Do you believe in the BBC licence fee?

telsco

The BBC is worth every penny. It has so many services we just take for granted.
Sky on the other hand is the biggest con going.
Who in there right mind actually enjoys paying money to see 1000's of hours of adverts every year? Just lunacy.
Commercial stations have already increased the amount of advert time they show per hour, this will just increase in the future and we need an advert free public broadcasting service.

byjimini

If adverts fund it, then the BBC has to cater to them, which means anything that any presenter says that's deemed inflammatory can have a programme cancelled. So that's no more Top Gear, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, Newsnight etc.

However, the fee is far too much. It should be half what it currently is now and a vastly reduced contracts for those working for it. And I don't mean the stars on millions, I mean the pen-pushers on hundreds of thousands that really on't need to be there.

Luckily the Trust has recognised there's no need to be in the capital with sky-high property prices. Stick the tele centre in Scotland, far cheaper.

SomethingWitty_2

byjimini wrote: »

Luckily the Trust has recognised there's no need to be in the capital with sky-high property prices. Stick the tele centre in Scotland, far cheaper.

The Beeb own Television Centre outright (or at least, they did until very recently), so property prices are irrelevant in this case. In my view the move to MediaCityUK in Salford is a huge mistake involving expensive and unnecessary relocation for political ends. Television Centre is a purpose built facility used by other broadcasters as well as the BBC and is located in the capital city where it needs to be. This sort of pointless money wasting is why people criticise the BBC.

That said, I fully support the Beeb and the license fee. Yes is is high but it is worth it. As an alternative you could reduce the license fee but impose a 2% tax on televisions or anything containing a TV tuner. But administratively that sounds like a nightmare.

Ultimately, given the quality of programming, I suppport the license fee. Things that don't have commercial appeal but that are still important get an airing. Adverts would destroy the BBC.

pennineman

The BBC licence fee is £2.85 a week. Way less than even Virgin Media's Freeview service which costs me around £3.50 a week. For the £2.85 the BBC provide a world-class TV AND radio service without mind-numbing adverts. The BBC is excellent value for money although in a society which seems to be increasingly dumbing down I can see why some object to paying £2.85 a week for a high-class service . . .?

rinabean

Meadows wrote: »

That old chestnut.

I wonder who watches TV the most :think: therefore if any one pays more surely they should!
There will come a point where the rich are not rich as they have to pay more for everything and then who gets lumped with the higher costs?

When the rich aren't rich, they won't be taxed on their non-existent riches. Then we can all pay an equal share on our equal incomes. Until then, the rich are rich, and can afford to pay more. That's the whole idea of taxation...

I don't mind the licence fee, but I wish they weren't allowed to spend it on foreign shows - particularly US shows on the main channels. The licence fee provides us with advert-free programming, and it should also help our own entertainment industries whenever possible. But that's not enough to make me reluctant to pay it.

mjm3346

The TV licence should be abolished.

That would remove the need for the massive TVL database and all the costs involved in TVL collection. It would save retailers from having to obtain and report details when TVs are sold and no court time would be wasted on "TVL dodgers"

Either
the BBC is a public service and should be funded from general taxation, if you don't watch tv you would still pay for it just the same as a library etc.
or
the BBC is not a public service and should be made subscription only, so if you want to watch it you pay but like sky, espn etc you don't pay if you don't watch.

Dreamnine

No, I don't believe in the license fee..but then, I haven't watched TV for years.. rarely even listen to BBC radio.

The BBC is as bad as the Daily Mail in my view. Both are for idiots.

Lakeuk

I think it's important to have license funded BBC, without British commercial TV won't be as good as it is, BBC has the opportunity to take risk, try things out, and the commercial arena get to take advantage of what's successful.

We'd have no Freeview, Freesat, Youview, interactive multi screen tv, tv news without the BBC driving through standards

No they're not perfect, I think they overspend on self promotion, I've been annoyed at the endless ads for following the Olympic relay on BBC News when BBC News are not showing anything, I hate them squeezing the credits and adding voice over them

I think the license should be updated to include catchup tv, I think it could be reduced as well if subscribers to services like sky, virgin, bt vision, netflix,lovefilm etc... paid a £1 per month public tv fee :A

green_inmanyways

Personally I have always believed the BBC licence is a good thing (I am in a privilaged positition, I don't pay because we have an eldily family member living with us) but that asside. I am wondering two things, first why is it that I often hear people moan about adverts on TV then hear the same people complain about the TV licence. my complaint isn't the fee it is the lack of 'new programs' on any of the channels. after about 9.30pm my wife and I sit down to watch and land up having the same conversation about the 'missing programs' than go to bed tired from a hard day's work and upset that we haven't seen a good (NEW) drama/comedy/film/program for ages.
green inmanyways.

lilgreenmomo

I bloomin' love Auntie Beeb, I'm happy to pay my licence fee.