Alan Kohler has always taken a common-sense approach to economic affairs.

However, I'm not sure we can call the ABC "the mainstream media". Them plus ABC get about 20% the tv-watching viewership...

Okay, they're not marginal or extreme commies or anything, but I don't know that you could call them "mainstream". They've always tended to take more thorough and detailed looks at issues that the Today Tonight and A Current Affair channels....

I have to admit I was some what shocked to see that... but ...20% is an exaggeration...

When I mentioned it to my Big Brother addicted in-law... I realised the fringe minority I was in...

So far, in the "lucky country", we can ignore the reality of these reports.

I like Alan's graphs though.

I took the 20% from this week's Green Guide, the TV/radio guide published each Thursday with Melbourne's The Age.

They said,

Locally [in Melbourne], with eight programs in the Top 20, it [Channel Seven], it recorded 28.8% to Nine's 23.4%. Ten registered 23.4%, the ABC 15.8% and SBS 5%.

ABC 15.8% + SBS 5% = 20.8%.

Big Brother gives people something to talk about casually over a beer or at work. Four Corners is more serious stuff, and Spicks and Specks is so light there's nothing to discuss. So with casual conversations, the strength of the commercial stations is over-represented compared to their actual viewership.

Of course, the other way to look at it is that in Australia, 20% is "fringe". A 20% national vote isn't enough to get a single person into the House of Representatives...