Discussion
I confess for having an inherent fondness for the BBC.
Any channel that can produce diverse, quality stuff over the years from Fawlty Towers to QI, Dr Who to Life on Earth, is clearly doing a lot right.
But lately I have found the BBC to be deeply annoying.
I intensely dislike their political coverage. Nick Robinson all too often comes over as an extension of the Labour spin machine.
And some of their drama content leaves a lot to be desired - such as the woeful anti-American, global warming propoganda called "Burn Up" they had on masquarading as drama last week.
I dislike ITV even more because I hate advertising. But the decline of some of the best aspects of the BBC bothers me.
So what's going on with the Beeb? They had a new boss a couple of years back did'nt they ? Is the slide all down to him?
In any event, when it comes to the Tellybox I am just grateful for Sky Plus ! A great machine !
Any channel that can produce diverse, quality stuff over the years from Fawlty Towers to QI, Dr Who to Life on Earth, is clearly doing a lot right.
But lately I have found the BBC to be deeply annoying.
I intensely dislike their political coverage. Nick Robinson all too often comes over as an extension of the Labour spin machine.
And some of their drama content leaves a lot to be desired - such as the woeful anti-American, global warming propoganda called "Burn Up" they had on masquarading as drama last week.
I dislike ITV even more because I hate advertising. But the decline of some of the best aspects of the BBC bothers me.
So what's going on with the Beeb? They had a new boss a couple of years back did'nt they ? Is the slide all down to him?
In any event, when it comes to the Tellybox I am just grateful for Sky Plus ! A great machine !
toppstuff said:
I confess for having an inherent fondness for the BBC.
Any channel that can produce diverse, quality stuff over the years from Fawlty Towers to QI, Dr Who to Life on Earth, is clearly doing a lot right.
But lately I have found the BBC to be deeply annoying.
I intensely dislike their political coverage. Nick Robinson all too often comes over as an extension of the Labour spin machine.
And some of their drama content leaves a lot to be desired - such as the woeful anti-American, global warming propoganda called "Burn Up" they had on masquarading as drama last week.
I dislike ITV even more because I hate advertising. But the decline of some of the best aspects of the BBC bothers me.
So what's going on with the Beeb? They had a new boss a couple of years back did'nt they ? Is the slide all down to him?
In any event, when it comes to the Tellybox I am just grateful for Sky Plus ! A great machine !
Don't get me started on BBC Breakfast and their daily tree hugging story Any channel that can produce diverse, quality stuff over the years from Fawlty Towers to QI, Dr Who to Life on Earth, is clearly doing a lot right.
But lately I have found the BBC to be deeply annoying.
I intensely dislike their political coverage. Nick Robinson all too often comes over as an extension of the Labour spin machine.
And some of their drama content leaves a lot to be desired - such as the woeful anti-American, global warming propoganda called "Burn Up" they had on masquarading as drama last week.
I dislike ITV even more because I hate advertising. But the decline of some of the best aspects of the BBC bothers me.
So what's going on with the Beeb? They had a new boss a couple of years back did'nt they ? Is the slide all down to him?
In any event, when it comes to the Tellybox I am just grateful for Sky Plus ! A great machine !
If it wasn't for that Silverton bint occasionally showing up I'd.... Well I don't knowwhat I'd do actually, but I'd certainly be quite miffed.
I think that 'what happened to the BBC' was, largely, Alistair Campbell. You'd be unwise to trust a word of their 'news' or 'commentary' since then. Still, at least they've been able to retreat to what they're most famous for, i.e. more bloody costume dramas. 
Bring back "Ready, Steady, Cook!", I say.
Bring back "Ready, Steady, Cook!", I say.
toppstuff said:
So what's going on with the Beeb? They had a new boss a couple of years back did'nt they ? Is the slide all down to him?
An all party committiee of MPs even concluded that the appointments process at the BBC was too politically biased. The BBC comes across as biased because it is, it's biased because Labour have suprise, suprise, stuffed it full of pro Labour manaegment.
Jasandjules said:
Timmy35 said:
The BBC comes across as biased because it is, it's biased because Labour have suprise, suprise, stuffed it full of pro Labour manaegment.
And reporters etc.. and even interviewers it seems to me.Annoyingly, the David Kelly investigation could well have ended up like a UK Watergate, and had the trail been followed it could have actually driven Blair - or at least some of his senior cabinet - out of office, but instead the government used its powers to gag the BBC and turn Kelly into a some kind of disgraced scapegoat when he could well have been Deep Throat to Andrew Gilligan's Carl Bernstein.
Also, anyone notice how Labour killed BBC satire? The likes of The Day Today and The Friday Night Armistice used to tear the Tories a new a
hole most weeks, they started doing it with Labour in '97/'98, and then they were taken off the air, usually with a court case attached.Have I Got News For You is funny but manages to come across like some kind of comic elder statesman, just not quite as sharp as it used to be. Mock The Week is hilarious but is more likely to head into smut and one-liners than political satire. Closest thing we've got to proper satire is The Now Show but it's very left-wing, and Marcus Bridgestock, who I used to find OK, makes me want to crawl into the radio and punch him on a weekly basis.
Edited by Twincam16 on Monday 28th July 18:08
Fittster said:
Time to scrap the licence fee. I fail to see why people should go to prison if they don't want to watch the BBC.
Well if you want all your programmes sponsored by someone, dragged out as long as they're considered profitable at the expense of the drama, and run by a battery of focus groups with red pens before you get to see them, fair enough.I like the idea of a licence fee to fund programme-making which wouldn't ordinarily be made by commercial stations, which could be screened either on the BBC or sold to commercial networks, but I think independence in the arts is of paramount importance.
Also, I like watching a film on TV without adverts. And before some berk says 'just get a Sky+ box', I don't want one and I couldn't afford one anyway.
grumbledoak said:
I think that 'what happened to the BBC' was, largely, Alistair Campbell. You'd be unwise to trust a word of their 'news' or 'commentary' since then. Still, at least they've been able to retreat to what they're most famous for, i.e. more bloody costume dramas.
Bring back "Ready, Steady, Cook!", I say.
Their news prog, pumped out on the radio 1 every fifteen minutes, is something they have read straight off of the front of Sunday Sport!Bring back "Ready, Steady, Cook!", I say.
It seems that the BBC is to the Left, what FOX is to the right in the US. I want to see impartial journalism, but I don't think I am going to get it from the BBC. This is a great shame.I always thought of myself as a mild mannered sort, but lately the BBC news has made me want to throw things!
Simpo Two said:
Most broadcasters and journos seem to have left-wing sympathies, so I suppose it's not surprising. But I think New Labour realised in 1995-6 that the best way to get your message over is to grab the megaphone...
Kind of….. It’s more a case of “respecting your paymasters” than any genuine political bias. I don’t think anyone can accuse Paxman of being biased – he seems to hate all politicians!!The biggest problem facing the Beeb is that media production costs have soared, audience share has dwindled and revenue from the license fee is tightly controlled. The only way they can increase revenue is through their commercial arm (BBC Worldwide) which packages and sells shows to other TV companies around the world – either complete shows or the rights to produce (i.e. The Office). This is why we have shows like “Dog Borstal” or “Too fat to fart” or whatever – limited audience here but big audiences in other parts of the world.
Fittster said:
Time to scrap the license fee. I fail to see why people should go to prison if they don't want to watch the BBC.
You forget that the BBC is much more than a TV channel. There’s local radio that provides some very valuable and in some parts of the UK, vital, local resources and information networks. Education services, National Radio stations, training……the list goes on.Despite its faults, it is still a world – respected organisation. IIRC, when the twin towers went down, BBC News had the largest share of the global news audience!
Twincam16 said:
Fittster said:
Time to scrap the licence fee. I fail to see why people should go to prison if they don't want to watch the BBC.
Well if you want all your programmes sponsored by someone, dragged out as long as they're considered profitable at the expense of the drama, and run by a battery of focus groups with red pens before you get to see them, fair enough.I like the idea of a licence fee to fund programme-making which wouldn't ordinarily be made by commercial stations, which could be screened either on the BBC or sold to commercial networks, but I think independence in the arts is of paramount importance.
Also, I like watching a film on TV without adverts. And before some berk says 'just get a Sky+ box', I don't want one and I couldn't afford one anyway.
The reason why commercial stations won't make certain programs is because they are not popular. Why should the majority pay for the pleasure of the minority?
The BBC is just another example of big government thinking it knows what is best for us.
StevieBee said:
Fittster said:
Time to scrap the license fee. I fail to see why people should go to prison if they don't want to watch the BBC.
You forget that the BBC is much more than a TV channel. There’s local radio that provides some very valuable and in some parts of the UK, vital, local resources and information networks. Education services, National Radio stations, training……the list goes on.Despite its faults, it is still a world – respected organisation. IIRC, when the twin towers went down, BBC News had the largest share of the global news audience!
If the radio provides vital local resources I suggest the local area pays for them. Lets see how vital they are when people have to pay for what they use.
Fittster said:
StevieBee said:
Fittster said:
Time to scrap the license fee. I fail to see why people should go to prison if they don't want to watch the BBC.
You forget that the BBC is much more than a TV channel. There’s local radio that provides some very valuable and in some parts of the UK, vital, local resources and information networks. Education services, National Radio stations, training……the list goes on.Despite its faults, it is still a world – respected organisation. IIRC, when the twin towers went down, BBC News had the largest share of the global news audience!
If the radio provides vital local resources I suggest the local area pays for them. Lets see how vital they are when people have to pay for what they use.
It’s wrong to think that a commercial broadcaster is going to be unbiased – any thing but. They are also less inclined to think "public service". The bias is towards a commercial end game – profit. To achieve this, it needs to run things in a way that is focused on the thinking “is this commercially viable? Are we going to sell ad space in and around this?”
The sorts of services provided by the BBC at a local level would not be commercially viable and therefore, unlikely to be aired.
BBC Local Radio provides a level of service far in excess of the cost. To get local communities to pay for this would incur a cost totally uncorrelated to the benefits so would thus never happen.
Think of music. How many bands have made it big as a result of being discovered on “Radio Local FM” compared to those that have gone through BBC stations? Not many. The reason is that it would not be commercially viable.
The BBC has enabled the UK to develop arts and culture that's the envy of the world. This would not have been possible via any other means. One could argue that the USA has done OK but Americans consume media in a totally different way to UK audiences.
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