Some fascinating research into our national psyche from Roy Morgan. We are what we watch, apparently:

Australians who support the Australian Labor Party
predominantly turn to the ABC for their current affairs, while
supporters of the Liberal-National Party Coalition choose Channel Nine.

When it comes to the daily evening news, Seven and Nine have more
Coalition supporters in their audience than the general population, SBS
a higher ALP audience and the ABC and Channel Ten are fairly evenly
distributed between the major parties… Labor supporters are more likely
to watch ABC current affairs programmes, The 7:30 Report, Foreign Correspondent, Four Corners, Insiders, and Lateline than Coalition supporters. The 7:30 Report has an audience made up of 41% ALP supporters (3% above average) and 36% L-NP supporters (3% below average). Foreign Correspondent’s audience is 40% ALP (2% above average) and 34% L-NP (5% below average), while Four Corners has 41% ALP supporters in its audience (3% above average) and 33% L-NP supporters (6% below average). The Insiders and Lateline audiences are more polarised. Insiders has a 46% ALP audience (8% higher than the general population) and a 30% L-NP audience (9% below the general population). Lateline’s audience is 45% ALP (7% higher) and only 29% L-NP (a substantial 10% lower).

So the ABC isn’t biased. It’s just pitching at its audience. What Liberals should recognise as good business sense.

“The audience for garden and travel programmes is more likely to
support the Coalition.” Relaxed and comfortable. And aspirational.

“Crime shows also have a high Coalition audience,” Morgan says. So that
explains the sedition laws. Tex has told Philip Ruddock to really crank
it up. The more scarfed the better.

“When it comes to lighter viewing, more ALP voters and less L-NP voters are to be found in the audiences of Home and Away (42% ALP and 36% L-NP), Neighbours (43% ALP and 32% L-NP), The Bold and the Beautiful (44% ALP and 39% L-NP), Young and the Restless (46% ALP and 38% L-NP), Days of Our Lives (47% ALP and 36% L-NP) and Passions
(48% ALP and 27% L-NP) than in the general population (38% ALP and 39%
L-NP).” No doubt that means that they’re loving the ongoing drama that
is Peter Costello’s climb up the greasy poll.

Finally, Morgan tell us “When it comes to reality television ALP supporters prefer Big Brother (43%, 5% higher than average) and Newlyweds (42% 4%, higher than average) whereas Coalition voters are substantially more likely to watch Dancing with the Stars (48%, 9% higher than the general population) and Super Nanny (43%, 4% higher than average).”

Super Nanny watchers back John Howard’s Super Nanny State. It figures. More here.