Who would like to abolish the BBC Licence fee?

[weltweit]

For the sake of argument, rather than paying for receiving TV, any TV, not just the BBC, (in fact paying just for owning a TV) instead the BBC all their output - TV - Radio and - web would have to be funded by advertising, product placement and sponsorship, this shouldn't be hard as their output is watched and listened to in high numbers.

So for the sake of argument: Who would like to abolish the BBC Licence fee?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Pretty narked off atm that they're butchering Late Junction. Costs pennies to make compared to all the star-wages bullshit on TV that I don't give a shit about. You don't need a licence for radio, mind. BBC is very shit and self-serving in many ways, but the alternative would be even worse.

 

[Supine]

All those voting options but still no choice for happy how things are. Science fail!!!

 

[Ranbay]

Don't watch any live TV in the house, we have no freeview or sky/virgin box.



I torrnet everything and watch it on plex

 

[joustmaster]

I can see the negatives of it. But I'm fine with it as it is.

 

[Argonia]

Happy as things are. Consume a lot of BBC output and consider it worth it. Nice to be spared from fucking adverts.

 

[Argonia]

Pretty narked off atm that they're butchering Late Junction. Costs pennies to make compared to all the star-wages bullshit on TV that I don't give a shit about. You don't need a licence for radio, mind. BBC is very shit and self-serving in many ways, but the alternative would be even worse.

When they getting rid of Late Junction then? It's fucking excellent.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

When they getting rid of Late Junction then? It's fucking excellent.

Cutting it to one night a week.

The BBC cutting Late Junction is a blow for experimental music

 

[Pickman's model]

For the sake of argument, rather than paying for receiving TV, any TV, not just the BBC, (in fact paying just for owning a TV) instead the BBC all their output - TV - Radio and - web would have to be funded by advertising, product placement and sponsorship, this shouldn't be hard as their output is watched and listened to in high numbers.

So for the sake of argument: Who would like to abolish the BBC Licence fee?

mucked up poll, should have been publick

now you can't see who would like to abolish the bbc licence fee

 

[Orang Utan]

Won't vote in it as it's anonymous

 

[lazythursday]

Five years ago I'd be arguing for the status quo. Now, I hardly seem to watch anything on the BBC - there's just so much middlebrow police/hospital related crap and perhaps three series a year I make a point of watching. I'm not sure that the BBC has got worse as such - it's that the alternatives (HBO / Netflix etc) are on another level, quality wise.

And the news is fucking appalling - give me C4 or Sky any day (I'd never have predicted I'd rate Sky higher than the BBC either...)

So I'd probably radically reorganise it in some way, with some aspects funded by advertising / subscription and others remaining free thanks to (a reduced) licence fee. And allow other organisations to compete for the public service broadcasting cash because the BBC is just frittering it away on shite.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

One thing the BBC should do, as an act of good faith and sharpish, is to arrange for its entire output to be available to all licence-fee-payers all the time. Selling it to others to repeat at a fee/with adverts isn't on any more.

 

[maomao]

Abolish the BBC completely.

(wait till my kids are too old for cbeebies first though, I'm not having fucking Nick Jr. on)

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Five years ago I'd be arguing for the status quo. Now, I hardly seem to watch anything on the BBC - there's just so much middlebrow police/hospital related crap and perhaps three series a year I make a point of watching. I'm not sure that the BBC has got worse as such - it's that the alternatives (HBO / Netflix etc) are on another level, quality wise.

And the news is fucking appalling - give me C4 or Sky any day (I'd never have predicted I'd rate Sky higher than the BBC either...)

So I'd probably radically reorganise it in some way, with some aspects funded by advertising / subscription and others remaining free thanks to (a reduced) licence fee. And allow other organisations to compete for the public service broadcasting cash because the BBC is just frittering it away on shite.

the ideal is supposed to be that they cater for everyone. They're nowhere near as good at this as I think they think they are. BBC4, for instance, is mostly full of shite. Where are the genuinely edgy or experimental plays/films, the actually intelligent science shows, the avant garde music shows, etc. They do a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of all those things on Radio 3, and they've decided to even cut that back.

Best bit of the BBC is the World Service, and that's a govt propaganda arm funded directly by the Foreign Office.

 

[andysays]

Abolish the licence fee and fund the BBC from general taxation

 

[pogofish]

Is it that long since we last had a licence fee thread..?

 

[andysays]

Is it that long since we last had a licence fee thread..?

Nothing but repeats these days...

 

[weltweit]

Is it that long since we last had a licence fee thread..?

About 10 years, if the warnings while i was preparing this thread are to be believed.

 

[weltweit]

Abolish the licence fee and fund the BBC from general taxation

I hadn't thought of that option or it would have definitely made the poll.

Although we would arguably probably pay as much as through the licence it could be a fairer way to pay. For example, at the moment I am a one person household and must pay the full whack even though only one person, me, watches the TV. Another household with perhaps 5 people and possibly three TVs pays the same as me. That doesn't seem equitable.

Paying from general taxation would be a bit fairer, at least where adult taxpayers is concerned.

 

[andysays]

I hadn't thought of that option or it would have definitely made the poll.

Although we would arguably probably pay as much as through the licence it could be a fairer way to pay. For example, at the moment I am a one person household and must pay the full whack even though only one person, me, watches the TV. Another household with perhaps 5 people and possibly three TVs pays the same as me. That doesn't seem equitable.

Paying from general taxation would be a bit fairer, at least where adult taxpayers is concerned.

It would be much fairer and would largely eliminate cost of collection and issues of evasion.

I'm not sure why TV licences were ever something people were expected to buy, rather than being funded from general taxation, especially as the BBC was seen as a public service.

 

[editor]

I don't want fucking adverts and I want high quality content. Obvs, I'd rather not pay anything but how else is it going to be funded?

 

[weltweit]

I don't want fucking adverts and I want high quality content. Obvs, I'd rather not pay anything but how else is it going to be funded?

I think as andysays proposed, out of general taxation could be fairer than the present system.

AFAICT the BBC likes the licence fee, but I don't know why?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I think as andysays proposed, out of general taxation could be fairer than the present system.

AFAICT the BBC likes the licence fee, but I don't know why?

It wins a charter, with the fee set, then has a certain amount of autonomy in how that fee is spent. Direct funding from the tax payer would end any kind of distance between it and the govt and any pretence that it is anything other than the govt's mouthpiece.

 

[weltweit]

It wins a charter, with the fee set, then has a certain amount of autonomy in how that fee is spent. Direct funding from the tax payer would end any kind of distance between it and the govt and any pretence that it is anything other than the govt's mouthpiece.

Aha, but does that preclude a ringfenced funding from the treasury with editorial safeguards largely as they are at the moment?

 

[8115]

No because I hate adverts.

However high quality programming as someone said upthread is a bit debatable. I enjoy their drama but radio 4 is very patchy and their politics output is really pretty dire nowadays. Even something like The World Tonight I have to turn off sometimes and let's not mention Question Time. Their comedy output is pretty awful too. Basically just drama.

 

[skyscraper101]

No to the license fee.

Just put all the stuff I don't like such as Eastenders, Dr. Who and Top Gear on a commercial channel and let that pay for the rest of the quality stuff ad free.

Also get rid of that bellend Greg Wallace.

 

[DexterTCN]

No abolish the BBC option?

 

[dylanredefined]

Scrap the licence fee and every broadcaster now has to share the adverts fee so less money all-round. General taxation sounds better. Everyone benefits so everyone pays.

 

[mx wcfc]

Abolish the licence fee and fund the BBC from general taxation

This. I think the beeb is pretty good value compared to sky. I listen to 6 music a lot and when I do watch telly, 90% of the time it’s bbc as I really really hate the advertisements.

Funding from general taxation takes away the whinging from the daily mail and rows about who pays for pensioners.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Funding from general taxation takes away the whinging from the daily mail .

It really doesn't. Especially when there is a Labour govt, you would not hear the end of the whinging about political bias.