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The Good and the Bad

The past couple of days I have been meditating in my kero-bath trying to work out the balance between good and bad in this life.

Good is represented by our wonderful nurses. They put up with all sorts of hassles and grief - only to get more from their lords and masters (the beancounters) - and yet they keep trooping back into work every day.

Bad is beautifully captured by our commercial TV channels. They who put on rubbish programmes - trying to sell them as the latest and greatest thing - and continually insult viewers' intelligence and try their patience.

The most recent example has been over AFL coverage - particularly in NSW - where footy fans (AFL) have been trampled underfoot by other footy fans (NRL) need to see their teams live.

Now, personally, I reckon followers of all mainstream sports should get to see their teams live. That means one channel should have league, one footy, one soccer ... or netball, or hockey.

The problem has arisen because of the commercial ambush of Channel 7 - holder of AFL rights for .... ever - by Channel 9, Channel 10 and Foxtel. Seven lost out in the bidding war and so the others' have divided up the footy (AFL) matches.

Problem is, Channel 9 has too many sports in its stable and can't meet the demands of both. Remember the Ashes versus Wimbledon TV-coverage debacles?

Anyway, I'm sitting in the bath pondering all this when all of a sudden, in a flash of light and smoke, along comes another choice - a very surprising one - for an example of good.

Very surprising indeed, actually, because it's the Communications Monster Richard Alston. Now, he's not really my sort of guy usually - something to do with his complete ignorance of the Internet - but he's told Channels 9 and 10 to lift their game over footy.

Old Internet Alston has had quite a few complaints about the TV matters and clearly doesn't like to be woken during what seems like an exceptionally long period of media-shy hybernation.

Anyway, people are furious about the coverage, ratings are plummeting and so Internet Alston has reminded the TV chappies that if games are not shown live they can be given to the ABC or SBS to broadcast.

Which has just bubbled up a new idea from my bath waters. It cost the new footy channels some $500 million to get the AFL and they seem to be kicking way too many out-of-bounds. Wouldn't it be wonderful if both the ABC and SBS did footy matches as well - only it won't cost them a cent.

How delicious! Ohhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

If there is something that has really got up your nose, let Grumpy Old Coot know at grumpy@webwombat.com