What Can Possibly Be More Interesting Than This Article?
Australia's Channel 2, the government funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), used to host a show called " Backchat ". Viewers were invited to submit their opinions about ABC broadcasts beamed into their televisions and radios. If what the viewer or listener had to say was current enough, witty, or clever, part of their submissions would be quoted on-air. Backchat, aired twice a week, was a ten-minute segment that filled the gap between 9.20pm and 9.30pm; the concept was brilliant. Viewers got a thrill when the best parts of their letters were read out for all the nation to hear. The interesting thing about it was that there were often multiple comments on the same topic, giving a theme to that day's Backchat. The ABC had found a way to seem accountable to the public and, at the same time, attract viewers to their television station. Aside from the novelty of having your words read out and your name displayed on television, the idea was not that much dif...