Is anyone else telly-free?

dogstarheaven

wow, i didn't think there would be so many ppl on here is w/o a telly. originally, i was telly-free when my daughter was 3 (now 19) and for four years, we were w/o one as i had just moved house, and started a new life, with a new job and everything. i didn't want her to be tainted by all the rubbish the telly does for children and with her starting school imminently, i wanted her to learn about life on a more natural, harmonious basis. is was when my parents' moved house, and they wanted to offload some of their appliances. I couldn't say no to a microwave, but the portable, Alba or whatever cheap make it was, was the only item, I was reluctant to take on.

Soon enough, as a single parent with no adult company to occupy my time in the evenings, this soon replaced the radio that I got so used to previously (loved the phone-ins, the sorrowful heartbreak stories!!, the comps). Fast-forward a few more years, I was on Sky+ (oh, how i loved the Sky Planner/record option!!). I didn't watch live tv anymore, and relied on my trusted sky for all my fave progs (food channel, true movies, film4, sky 1 and syfy). but times have been hard lately, with a tiny income between us (DD is at uni now) and i'm finding ways to cut down our costs. 2mths ago, i wanted the tv out of our lives, and canx sky. begrudingly, had to accept the 30 day notice, and since then, realised there was nothing on terrestial tv worth watching (altho' the sky box allows us to watch a fair few rubbishy channels to watch like cbdrama/action, us food channel.. i can't rem the others.. but my true movies channel is still with me! but last two weeks, i've not touched the tv. )

today, after reading all your posts and ppl's experiences and reasons. i too, would be cancelling my tv license. altho' i did read my last installment update bill, and on the back of it, it stated that you would have to have a license if you were watching tv thru' your pc/games console etc., with this in mind, i really didn't want the hassle of the the tv licensing bods at my door, calling at all hours and forcibly demanding to see a tv in each room. i couldn't bear the intrusion as i thought they'd turn up without notice, and start harrassing us loads..

since coming on here, it appears they don't have the right to come in w/o a warrant (hope this is right?!!).

We've been watching IPlayer/4oD et al, for a while now (only about 3 a week), but in the main, we've been watching dvds on most nights and it's just great..none of the viewing is actually live... OH is more of a music buff, and has music all the time, whereas I am a R4 person where I've been listening to this since my late teens (not a radio household, i'm afraid). the archers was a fave for a long time but the teens/kids are far too annoying for me thesedays. i don't like the fact that the characters are so zeigtgiesty, and in the know of all the topical issues of day. it 's so pretentious and so smug of them to feel abbout this and that issue. it's too PC for my liking as it doesn't reflect real-life imo. tho' i still have to have it playing as i wash up at the same time, and i love Front Row (arts prog)!

I continue to love all the dramas and not so much of the comedy nowadays. i enjoy The Today Prog, Gardener's QT, Moneybox live, You & Yours, Desert Island Discs, Reith Lectures, Bookclub... can't think of anymore..

Yes, the Shipping Forecast is a must, but thesedays, i'm far too old to stay up like i used to (bedtime story was a fave too!)..

anyway, so how much notice do i have to give to the TVL? noticed that i'm paying by DD monthly...

Justamum

dogstarheaven wrote: »

since coming on here, it appears they don't have the right to come in w/o a warrant (hope this is right?!!).

They rely totally on the threatening tone of their letters to frighten people. If you have no tv then you don't have to prove anything or let them into your property.

I was going to cut and paste bits from this site, but it's easier if you go on it yourself and click on the plus signs next to each question as the cut and paste bits would be too big

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-administering-the-tv-licensing-system-part-2-AB20/

Justamum

dogstarheaven wrote: »

anyway, so how much notice do i have to give to the TVL? noticed that i'm paying by DD monthly...

When all our tv was going to become digital we decided to try and go tv-less for a few months after the cut-off date. We were paying by DD (which is 6 months in advance). Our licence expired at the end of February, but analogue switch-off was not until July, so I cancelled the DD at the end of February and informed TVL that as we had already paid for 6 months of licence we would watch until the end of July (which would have been paid for). TVL phoned me to say they were refunding the 6 months advance payments, and said that it would mean we could not watch tv after that, which was fine by me - we just took the aerial out of the tv!

However, when the rest of the family decided that they didn't like not having a tv I renewed the licence at the end of August. They tried charging me for the previous 6 months, which I refused to pay, so they changed the date of our licence without any problems. I still wish we could get rid of the box though

redlady_1

They are just glorified sales people. They have as much right to come into your house as next doors cat!

musicmaker29

I dont have TV (Ive got a TV for DVDs etc tho) - and I dont pay license. Channel 4 player and iplayer suit me fine, I can passively watch a few progs whilst Im washing the pots or something and it doesnt eat up my precious life!

Unlike most others Ive never had a problem with TV licensing, I just told them Id be watching iplayer not live and that my TV wont be recieving any signal and they havent been near me since.

lilian1977

Seven Day Sunday on Radio 5 is very funny, Sunday mornings or you can download it as a podcast. It's hosted by Chris Addison (from The Thick of It) and has guests like Sarah Millican and Rebecca Front. I look forward to Monday's train journey so I can listen!

LisaLou1982

I didnt renew my tv licence when it expired in April as i was working away at the time and therefore had no use for it. Since my house was up for sale at the time too (moved last week!! ) and i wouldnt be back until after it completed then i didnt see a point in wasting my hard earned cash!!
As expected, the letters started coming through (i dont pay dd!) and then they started calling me. Well, after 10 phone calls in 4 days, i really started to get peed off so called them and told them that i wasnt living in the property. No problem, said the man on the phone. I'll make a note on your file.....

2 weeks later, more calls came, asking when i was going to get a licence, did i know its an offence not to have one if you have a tv etc etc. Needless to say, the girl on the end of the phone got a roasting and was told in no uncertain terms that if they didnt stop harrassing me and looked at their files before they rang then i would be reporting them for harrassment. Noone has rang since!

rachbc

Anyone actually truely 'telly free' = ie no DVDs, gaming Iplayer etc?

There seems to be some implicit moral superiority in those proclaming that they hate the brain rotting box and have far more interesting things to do, yet when it comes to the crunch they are actually watching selectively - just like I do. I too hold coversations, read books, have children with imaginations and high reading ages and we have a telly and I pay my licence to find the radio and i player you all enjoy

Tish_P

I don't claim any moral superiority - I waste loads of time on the internet, and a good part of what I read is decidedly lowbrow too. But I don't see the point of redefining telly free as "never ever looking at a moving image on a screen". You'd have to be a full-on Luddite to be telly free in that sense. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. I used to be on a Luddite email list, true fact.)

The thing is that most people in the UK give a whole room over to their telly, switch it on as a default, allow it a lot of control over their lives, and give it a lot of head space - in fact, one of the biggest disadvantages of chucking the telly is that you can't join in the surprisingly large proportion of conversations in social situations that are about telly.

People who've decided not to buy in to all that, and as a result - here's the important bit - don't have a telly, are entitled to call themselves telly free.

littleowl

I phoned TV licensing originally a long time ago to say I no longer had a television. Was told someone might call round to check - no-one ever has and I have received no letters.
Regarding 'moral superiority', I don't feel at all morally superior, why should I? Neither do I feel guilty watching the few BBC programmes I do on the iPlayer - that is what it is for! Fortunately one does not require a license to listen to the radio.