The New Season's Offerings

The former Labor government had problems in selling a program with a complicated and constantly rewritten script, a production that went way over budget and a rapid change of cast, including the threatened sacking of one of the longtime stars - that highest paid of entertainers in the world today - royalty. But nothing could more clearly demonstrate the failure of the scriptwriters and producers than the problems they had dealing with a rapidly-changing media industry.

Let's face it - our once world-class media industry is a mess. And only after barely recovering from bankruptcy in the late 80's debacle because of a lack of appropriate government legislation. And pay television delayed 10 years creating a real problem for new local players because their soon-to-be-introduced overseas competitors have 10 years head start. They don't stand a chance when the controls come off next year and the sky is thick with Lear jets bringing in another wave of cashed-up multinational companies in acquisition mode.

It's not "foreign ownership" that's the issue. That can be dealt with if governments intervene sensibly supporting the local industry with incentives to develop our own considerable skills. At most, it's a smokescreen for the real issue - media concentration. Years of neglect and ad hoc sidestepping and changing of the rules by the previous government allowed one man and his company to gain control nearly 70% of our newspapers and almost total control over the pay television industry.

Now the Foxtel/Galaxy merger is dead Galaxy may also be also taken off the air - and the News Limited/Telstra joint venture Foxtel may be in trouble. And years of rampant overspending at the ABC - opening the costly Australian Television International, millions lost on the failed AIM tilt at the pay windmill and an expensive and unsuccessful grab at news and local drama ratings has left a bloated and inefficient monster.

Will the new Communications Minister - perhaps Warwick Smith - be able to pull our industry and the vital local production industry - back from the brink? Stay tuned for another exciting episode in the life of our televisual nation. Same time, same channel - but - as ever - a new cast of actors now takes the stage.