TV Licence article Discussion

[Deleted User]

Zapito wrote: »

But it would still be better if they could also offer short-term licences for holiday homes, as well as self-catering lets and so on.

Even when I did watch live TV, when on holiday, the last thing I would consider doing, is watching TV.

I go on holiday to relax, and get away from the regular routine.

[Deleted User]

Zapito wrote: »

Personally I think they ought to offer special one-month licences for existing licensees with holiday homes etc.

Why only for existing licensees?

As an aside, does anyone remember the show, The Good Life?

I wonder why Tom and Barbara never received letters and/or visits, from BBC/TVL :huh:

Cornucopia

Because the BBC didn't take over Licence Fee enforcement until 1991?

(The Good Life dates from 1975-78).

There is a famous scene from The Young Ones in which the lads receive a call from a "TV Licence man", although this predates the BBC being responsible for the TV Licence, too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqG4ysu2ksU

It's one of the mysteries of TV Licensing as to how we got to here? Was there an overnight change in attitude and policy when the BBC took over, or whether it was a more gradual decline, inspired, perhaps, by the BBC's lack of governance (i.e. when each new bad idea came along, there was no one to tell them not to do it).

IANAL, but I suspect that one of the main differences, legally, between the GPO-era TV Licensing and now, is that the GPO was a proper State agency, and the Postmaster General had the status of a Government Minister. Therefore there was legitimate discretion for them on how they carried out this work. That's not true of the BBC, and we also now have the Human Rights Act, too.

HappyGo

Personally, I would prefer the choice. I'm happy to pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky and other such services. I chose those. I'm not happy that I have to pay for a TV Licence.

It's outdated! And it's an incredibly wasteful organisation. They can't even use the excuse of 'no adverts' anymore. People just want a choice.

Given the choice, I would gladly pay £20 a month to still access some of the BBC. The Today Programme on Radio4 is superb. 6Music can be wonderful, depending on the time of day. BBC iPlayer is utterly beautiful. I'd happily pay for those. But I want the choice.

And seeing the shambles that is BBC Breakfast every day, it makes me cringe for them, it really does. There's growing resentment towards them. But I'm not sure how it will all play out. The media is a powerful thing.

[Deleted User]

Cornucopia wrote: »

Because the BBC didn't take over Licence Fee enforcement until 1991?

(The Good Life dates from 1975-78).

So, was there no LF enfarcement, before 1991?

HappyGo wrote: »

Given the choice, I would gladly pay £20 a month to still access some of the BBC.

£20 pm is more than the current LF.

Cornucopia

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

So, was there no LF enfarcement, before 1991?

There definitely was - my parents were harassed by them back in the 70s because they had a B&W TV. But I've never seen anything documented as to what TV Licensing did in detail back before the BBC took over - not like the info we have about them now.

[Deleted User]

Cornucopia wrote: »

There definitely was - my parents were harassed by them back in the 70s because they had a B&W TV.

Yet, Tom and Barbara were left completely alone.

BTW. I'm fast approaching sixty Threat-O-Grams.

Cornucopia

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Yet, Tom and Barbara were left completely alone.

To be fair, it was supposed to be a light domestic comedy. Even when Jerry gets caught speeding, the Policeman ends up helping with the sick piglet.

BTW. I'm fast approaching sixty Threat-O-Grams.

They should be sending you a special gold letter.

[Deleted User]

Cornucopia wrote: »

They should be sending you a special gold letter.

I thought the sixtieth anniversary was diamond?

Cornucopia

They're missing out, Bob - they should be putting celebs on the letters.

You'd have had the Jaqueline Gold last year, the Sarah Silverman two years before that, and now you'll have Anne Diamond wagging her finger at you from the letter... all for the sheer audacity of obeying the law in your own home.

We could probably squeeze Ruby Wax in there somewhere, too.