Who would like to abolish the BBC Licence fee?

[Humberto]

They are led by the nose by the likes of Rupert Murdoch anyway. See also: Cummings, Johnson.

 

[ska invita]

Its on:

No 10 tells BBC licence fee will be scrapped

Downing Street turned on the BBC last night — vowing to scrap the television licence fee and make viewers pay a subscription. The national broadcaster could also be compelled to downsize and sell off most of its radio stations.In a plan that would change the face of British broadcasting, senior aide

www.thetimes.co.uk

Downing Street turned on the BBC last night — vowing to scrap the television licence fee and make viewers pay a subscription. The national broadcaster could also be compelled to downsize and sell off most of its radio stations.

In a plan that would change the face of British broadcasting, senior aides to the prime minister insisted that they are “not bluffing” about changing the BBC’s funding model and “pruning” its reach into people’s homes.

The blueprint being drawn up in government will:

● Scrap the licence fee and replace it with a subscription model

● Force the BBC to sell off the vast majority of its 61 radio stations but safeguard Radio 3 and Radio 4

● Reduce the number of the corporation’s national

..paywall, and i dont have the unblocker at work, if someone wouldnt mind posting the rest

 

[weltweit]

A subscription would suck just like the licence fee!

 

[ska invita]

how can you even have a subscription on freeview tvs?

 

[Sasaferrato]

A subscription would suck just like the licence fee!

Really? No need to subscribe.

Mrs Sas and me were discussing our viewing habits. It turns out that all that is routinely watched in the household is the dancing program and occasionally Bargain Hunt.

The rest of the time it is the ITV stable for Mrs Sas, and Eurosport or documentaries on satellite for me. We decided that we would not be subscribing to the BBC at all.

I note that R4 would continue, I used to listen to Today every morning, but since retirement... it is long gone by the time I awake. The Archers omnibus is listened to, but that is about it.

 

[weltweit]

Really? No need to subscribe.

I wouldn't break up the BBC, I like it, I just don't like the licence fee.

Mrs Sas and me were discussing our viewing habits. It turns out that all that is routinely watched in the household is the dancing program and occasionally Bargain Hunt.

The rest of the time it is the ITV stable for Mrs Sas, and Eurosport or documentaries on satellite for me. We decided that we would not be subscribing to the BBC at all.

I note that R4 would continue, I used to listen to Today every morning, but since retirement... it is long gone by the time I awake. The Archers omnibus is listened to, but that is about it.

BBC R4 is frequently on in the background here.
I watch BBC 2 and 1 on a Friday.
Then I often watch BBC News last thing at night.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I wouldn't break up the BBC, I like it, I just don't like the licence fee.


BBC R4 is frequently on in the background here.
I watch BBC 2 and 1 on a Friday.
Then I often watch BBC News last thing at night.

Is that worth £150+ a year to you though?

If it was on a subscription basis, I suspect that there would not be many subscribers.

Edited to add:

I'd probably use the money saved to put on one of the sports channels.

 

[weltweit]

Is that worth £150+ a year to you though?

No, and that is why I want the BBC to be funded by general taxation.

If it was on a subscription basis, I suspect that there would not be many subscribers.

Indeed, a lot of people would use ad funded channels and pay nothing.
I don't want to see the end of the BBC.

 

[Sasaferrato]

These are figures for print newspaper. There's the small matter of online.

Indeed.

Consider this though, the carbon footprint is unsustainable.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I am increasingly ambivalent.

While the tories are after the BBC for not being biased enough, the way they have toadied to the tories the last year or two has made me much less inclined to defend them.

I find the BBC doing it even worse than the billionaire owned newspapers - a lot of people out there still think the BBC is impartial which made their propaganda even more objectionable.

 

[Sasaferrato]

The bridge had to close a couple of days back because of the weather. The tories used this to attack the SNP because it was funded by Scotland (this is why it came in on time and under budget).

bbc scotland yesterday updated a three year old item, changed the headline and removed the expert's statement (that said it would only close in exceptional circumstances...like for instance the recent weather which has resulted in deaths and huge damage, closures all over the UK...that would be exceptional).

They changed the headline to 'the bridge that should never close', which they made up, this week, to attack the Scottish government. Have you ever heard of a bridge that shouldn't close? Ever? Think on it.

I think, I'm not sure, the main bbc place in England has a statue of George Orwell outside the building. He may be crying.

It did not come in on time, it was well late.

From Wiki: The bridge was first due to be completed by December 2016, but this deadline was extended to August 2017 after several delays.[

There is also a small problem. IT STILL ISN'T FINISHED! Snagging work continues.

It was also not within budget, and could only be described as having been by ignoring the constantly increased 'contingency budget'.

The SNP are not capable of running a one stall urinal.

Children's hospital, signed off as complete, unused at a taxpayer cost of over a million a month, because those fucking muppets had no one competent enough to ensure that the ventilation ion ICU and HDU was fit for purpose.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I am increasingly ambivalent.

While the tories are after the BBC for not being biased enough, the way they have toadied to the tories the last year or two has made me much less inclined to defend them.

I find the BBC doing it even worse than the billionaire owned newspapers - a lot of people out there still think the BBC is impartial which made their propaganda even more objectionable.

A matter of perception, but to me, the left wing BBC bias over decades is insufferable.

 

[PursuedByBears]

I'd miss BBC 4 and the radio stations but that's it really.

 

[Sasaferrato]

They have to produce a lot of news content, across TV, radio & the website - including specific content for the nations & regional TV outlets, nations & local radio services, the BBC World Service (radio) in shedloads of various languages, and BBC World News (TV).

Does it though? They screen programs about our poor planet, then fly fifty people to some remote place to show it.

Perhaps the answer is a single news organisation, personnel provided by all the broadcasters, so a single crew is sent. This would reduce CO2 in a major way.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I'd miss BBC 4 and the radio stations but that's it really.

After a further discussion, this household would not be subscribing.

 

[D'wards]

Radio 2 has the biggest listener figures in Europe iirc.

The tv would be easy- just do a Netflix type login deal with the live tv option on iplayer.

Dunno how that would work for the radio though.

 

[andysays]

I wonder what the next public service to be switched to "subscription only" will be once this goes ahead.

Anyone applauding this simply because they don't watch much of the BBC's current output is in danger of missing the bigger picture.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Radio 2 has the biggest listener figures in Europe iirc.

The tv would be easy- just do a Netflix type login deal with the live tv option on iplayer.

Dunno how that would work for the radio though.

I don't think it could.

 

[mauvais]

The tv would be easy- just do a Netflix type login deal with the live tv option on iplayer.

 

[kabbes]

A matter of perception, but to me, the left wing BBC bias over decades is insufferable.

Left wing bias? Did I miss all the times they put out programming from the perspective that capitalism is inherently bad and should be torn down?

 

[Sasaferrato]

Left wing bias? Did I miss all the times they put out programming from the perspective that capitalism is inherently bad and should be torn down?

Don't expect the recipients of vastly overblown salaries to decry wealth. Don't forget the BBC were so out of touch with reality that they paid that waste of space Jonathon Ross £12m of license fee money a year.

 

[kabbes]

Don't expect the recipients of vastly overblown salaries to decry wealth. Don't forget the BBC were so out of touch with reality that they paid that waste of space Jonathon Ross £12m of license fee money a year.

If they are in favour of capitalism, an inherently right wing notion, in what way can they possibly be said to have a “left wing bias”? At best, they are biased in favour of different flavours of right-wing ideas.

 

[DexterTCN]

I wonder what the next public service to be switched to "subscription only" will be once this goes ahead.

Anyone applauding this simply because they don't watch much of the BBC's current output is in danger of missing the bigger picture.

It's not a public service.

Let's see what's been on today..

Escape to the Country. They have a budget of £700k for a nice place.

Garden Rescue. It has a Chelsea gold medal winner.

A Shrek movie

Call the Midwife.

Can you beat the Bookies?

 

[cupid_stunt]

● Force the BBC to sell off the vast majority of its 61 radio stations but safeguard Radio 3 and Radio 4

There's commercial value in Radios 1, 2, 3 & 4 as national stations, but the local & nation stations will be worth fuck-all to the commercial sector - no way could the current services be commercially viable. Christ, even local commercial music stations have largely disappeared, and are just part of national networks now.

 

[cupid_stunt]

how can you even have a subscription on freeview tvs?

You would need a set-top box to decode the signal, fairly simple TBH.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I wouldn't break up the BBC, I like it, I just don't like the licence fee.

BBC R4 is frequently on in the background here.
I watch BBC 2 and 1 on a Friday.
Then I often watch BBC News last thing at night.

So, that's a good few hours of entertainment...

Is that worth £150+ a year to you though?

...for less than a pint in the pub, per week.

 

[weltweit]

So, that's a good few hours of entertainment...

Yes, I like the BBC, I just want it funded by ringfenced normal taxation.
My belief is that that would be more fair.

As I have mentioned upthread, an unemployed single person with one TV is expected to pay the same as a family with two employed parents with three televisions. That isn't fair and for the unemployed person the licence fee isn't a tiny amount, it is the equivalent of more than two weeks living costs.

...for less than a pint in the pub, per week.

I don't often frequent pubs at the moment, because I can't afford the prices.

 

[ska invita]

You would need a set-top box to decode the signal, fairly simple TBH.

That's a big jump from where the BBC is now. Lots of people just have Freeview. Means no BBC BBC for them.

 

[cupid_stunt]

That's a big jump from where the BBC is now. Lots of people just have Freeview. Means no BBC BBC for them.

The big jump is the proposal to turn the BBC into a subscription service, if that happens, there's no big jump is getting a set-box box to decode a subscription service delivered via the terrestrial TV masts, the service currently branded as 'Freeview', and partly owned by the BBC, same with 'Freesat', also partly owned by the BBC.

People with only Freeview or Freesat will not be excluded from subscribing to the BBC, they will just need a decoder box connected between their aerial/dish cable & the TV input, which would probably be free to subscribers or available for a small fee of around £20.

 

[weltweit]

The BBC going to subscription would make it just another Sky / Netflix / Amazon entertainment channel and we would have lost something that I think does have value.

What is more we would be underway to the deregulated tv system of the USA where there are hundreds of channels but absolutely nothing on ..

Has anyone experienced US tv? It is awful.

Or going the ads route, towards Spain perhaps where the ad breaks are as long as the proceeding program, and because of this the quality of Spanish tv is lamentable ..