Former ABC host says the purpose the public broadcaster was created for ‘has ceased to exist’ and the $1 billion spent on it is welfare for the ‘upper middle class’ who should pay instead for a subscription service.

Kel Richards, who hosted ABC AM radio’s flagship news show and NewsRadio on weekend afternoons and works as an associate television news producer, said the $1 billion “wasted” on ABC should be “recovered”.

Writing for Sky News on Thursday, Richards argued that the “clear and well-explained reason” why the ABC was commissioned in 1932 was to bring Australia together “by providing a service that could be heard across the country”.

“This reason supported its existence and funding for many decades,” Richards wrote.

“These reasons no longer exist. There is no longer any reason for the ABC to exist. It has become useless.

Richards said that while the “invaluable bond between all Australians” was a “laudable goal” in 1932, when commercial television and radio stations were scattered across the continent, today “it is not possible for a single media organization to play this role.

He pointed out that when he grew up in Sydney there were eight radio stations, six commercial and two ABC stations, but now there were around 50 on AM, FM and digital.

Also for many years there were only a few commercial television channels and ABC in Sydney, but now there was a plethora of free and subscription programming, as well as streaming services and other content available online .

Veteran broadcaster Kel Richards says ABC, where he worked, is no longer fulfilling its founding purpose.

The same was true across Australia.

“In such a saturated media market, everyone’s needs are met – if not by a local media outlet, then by a global media outlet (all of which are now within our reach),” Richards wrote.

“So why are we spending a billion dollars in taxes to have an ABC?

“It looks now like it has for a few years: middle-class welfare.”

Richards acknowledged that there was an “upper middle” section of the population who enjoyed the ABC.

But he said it was “unjustifiable for all the taxpayers of the country to finance a media service reserved for a privileged few… especially when the national budget needs to recover this billion”.

He proposed that the 52 regional ABC radio stations, which he said “still play a real public service role”, should be consolidated into a separate service, which he called ARM (Australian Regional Media).

Richards concluded her column by asking whether any government, even a Coalition government, would have the courage to implement such radical changes to the ABC (photo, Kim Williams, ABC president)

Richards argued that when the ABC was established in 1932, it was intended to serve as a link between all Australians, a function which is no longer fulfilled.

These stations could continue to broadcast local programs and news, while being linked to also provide national content.

Everything ABC does should be delivered on a Netflix-style subscription model, Richards argued.

Richards concluded his article by asking whether any government, even a Coalition government, would have the courage to implement such radical change.

He also echoed other News Corp pundits in saying the ABC lacked “diversity of opinion” without a single conservative host or executive producer among the myriad of left-leaning progressive hosts.