The Glasshouse, Chaser and the Democratic Myth
The recent decision by the ABC to axe the popular satire/chat show The Glasshouse has coincided neatly with the the new cross-media ownership laws.
The sheer popularity of the show and it's notoriety among politicians led to the Prime Minister himself having to deny being a part of the program's demise.
The ABC is undergoing a change of regime, according to Glasshouse co-host, Dave Hughes, who noted the "interesting timing" of the decision.
Interesting is a good word, but alarming is a better one.
Following the changes to media-ownership laws, there will be an almost inevitable commercial centralisation of the media in Australia, and the rumour that the ABC may begin to accept commerical advertising cannot be ruled out.
Shows like The Glasshouse, although they pull ratings (over 700,000 viewers), do not exactly maintain a "buying mood".
The question then is, where does the ABC's other bastion of poltical satire, The Chaser's future lie?
Reports say that The Chaser will be given a better timeslot next year. However, one can only speculate whether this will also mean a diluted brand of satire and humour.
The media's idealistic role as the fourth estate has receeded to the point that satire is the only real social watchdog.
It seems that the ABC's decision to can a popular, original and successful show either stems from deep political (and/or commercial) machinations of censorship, or just plain old stupidity.
The sheer popularity of the show and it's notoriety among politicians led to the Prime Minister himself having to deny being a part of the program's demise.
The ABC is undergoing a change of regime, according to Glasshouse co-host, Dave Hughes, who noted the "interesting timing" of the decision.
Interesting is a good word, but alarming is a better one.
Following the changes to media-ownership laws, there will be an almost inevitable commercial centralisation of the media in Australia, and the rumour that the ABC may begin to accept commerical advertising cannot be ruled out.
Shows like The Glasshouse, although they pull ratings (over 700,000 viewers), do not exactly maintain a "buying mood".
The question then is, where does the ABC's other bastion of poltical satire, The Chaser's future lie?
Reports say that The Chaser will be given a better timeslot next year. However, one can only speculate whether this will also mean a diluted brand of satire and humour.
The media's idealistic role as the fourth estate has receeded to the point that satire is the only real social watchdog.
It seems that the ABC's decision to can a popular, original and successful show either stems from deep political (and/or commercial) machinations of censorship, or just plain old stupidity.
