look out abc, page-9

Personally I listen and watch the ABC and would be disappointed if it was dismantled. But there is a distinct' I know better than you 'attitude amongst many ABC radio and TV presenters. And I find it difficult to understand how it can justify the cost of running two metro stations which, very frequently, are running the same stories in parallel. And, when Parliament is not sitting (a large portion of the year), and with the inclusion of station 1026, three stations can be running the same, or similar, stories simultaneously. Mind you, as an insomniac, I would miss its overseas overnight broadcast.

And for the life of me I can not comprehend how the ABC can justify the running of a 24 hr news station, with the requisite' talking heads'. What a disgraceful waste of money!

So my suggestion to the next Liberal Federal Government would be to retain the ABC but:

- dismantle the 24 hour radio news channel;

- drastically reduce the operating hours of radio station 621, or dismantle it altogether (this is not my preferred option);

- enact legislation that will strictly ensure the ABC's adherence to its charter of political balance, not an easy task. This should be applied to its Television as well as its radio presentations of course. Thus it may be able to entice more frequent visitations by Liberal politicians who, because of its perceived bias, are reluctant to appear on its TV channel. Our national TV broadcaster should be the first 'port of call' for our Federal politicians.