Sir, - Fintan O'Toole (October 23th) and Farrel Corcoran (October 26th), fail to realise that the commercial broadcasters are not interested in programme diversity and such niceties as entertaining the public. They view their primary purpose as being an advertising vehicle, as this is their prime revenue source. What better way to keep viewers morosely addicted to the advertising than the current typical programme schedule? This is made almost entirely of soaps, sitcoms, simpsons and sports which are designed to numb the viewers into being more receptive to the glories of advertising.
Unless the commerce-driven agenda can be reduced or preferably removed from the broadcasters, there is unlikely to be any improvement in broadcasting in future. In the meantime, I'll switch off.
And as for the green flag? It doesn't exist any longer - it was replaced a long time ago by a multicoloured cloth of international corporate logos. - Yours, etc.,
Pieter van Velzen, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.