dumbing down

It is still raining this morning after having rained all night following a respite of about 4 hours yesterday afternoon. I don't know if this has anything to do with the speed of the computer but I logged on at 8.05 and it is now 8.45 before I am in a position to write. I have been trying to upload one 275kb picture but it will not take it.
Anyway, what I was going to say about dumbing down. Why does Australia spend billions of dollars on formal education on the one hand and on the other, TV spends billions to dumb us back down. Sure we don't have to watch TV but for the masses who can't afford live theatre and who live too far away from it for its to be a regular entertainment, TV is is affordable and convenient.
But it keeps the masses ignorant through feel good touchy-feely chitter-chat morning breakfast shows and the empty headed hosts and reporters. I'm sure they can't be as inane as they come across but as the hosts of the programme, they are used by the producer to appeal to the lowest common denominator rather than their trying to average up the audience. Radio Australia is spasmodic in its reception and it is often drowned out by Asian programmes which is why I turn to the TV for news. EMTV, the PNG station, gets a lot of its programming from Ch9 Australia.