The Minister for Communications, Michael Lee, made an off-hand revelation at the weekend that the Australian Broadcasting Authority would inquire into whether Australia should have a “”fourth channel”. It would be part of the authority’s review of the Broadcasting Act due in 1997.
Mr Lee said some of the options would be a family channel, an open-learning channel, community TV or a channel just like the other three. “”The first and most important question is, is it in the public interest to have a fourth commercial channel in the major markets,” he said.
It is a critical question, as the aggregation experience showed. When extra channels were foisted on various regional areas of Australia, the advertising revenue was divided among three stations, instead of one. News and other local programs, such as they were, suffered grievously.
It may be that a fourth commercial channel nationally would spread resources too thinly. However, the issue must be resolved on the basis of maintaining quality Australian content … not on favouritism to or punishment of particular current or future media players. Sadly the latter has been more a determinant of media policy in Australia to date than the former.
Whether or not there is a fourth commercial channel, Mr Lee has admitted that that there is enough room on the dial for an extra community, family or open-learning channel. That should happen sooner rather than later.