Why do we pay a TV tax?

Spartacus_Mills

pwpevans wrote: »

I'd rather have adverts than the TV licence... I used to really get annoyed especially with the BBC flying out journalists and program makers to far and wide on our expense. Unfortunately though I can't boycot it because it does provide good programs; Mock the week, Have I got news for you, Doctor Who...

Certainly if you look at the amount of people the BBC send to cover events like The Olympics and major football tournaments it is increasing with each passing tournament. Over 200 were sent to China for instance and for the last European Championship when there were no home nations qualified a small army were sent out. This makes no sense at all. There is no need to send these people over there. As much as I value the BBC the problem is that it takes its money from us and has no accountability as to what it does with it.

StevieJ

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

The one show I live on 5live is the Kermode film reviews. I tend to be a Radio 4 man.

For me the problem is the 5live I enjoyed 15 or so years ago does not exist and it has never quite been the same for me. Talksport is something that leaves me cold. Is that numpty Alan Brazil still on it ?

Brazil was genius compared to Collymore.

The_White_Horse

they should tax you more if you vote labout. tv licence for labour voters should be 30 a month and it should be 5 a month for non labour voters.

the trouble is, to get anywhere in the trendy media world, you have to be a lefty. or at least pretend you are.

if you are a bloke you HAVE to have a shaved head and wear really thick framed glasses and a suit jacket with jeans. you HAVE to.

Spartacus_Mills

StevieJ wrote: »

Brazil was genius compared to Collymore.

Collymore on Talksport !!! Are they going upmarket ?

Paranoid

Pennywise wrote: »

If the world service is so good and appreciated by people all over the planet, why don't they pay for it instead of us?

The BBC World Service is funded by a government Grant-in-Aid. Yes that's us paying though not out of the tv licence.

Why should others pay for Britains PR?

Apart from promoting our country the frequent World News is regularly listened to as definitive information.

Most unfortunately the news broadcast in some other countries is very far from as reliable as that from the BBC...!

Pennywise

Paranoid wrote: »

The BBC World Service is funded by a government Grant-in-Aid. Yes that's us paying though not out of the tv licence.

Why should others pay for Britains PR?

Apart from promoting our country the frequent World News is regularly listened to as definitive information.

Most unfortunately the news broadcast in some other countries is very far from as reliable as that from the BBC...!

And the garbage they spout on the UK's TV and radio is very far from the quality service they supply to the rest of the world via the World Service. Why do they get a better service when they don't pay, but we have to put up with mind-numbing dumbed down nonsense ourselves?

Paranoid

Pennywise wrote: »

And the garbage they spout on the UK's TV and radio is very far from the quality service they supply to the rest of the world via the World Service. Why do they get a better service when they don't pay, but we have to put up with mind-numbing dumbed down nonsense ourselves?

I think, with respect, you are missing the point. BBC overseas broadcasting is promoting Britain. We are not supplying a 'service' to overseas audiences, we are advertising our country with one of the best means at our disposal - the BBC..!

avantra

mmm.. why do we still pay this tax? well, we are the common great unwashed that let every gov tax us to our eyeballs even in a world of free and better produced media where choice is the name of the game and we all need to get use to this including the bib. It's us not the gov/Bib that is the problem, we let them have free roaming so they take.

It is probably not for nothing that the Bib's news theme is taken from a piece by ELP called, wait for it... Fanfare for the common man! :rotfl:

Spartacus_Mills

This article sums up, for me, everything that is wrong with BBC3.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7497892/Lindsay-Lohan-needed-to-create-interest-in-poverty-docs-says-BBC-boss.html

Using a celebrity as screwed up as Lindsay Lohan to make a documentary about child trafficking. It also did not help when she made false claims about saving trafficked children.

crystaltipps

I have always extolled the virtues of BBC. Being able to watch a program without adverts. Everything David Attenborough has ever done. Would pay the fee for Radio4 and the Today program alone.

However, I am soooo sick of crap cookery programs (what has Sophie Dahl ever done to deserve such a high profile push?) Masterchef??? sigh. And, icing on my moany cake...OOdles of free promotion for Andrew Lloyd Webber, again - as if he needs any more!

As to the OP's comment on political bias - he is right, of course, that it can be a little left wing, but I must also say that on the Today program, and Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight, there is very little kow towing to Labour, if anything, in my experience, its the opposite.

Just my humble opinion!