stuff like "The Bill", "Down To Earth" and I don't know what else; gets the flick from me. Most memorable British show I really liked was Herriot's "All creatures large and small" (many years ago).

jayr

I see "the Family" is on which is pretty funny, also like the homegrown talent in the shape of 'Kath and Kim' and 'Enough Rope', agree with your sentiments about 'the Bill' (though not a product of the BBC)

pommie bastard

What about all the BBC nature programs , history programs , Kids programs, current affair specials plus many quality period drama's all bought by the ABC , your are as always letting your Anti-Pom colours show.

Megalania

BBC nature programs, especially "Walking with dinosaurs", get two thumbs up.

I can not name a BBC history program from memory.

Don't watch kids programs but can name "TellyBubbies" & "Tomas the tank engine".

I can not name a BBC current affairs program on ABC from memory but have occassionally watched "HardTalk" on BBCWorld, UK SkyNews.

Used to like some of the "quality period drama's" particularly "The Onedin Line" (years ago) but endless re-hassings of Dickens and Bronte with just changes of actors I pass on.

pommie bastard

Last Sunday had BBC history programs on both ABC and SBS , just picked a few for this week.

NCS Manhunt , Spooks ,
Vets In Practice ,Oliver'sTwist,LockStock,Family .


From Sunday both BBC programs.


7:30 pm

Final Episode: Edward And Mary: The Unknown Tudors [G, ]


Concluding David Starkey's compelling look at the Tudor siblings tied by affection but torn apart by religion and power. The dramatic events that shaped the life of Bloody Mary.



8:30 pm

The Other Boleyn Girl

Dramatic telling of an extraordinary tale of love, loss, passion and rivalry between sisters: Mary and Anne Boleyn; Mary was Henry VIII's mistress but is outmanoeuvred in her family's plot to advance their fortunes by her sister Anne.

pommie bastard

The ABC video shop lives off the BBC also?

http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/format.asp?formatid=1

Megalania

All given the flick, especially the last two; left the wife in charge of the telly.

pommie bastard

So SBS was off limits too?

THE CANTERBURY TALES
Universal praise from the British press for this Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated animated rendition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The program follows the journey of a colourful bunch of pilgrims from London to Canterbury. In a story-telling competition, six of the pilgrims tell a tale, in which love, lust, deception, duplicity, chivalry and chicanery abound. (From the UK, in English). PG



07:30 pm AS IT HAPPENED - SECRET HISTORY OF HACKING
This documentary explores the birth of hacking in the 1960s to the present day through interviews with hackers and the FBI Special Agents assigned to deal with “cybercriminals�. Hacking began as a means of making free phone calls, but soon the outlaws of the computer age were able to break into computers at the highest levels of secrecy – including the NASA computer at Marshall Space Flight Centre. Steve Wozniak, once a hacker, was part of the San Francisco Homebrew Computer Club who began building their own computers in the 1970s. He later founded Apple computers. (From the UK, in English). PG CC

DianeOZ

Spooks - I love it. Tom is SO sexy in a mysterious sort of way................................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmm..

Anyway back to telly. They had Linda Green too which was excellent.

I think I might have been out of it at the time but I'm sure I saw something about "Acess" having Coro on in the afternoon? Anyone shed any light on this??

off to fantasize about Tom...

Megalania

THE CANTERBURY TALES - missed, probably flick material.

AS IT HAPPENED - SECRET HISTORY OF HACKING - seen on FoxTel some while back.

Remember:
A HISTORY OF BRITAIN
but knew it all anyway, still was a good show.

pommie bastard

Friday was a hard one had to choose between Mr J Creek and Heatbeat to set the video , Brit TV leaves the Aussie stuff for dead .

pommie bastard

You have Foxtel with the UK TV channel I take it .