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TV is, and will remain, an oligopoly (if only by using their power over governments to keep things that way). Have you ever heard of Director's Law? Roughly translated, it means that 'monopolistic compettition' in an oligopoly tends to make firms converge their services in search of the median consumer or voter, rather than seeking to fill all the different niches as either a pure monopoly or a truly competitive industry would. That's why there is rarely a really big policy gap between mainstream democratic parties, why Ansett ran an almost identical timetable to Qantas, and why commercial TV stations all look alike - including in their position on current affairs. Freeing at least one of the players from the commercial imperative of seeking the median viewer is the only way you're going to get a variety of views.
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