TV Licence - do we have to pay it?

davidlizard

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

Presumably though, you watch the dross churned out by ITV and C4 and C5?

Well C4 is part government owned and therefore receives funding from the TVL.

ITV and C5 also benefit from the TVL through subsidised use of radio spectrum and transmission equipment.

So yes, even if you don't watch the BBC, you are still using services that are funded by the TVL (and there isn't a motorist or football fan in the country who hasn't once used BBC local radio).

Personally, I'm more than happy to pay the TVL. The BBC is the greatest cultural institution in the world, is the most respected media outlet in the world and produces some absolutely superb programmes - many of which are sold throughout the world. It produces content for audiences that, whilst not mainstream, are still valuable and important sections of society - innovating in ways that commercial broadcasters are either too frightened or stupid to do. After all, ITV's only criteria for making a TV show these days is "will it appeal to Cletus, Dwayne and Chantelle?" and "can we attach a premium rate phone number to it?". Yes, the Beeb might seem wasteful at times, find me a public sector department that isn't? People moan about how much Chris Moyles earns, conveniently forgetting that 8m people listen to his show - that's a huge number of people endorsing his show.

I'd much rather pay £140pa for the BBC than to see television descend into a feast of tiresome ITV talent shows, Fox News misinformation, Daily Mail sensationalist and mass-market shte that appeals to nothing other than the lowest common denominator.

Agree - sums up ITV and C4/C5 nicely and is precisely the reasons I do not watch those channels either. The only thing I really ever watch on telly is cricket, and this is entirely on Sky. I watch nothing else bar occasional other sports. I even went without a telly for a few years until recently and did not miss it.

Mrsalice

I HATE the BBC and their left wing propaganda in their programmes. I resent having to pay money to them

NYGiants

Mankysteve wrote: »

At least with BBC you've got a news corporation that is as close to be un-biased as you'd get.

:rotfl:

(text filler)

whatmichaelsays

Mrsalice wrote: »

I HATE the BBC and their left wing propaganda in their programmes. I resent having to pay money to them

I've never understood this "BBC is left wing" argument. It just seems like the typical stock phrase lifted from the Daily Fail.

Look at their news programming. Nick Robinson, their senior political correspondent, is a former leader of the Young Conservatives, most of their political journalists (from my experience of dealing with BBC hacks) are Tory supporters and Ian Hislop, another of the Beeb's news commentators, is also an open supporter of the Tories.

Personally, I think it's more a case that those on the right hate the idea of people even considering an alternative point of view, usually one that actually involves considering the facts, values of an argument and not jumping to irrational conclusions.

Mrsalice

Nothing to do with the Daily Mail at all. The only newspapers I read is the Sun and that's only when I do an early at work. It's cheap and the articles are short so I can read one quickly then carry on doing something.

You can see it in their programmes. It's nonsense. I've watched Casualty for YEARS. Years ago it was about the NHS and the relationship between the staff. In the past 5 years there's so much nonsense propaganda in it I was almost sick. A full double episode a couple of years ago about some immigrants moving in and other council residents protesting about it. They were protesting because their council flats were in poor condition. The immigrants block of flats collapsed because of damage to something or other and a lot ended up in hospital. Some of the protesters were in hospital too. The staff were being REALLY nice to the immigrants and going mad at the protesters 'Look at your foul actions, PROTESTING!!! Because people want to come over here! You are evil people!' All that nonsense. Then the end of the episode was the protesters going, 'Oh yes, thank you, I have seen the error of my selfish ways...let EVERYBODY over here for a free flat and let mine rot, thank you so much.'
Most sickening blatent propaganda rubbish. Since then, so many episodes are the same. One of the paramedics was treating illegal immigrants and stealing hospital resources to do so. The other paramedic caught her and said he'd have to report her. She was like 'Don't, they have nothing, they can't go home.' Then he discovered a whole camp of them she was treating! And she was going 'You don't KNOW ANYTHING!!! What they've been through, how terrible their lives are!' And he ended up, after a MASSIVE lecture from her, going 'ok, I understand, thank you for enlightening me, stay.'

Watch the first episode of the first series of Waterloo Road. The new teacher wants to install discipline. He confiscates the mobile phone of a boy in his class who is talking to his dad in the middle of a lesson!!! The boys Dad, has his LIMO driven to the school and attacks this teacher in front of a class of pupils in order to get his sons phone back. The police are called and the Dad arrested. The other teachers have a massive go at the teacher and his discpline and honestly this is what one of them says, 'The pupil whose Dad it is will now end up in care, you don't know what half these children go through. Single parent families in awful poverty conditions.' Ummmm, the Dad drove to the school in a LIMO!!! Not very poverty and poor to me!!!! Treating them like babies is saying take no responsibilty for yourselves.


Those are just 2 examples. Look at the Question Time with Nick Griffin. Unbiased was it? Even The host was joining in bashing him.

Left wing nonsense

Mrsalice

I wouldn't care at all if we didn't have to pay for it. People can have whatever opinion they want on politics, education, anything. Because these programmes are BBC made, and we have to pay for them, it annoys me.

ckerrd

Why do you watch the programmes then?

whatmichaelsays

Mrsalice wrote: »

Nothing to do with the Daily Mail at all. The only newspapers I read is the Sun and that's only when I do an early at work. It's cheap and the articles are short so I can read one quickly then carry on doing something.

You can see it in their programmes. It's nonsense. I've watched Casualty for YEARS. Years ago it was about the NHS and the relationship between the staff. In the past 5 years there's so much nonsense propaganda in it I was almost sick. A full double episode a couple of years ago about some immigrants moving in and other council residents protesting about it. They were protesting because their council flats were in poor condition. The immigrants block of flats collapsed because of damage to something or other and a lot ended up in hospital. Some of the protesters were in hospital too. The staff were being REALLY nice to the immigrants and going mad at the protesters 'Look at your foul actions, PROTESTING!!! Because people want to come over here! You are evil people!' All that nonsense. Then the end of the episode was the protesters going, 'Oh yes, thank you, I have seen the error of my selfish ways...let EVERYBODY over here for a free flat and let mine rot, thank you so much.'
Most sickening blatent propaganda rubbish. Since then, so many episodes are the same. One of the paramedics was treating illegal immigrants and stealing hospital resources to do so. The other paramedic caught her and said he'd have to report her. She was like 'Don't, they have nothing, they can't go home.' Then he discovered a whole camp of them she was treating! And she was going 'You don't KNOW ANYTHING!!! What they've been through, how terrible their lives are!' And he ended up, after a MASSIVE lecture from her, going 'ok, I understand, thank you for enlightening me, stay.'

Watch the first episode of the first series of Waterloo Road. The new teacher wants to install discipline. He confiscates the mobile phone of a boy in his class who is talking to his dad in the middle of a lesson!!! The boys Dad, has his LIMO driven to the school and attacks this teacher in front of a class of pupils in order to get his sons phone back. The police are called and the Dad arrested. The other teachers have a massive go at the teacher and his discpline and honestly this is what one of them says, 'The pupil whose Dad it is will now end up in care, you don't know what half these children go through. Single parent families in awful poverty conditions.' Ummmm, the Dad drove to the school in a LIMO!!! Not very poverty and poor to me!!!! Treating them like babies is saying take no responsibilty for yourselves.


Those are just 2 examples. Look at the Question Time with Nick Griffin. Unbiased was it? Even The host was joining in bashing him.

Left wing nonsense

My my, that's quite a rant.

The BBCs docu-dramas reflect a very broad spectrum of what society is like in the UK. I won't comment on Holby City as I don't watch it but I have seen Waterloo Road and, having had parents who have worked in schools in inner city Leeds for many years, I'd say that it quite accurately reflects how under performing schools work, albeit slightly dramatised. The show is there to highlight the merits and downfalls of contrasting teaching styles - one being the strict disciplinarian attempting to introduce a "do as I say" regime (that's actually quite rare in UK and often unsuccessful in inner city schools), the other being the more understanding and attentive problem solver. Even if you agree that the solution to schools is to bring in stronger disciplinary regimes, we don't tend to have them. Schools are and the pupils in them are far more complex than that but anyhoo, that's a different discussion. From the example you used, I'd say that the BBCs representation is relatively accurate and balanced. What's the point in the BBC showing a school regime that doesn't exist just in case if comes across as "a bit lefty"?

As for Nick Griffin, how many other broadcasters have invited the BNP onto live debates? Are they not "lefty" for not doing it? The QT show represented the views of the people of the UK. Only 2.5% of the electorate voted for the BNP at the European elections and so only 2.5% of the BBC QT audience were in support of their viewpoints. That's not "lefty", that's representative of the UK audience. Because of the levels of digust that understandibly directed at the BNP by vast sections of society, it was always going to be a partisan audience. I don't think the BBC "ganged up" on Griffin. I think that they simply challenged him to defend his party's stance and, when he couldn't, they twisted the knife - like all good journalists do. The BBC wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't.
Even when the discussion turned to the issue of immigration (the one area where Griffin should have been able to make his point), he floundered. The BBC didn't hang Griffin out to dry, he put his neck through his own rope.

If those examples are supposed to be conclusive proof of the BBC being bias to the left, then the argument was even more flimsy than I originally thought.

cajef

Mrsalice wrote: »

.
The only newspapers I read is the Sun

I've watched Casualty for YEARS.

Watch the first episode of the first series of Waterloo Road.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

carolinosourus

jmadgin wrote: »

However for all the arguing about how good or bad the BBC is surely this is the "MoneySaving" Expert site. I was just coming up with ways not to pay the license fee.

It's "Money Saving Expert", not "do whatever dubious things you want to avoid paying for services you use"

Mrsalice: is either a troll or lives in a cupboard. Do you expect to be taken seriously?