Heaven help us and let it burn. If the sector is so moribund that it has come to this, I do not think that governments should prop it up. Australians do not want to be assailed morning and night with ads from largely overseas owned corporate bookmakers. What kind of country are we living in? Aussies lose $25 billion a year gambling! That is a lot of money, to state the obvious. Do we have too much money and are we too dumb to care? If free to air TV is dependent upon gambling ad revenue? Surely, something is wrong with the business and, perhaps, it has reached its use by date.
Aussie Free To Air TV Networks Run On Sport’s Betting Ad Money
Advertising invariably defines the vehicles that carry it. By that I mean, those holding the purse strings via the ad revenue they tip into the business eventually start to call the shots. Over at Channel 7 all that testosterone fuelled sports betting money must be contributing to the toxic environment there. Seven West Media has been accused by a bevy of female presenters and journos of misogyny and making their lives miserable for very little pay. Four Corners did an expose about what has been happening in this male dominated media fiefdom for the last few years. Buying Bruce Lehrmann, the alleged rapist of Brittany Higgins and his story with rent money, hookers and cocaine.
“Once the defamatory harm had been made out, the burden of proof of rebuttal shifted to the defendant, Channel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson. This involved proving the substantial truth of the rape allegation. The standard of proof to be satisfied was the civil standard, that is, on the balance of probabilities it was more likely than not that the rape occurred. “
_ (https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/what-can-we-learn-from-the-failed-lehrmann-defamation-case)
Backing Ben Roberts-Smith and his failed defamation action, which found he likely was a war criminal.
Quality Journalism Thin On The Ground At OZ TV Land
If you like me, have wondered why all the journos at these networks look so green and young? It is not only because we are getting old but because they pay peanuts these days. The old hands have left or been retrenched because the corporate media operators wont pay them what they are worth. The free to air networks are a sham and the smoke and mirrors are looking a little thin. It’s a shabby world if the only thing keeping the lights on is a bunch of dollars derived from the gambling losses of stupid Australians.
Do we really want a business, a media organisation, run on the back of gambling money being a role model generating thing for our kids?
Our International Reputation As Mug Punters
Overseas corporate bookmakers are making a motza from ordinary Australians. $25 billion lost on the punt each year downunder. That is a lot of money heading out the door and off shore. We are fast establishing a reputation as mug punters internationally.
Australians are easy money targets for smart cookies from OS. Aussies get scammed out of billions every year largely from scammers located off shore. The AUKUS deal sees our federal government paying $360 billion to the Americans and Brits for nuclear submarines, with no guarantee that they will ever be delivered. It gives one a sinking feeling LOL. Similarly, we are giving away our resources to gas companies and mining multinationals with huge tax subsidies, rather than charging a super profit tax like smart countries, Norway and Qatar. Are Australians just too dumb to care? Too busy getting excited about sporting events like the Olympics to see who is stealing their lunch on a daily basis?
If free to air TV is dependent upon gambling ad revenue? Then maybe it is time to wave goodbye to the fake smiles and insincerity of TV land? Streaming services have largely replaced the old TV entertainment paradigm anyway. Younger folk rarely bother to tune in – it is a dying business model. Let us say sayonara to the Channel 7s, 9s and 10s. Plus, a special final farewell to Sky News Australia and Fox. We hope that you depart our shores forever more. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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