Do you pay your TV licence fee?

Author
Discussion

TEKNOPUG

18,975 posts

206 months

Wednesday 27th March
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richhead said:
CoolHands said:
They’re onto a losing wicket, they just can’t face it.
well they know that only oap,s will pay, and thats a shrinking market.
It's definitely a growing market.

tangerine_sedge

4,809 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
LimaDelta said:
It's not about the cost, it's about their values no longer aligning with many of the British viewers[Citation needed]. It's about essentially funding an organisation and their smug, sneering employees, who brazenly and visibly hate a huge proportion of the British people[Citation needed]. And it's the fact that much of what they produce is low-quality, preachy, propaganda, rather than entertaining or educating[Citation needed]. There are so many other sources these days, that the licence fee is an anachronism. The BBC, like any other broadcaster, should sink or swim on it's own merits, and not rely on coercion and the threat of prosecution to survive.

YMMV.
My gut feeling is that your opinion of the BBC is driven by years of right wing media attacking it, and years of Tory governments using it as a handy dog to kick when their news journalists dare to critique poor policy.

If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.



Jamescrs

4,495 posts

66 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
Yes, it's less than £4.00 a week ffs!

A small price to pay for no adverts.

How else are the going to fund the programmes?

That includes Radio as well.
It's not about the money for me, I don't agree with the way the BBC operates and I don't make use of their services so i'm not paying for it.

I don't really care how they fund their programmes or the rest of their network, radio etc as I don't use them in the same way I don't care how Disney fund themselves as I don't subscribe to Disney+.


LimaDelta

6,533 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
tangerine_sedge said:
LimaDelta said:
It's not about the cost, it's about their values no longer aligning with many of the British viewers[Citation needed]. It's about essentially funding an organisation and their smug, sneering employees, who brazenly and visibly hate a huge proportion of the British people[Citation needed]. And it's the fact that much of what they produce is low-quality, preachy, propaganda, rather than entertaining or educating[Citation needed]. There are so many other sources these days, that the licence fee is an anachronism. The BBC, like any other broadcaster, should sink or swim on it's own merits, and not rely on coercion and the threat of prosecution to survive.

YMMV.
My gut feeling is that your opinion of the BBC is driven by years of right wing media attacking it, and years of Tory governments using it as a handy dog to kick when their news journalists dare to critique poor policy.

If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.
Here's a [citation] thought experiment - walk into any BBC exec/talent meeting/staff room and ask for a show of hands who voted to leave the EU. See how many hands go up. Ask the same for how many voted Tory at the last GE, count the hands. I'd wager a large sum that even if there are a few in those rooms, they are unlikely to be brave enough to put up their hands. Ask yourself if there is a cultural reason why? Does the BBC only employ people who have a metropolitan liberal-left bias, or are they the only types drawn to that institution?

ARHarh

3,781 posts

108 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
tangerine_sedge said:
If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.
I disagree with the US thing, I tend to watch 2 hours of TV every day. I record it from live to air channels, no subscription stuff. And I can't remember the last time I watched an American program. I did watch a Canadian one last night though. Yes some channels are full of American stuff but there is still plenty of UK produced stuff.

I don't seem to find much BBC stuff of interest these days though.

Mr Penguin

1,254 posts

40 months

Wednesday 27th March
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There is a lot of British film and TV on ITV, Channel 4, probably Sky, and even Netflix. Some of what the BBC broadcast isn't made by the BBC but by other companies who would sell to someone else.
The BBC lost its way in the 90s when they tried to chase ratings and move to the lowest levels of entertainment. At the very least it needs major reforms.

Jordie Barretts sock

4,218 posts

20 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
When there was only the BBC, then a licence to fund it was a reasonable way of solving the problem.

Now the BBC is a very small part of broadcast TV and radio. I don't need a licence to listen to commercial radio, why should I need a licence to watch ITV/YouTube/all the rest?

Make the BBC fully commercial and self funding. That's the obvious and simple answer.

richhead

908 posts

12 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Jordie Barretts sock said:
When there was only the BBC, then a licence to fund it was a reasonable way of solving the problem.

Now the BBC is a very small part of broadcast TV and radio. I don't need a licence to listen to commercial radio, why should I need a licence to watch ITV/YouTube/all the rest?

Make the BBC fully commercial and self funding. That's the obvious and simple answer.
the top people at the bbc wont do this unless forced to, they are milking the gravy train, why would they stop?
if the bbc had to pay its own way it would fail in its current form and they know that.

funinhounslow

1,641 posts

143 months

Wednesday 27th March
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
Yes, it's less than £4.00 a week ffs!

A small price to pay for no adverts.

How else are the going to fund the programmes?

That includes Radio as well.
It’s £169/year - quite a sum if you have no interest in watching the BBC’s output but just want to watch football live on Sky or whatever.

And there are adverts - they’re forever advertising their own products and services.

I’ve recently subscribed to GHR premium - I think it’s very good value at £40/year but it would be ridiculous to insist that you had to subscribe to it to listen to Virgin radio - and that is pretty much where we are with TV now…

Acuity30

195 posts

19 months

Thursday 2nd May
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Never paid for it, never watch any live TV tbh, maybe a total of 10 minutes in a year and the odd BBC youtube video

Ken Figenus

5,714 posts

118 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
LimaDelta said:
Here's a [citation] thought experiment - walk into any BBC exec/talent meeting/staff room and ask for a show of hands who voted to leave the EU. See how many hands go up. Ask the same for how many voted Tory at the last GE, count the hands. I'd wager a large sum that even if there are a few in those rooms, they are unlikely to be brave enough to put up their hands. Ask yourself if there is a cultural reason why? Does the BBC only employ people who have a metropolitan liberal-left bias, or are they the only types drawn to that institution?
I have been in such meetings. You are likely correct. Lefties are more authoritarian than liberal these days thoughfrown....But if you walked into a room full of bankers or cabbies or £75k bricklayers or Landlords then their answers might be grouped by industry niche too.

I don't agree with the license fee based on the prosecution scenario (watching ITV 'live' is nothing to do with BBC demanded income...) but its clear that the Tories say the BBC is too Left and Labour say its too Right. Its definitely quite woke as the casting and quota biases don't reflect actual society but more ideology. But then so does ITV and CH4... Not a biggie for me at all but I do see it.