The TV licence ?

[Alan 45]

i just wanted to find out how many people think this is value for money ?

I don't watch any programs the bbc produces on a regular basis so personally I think it's a rip off that I have to pay it even though I don't watch their channels

The only person in our house that watches the bbc is our son Paul and that's just to see Dr Who and I would be willing to pay per view bbc 1 just for him to watch it and that's got to be cheeper than £145 a year licence fee

I think in an age when you can pay to watch just one program the licence fee is out of date and needs replacing

[Guest]

Alan I agree I think it should have been binned long ago as should the Road Tax disc that they are now getting rid of.

[Guest]

If I get it right they are only getting rid of the Road Tax Disc, in fact as of the 1st Oct you do not need to display one anymore, however you still have to pay it.

I think the TV License is now an antiquated and outdated system that should be reviewed. What makes me smile is the insistent justification that the BBC remains non commercial as regards advertising yet nowadays I am sick and tired of being bombarded by adverts for their own dam programs. It is just about every break nowadays that you have to put up with the same stupidly over dramatic ads for such drivel as Eastenders!!

[Alan 45]

Very good point Richard , I can't understand why they are against commercials , every other channel has them and let's face it we are used to it now , before sky came along we hated having breaks in programs but with technology now making it so you can record your programe we can skip them in moments to carry on watching

I remember when they used to produce good programmes , they made something for everyone but now all they care about is Dr who ( which is now a propaganda show for liberalist ideology ) eastenders for the low brow community and strictly come dancing for the elderly and as for day time TV well stop the bus I want to get off !

[Guest]

I agree with your point about the TV licence Alan, although you'd better take that back about Doctor Who!!

I hardly ever watch tv, except for sports & a few shows, all of which I can find on cable so why should I line the BBCs pockets?

And don't get me started on BT 'line rental'!

[Alan 45]

Patrick your right but wrong about Dr who :P

[Guest]

The TV license is an outdated tax on watching TV, especially when you take into account subscriptions to sky, virgin ect, (if you have them), and then also pay per view events (which I'd never pay for). Also the BBC uses product placement which is a form of commercial advertising, arguably worse as you could say the product is being endorsed by whichever programme is on.

Cheers, Andrew

[rickoshea52]

It's not just TV that the licence pays for though, is it? How many of you listen to BBC radio, iplayer or use their website? I'm not a fan of TV but the BBC are churning out some pretty high quality and quantity drama at the moment but I still listen to 5live and 6music everyday when possible or on catch up.

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

With regards the BBC not doing commercials, watch "BBC News" from 08.30-09.15, you can hear all about the latest album by so and so or the new video available now, or promoting the show that someone is starring in, the latest blockbuster film? Don't get me started on repeats and thank goodness they are scrapping BBC3 it's just a waste of time.

Adrian

[Alan 45]

It's not just TV that the licence pays for though, is it? How many of you listen to BBC radio, iplayer or use their website? I'm not a fan of TV but the BBC are churning out some pretty high quality and quantity drama at the moment but I still listen to 5live and 6music everyday when possible or on catch up.

At the end of the day it's your personal choice , I don't listen to radio , I don't like their programes or their web sites I do have the bbc news app but with so many other news sites that are free I can do without it

I find it's unfair to charge people for something they don't use or don't use that often ,as I said I'm all for pay per view on a perticular show

[Guest]

Totally agree with you. I think its a waste of money myself also. Being quite generous, when you take into account the series` that I watch (Dr Who, just watched that Our Girl) and the fact that they dont run all year long, I probably watch about 1 programme a week. This makes it about £3 per programme and would actually be cheaper for me to not watch them and wait for the DVD release...except that I have to have a TV licence to watch a DVD......and to use the internet.

I think the BBC system is outdated and if they insist on being unique perhaps they could run constant adverts along a bar at the bottom of the programme?

[Guest]

You must be joking. Best value thing you can buy. 50p per day. Where can you buy so much for 50pennies per day.

You pay half a licence fee to go and watch a football match. Ask an person coming to this country and they will tell you the value of BBC compared to their own country.

As many TV's in a house as you want. As many radios. Radio in all the families cars.

Best news channel you get facts not speculation as other Channels. Or you can watch biased ITV.

News coverage from around the world in depth.

Good entertainment shows.

About 6 BBC channels all free.

Online News and Sports News Channel.

BBC advertising their own programmes. So what. Better than sitting thro 3 minutes on ITV or 6 minutes while watching a film on Sky.

Laurie

[stona]

The licence fee pays for the production of programmes like Doctor Who, Top Gear, all those Attenborough wild life series which actually go on to make big money through licensing and franchising.

There are also more serious questions about the independence of commercial broadcasters who might be owned, just like newspapers, by tycoons with an agenda. I've watched Fox News in the US and wouldn't want to see that sort of thing unchallenged here.

I know you can argue that the government might have its own agenda for the BBC, but Winston Churchill wouldn't agree with you and I doubt Cameron would either

It is an antiquated system and it does need updating or replacing, the initial question is with what? If there is no suitable answer to that then the second question is whether it is worth maintaining a public broadcasting service at all?

It's a much more complicated problem than at first meets the eye.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

TIt is an antiquated system and it does need updating or replacing,

Cheers

Steve

Interesting observation Steve. But what is antiquated about it ?

It seems to me that it is a head of the competition by a mile at least in what I want. Cannot say in an major way (details excepted) that if in charge how I would change it for the better. Something like this naturally evolves. 20 years ago the place was different.

BBC is a major innovator. The productions stories acting editing are being flung out daily and all at an incredibly high quality. The quality of those programmes enables the BBC to sell to others all over the globe including non English speaking nations. That brings that licence down to 50p per day.

Agree on the Churchill Cameron bit. If you listen to the BBC 2 breakfast on radio the grilling is like no other TV or radio programme. For a politician it must be a living hell. as said not matched any where on radio TV or on line. worth 50p per day just for that programme.

Laurie

[Guest]

You must be joking. Best value thing you can buy. 50p per day. Where can you buy so much for 50pennies per day.You pay half a licence fee to go and watch a football match. Ask an person coming to this country and they will tell you the value of BBC compared to their own country.

As many TV's in a house as you want. As many radios. Radio in all the families cars.

Best news channel you get facts not speculation as other Channels. Or you can watch biased ITV.

News coverage from around the world in depth.

Good entertainment shows.

About 6 BBC channels all free.

Online News and Sports News Channel.

BBC advertising their own programmes. So what. Better than sitting thro 3 minutes on ITV or 6 minutes while watching a film on Sky.

Laurie

Fair point, but its all well and good saying you can have as many TV`s as you like (You actually dont need a TV licence for a radio) but whats the point in having a TV in every room and not watching them?

If you were against the use of tumble dryers would you rent one? Would you rent 100 even if they cost 50p a day rental? Of course you wouldnt. Whats the point in being forced to pay for something you dont use, or do not use enough to warrant the cost of paying for?

If I had Sky TV the only program I would watch would be Game Of Thrones and at £30 a month to match 10 episodes of a TV programme I can not justify that cost so I dont have Sky TV.

If the BBC were a subscription service then I wouldnt pay and would happily not recieve their signal.