ABC Landline And That Baldy From Gunnedah The Only Shows Stopping Local Bushie From Being Seduced By Sky News

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

Semi-retired stock and station agent, Cyril ‘Choppy’ Stiggs (76) just can’t find it in him to join the chorus of reactionary right-wing voters who are demanding that the ABC be defunded.

Once a staunch loyalist to the Australia public broadcaster, Choppy does agree that the inner-Sydney mob have done their best to isolate everyday Australians.

But he’s not going as far as the Nationals MPs who think it is a left-wing mouthpiece that exists only to destroy Australian jobs.

“I mean, fair crack” he says.

“I’m no bleeding heart leftie, but I’m happy with how my 4 cents a day is being spent”

“You can whinge about Four Corners having an agenda all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that greyhound trainers probably shouldn’t be electrocuting dogs with cattle prods to make them run faster”

However, Choppy and his wife do sometimes find themselves asking why in the fuck they should care about the extremely niche and performative national news update about some blue-haired freaks political gripes.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m watching a skit show. Where do they find these people on the news? And why the hell are their online petitions worthy of a national broadcast?”

And as for the dramas and sitcoms, Choppy says he doesn’t quite believe that every single TV character could be as gay and multicultural as the ABC would like to think.

But still, he won’t be joining the growing number of regional and suburban Australians that have detached themselves completely from this 93-year-old media institution.

Why? Because Pip Courtney is bloody good at her job, and he’s watched ABC Landline every Sunday since they got a TV in the home.

“And that smart arse from Gunnedah” says Choppy, with a chuckle.

“Christ he makes me laugh the way he gives it to those peculiar hobbyists that he gets on his show”

Choppy and his wife both admit that without Hard Quiz and Landline, they’d both likely be brainwashed by the shock jocks of Sky News who have convinced hundreds of thousands of other regional Australians that the world is about to end because Peter Dutton isn’t very electable.

“Oh my brain would be fucked mate. I’m a sitting duck for outrage. Every time I go to Maccas I get a whiff of that shit on the big screen. Jesus Christ you’d think Muslims and gays were responsible for the wool crash they way they carry on”

“Half these old blokes I know I only watch it because it’s the only free-to-air channel they can get. Now they think wind turbines are causing cancer”

“Luckily we’ve got good enough signal at our place to quiz. HARD!”