TV Licence rip off...

£140 for 4 TV channels. Id rather go to jail!

4 channels, a news channel. about 8 radio stations and a website :)

Not forgetting those 4 TV channels produce and show more content in the average day than pretty much the whole of the Pay TV line up (excluding sports/movie channels that cost more), and it's paid per house rather than receiver, with no lock in to a particular model of "approved" receiver offered by a single supplier.
 
4 channels, a news channel. about 8 radio stations and a website :)

Not forgetting those 4 TV channels produce and show more content in the average day than pretty much the whole of the Pay TV line up (excluding sports/movie channels that cost more), and it's paid per house rather than receiver, with no lock in to a particular model of "approved" receiver offered by a single supplier.

You don't need a licence to listen to the radio or use the website though. You're also forgetting the numerous channels on freeview.
 
Aye, but the fee does pay for the radio stations and website, and most of the channels on freeview, like their cousins on pay tv have very little new content :)

The BBC also iirc ends up effectively providing second run content for many of the aforementioned pay/freeview channels (who'll quite happily buy the rights to show BBC content after it's been shown on the BBC, but won't/can't pay for it as original content:)).
 
What new content does the bbc offer that other channels don't? All I see in my EPG is the news broadcast about 5 times per day inc 3 hrs of "breakfast", endless repeats of programs like family guy and top quality programs (!) like bargain hunt, cash in the attic and the one show, sure you may get about 5 episodes a year of something decent like Planet Earth, but you can get that on dvd. At least on sky you get 24 and C4 has programmes like ER.
 
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What new content does the bbc offer that other channels don't? All I see in my EPG is the news broadcast about 5 times per day inc 3 hrs of "breakfast", endless repeats of programs like family guy and top quality programs (!) like bargain hunt, cash in the attic and the one show, sure you may get about 5 episodes a year of something decent like Planet Earth, but you can get that on dvd. At least on sky you get 24 and C4 has programmes like ER.

BBC2 has Heroes. You can get 24 and ER on DVD too ;)

BBC natural history, Top Gear, QI, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You the list goes on.
 
Without the bbc then more people would listen to commercial radio, advertising would increase and there's a chance programming would get better.

I'd rather gouge my ears out with blunt rusty spoons than listen to adverts on the wireless and you're suggesting that increased advertising would be a better thing?

lol

Just lol.

 
BBC2 has Heroes. You can get 24 and ER on DVD too ;)

BBC natural history, Top Gear, QI, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You the list goes on.

Aye :)
Casualty, Spooks, EastEnders (yes I know), Panorama, Hustle, University Challenge, Eggheads, loads of new UK produced Children's content, Antiques Roadshow, Songs of Praise, Crime watch, Life on Mars (finished now I know but a good example as ITV and C4 were both offered it pre-production), the list goes on and on, and have a huge amount of variety over the average week (or even just over most days).


Not to forget the news that was being complained about, something ITV, C4 and 5 have been trying hard to get rid of the obligation to show as it's not profitable :) (do C4/5 even do any local TV news? I know ITV is trying to kill it off).

Or the likes of Primeval, which was going to be dumped by ITV until the BBC's commercial arm (Worldwide) offered to co-fund it in return for distribution rights (a classic example of the BBC looking at more than just how much something might be worth on it's initial showing...unlike X-Factor which will have great audiences the one time, a reasonable drama/series will likely get good/reasonable audiences and even DVD sales over time).

I note Energises one suggestion for C4 is now finished :)

One of the biggest reasons for me for the Licence Fee, is that it actually helps bring money into the UK (with the content that can be resold abraod), and provides content made in the UK, supporting a lot of smaller UK companies who can produce great content when given the chance.

If we did have at least one decent PSB who didn't have to worry about just the quarterly profits, I suspect we'd lose most of the UK production facilities and expertise, it says something to me that ITV have chosen the guy who has butchered the Public Service commitments of RM to be it's new head (almost as much as how little Sky actually produces on it's own, other than where they have a virtual monopoly and can't buy it in, such as Sports coverage).
 
I was going to say Band of Brothers, but then the BBC won't be showing The Pacific, I guess they used all the money for it on Ross.
 
I know a lot of people that would pay £142 for the BBC's sports coverage alone. Live (and unparalleled) F1 coverage of every session, live football etc. etc.

I think it's well worth it.
 
I was going to say Band of Brothers, but then the BBC won't be showing The Pacific, I guess they used all the money for it on Ross.

The whole Ross thing annoys me for some reason.
Mainly because so many people have been taken in by the DM's rubbish - Ross isn't paid directly by the BBC, any money received by him is via his production company of which he is a shareholder/owner and employee.
His production company gets paid a sum for all of his work, which includes hundreds of hours of Radio and TV a year, and his production company have to pay all the costs associated with making those programmes out of the money the BBC pay them* (basically the BBC pay Ross's company a lump sum for a finished product).

It's a bit like saying that if you pay a builder for an extension, he pockets every penny of it, with none going towards materials, other staff, taxes etc.


IIRC the sum most frequently mentioned by the DM as being paid to Ross would make his programmes pretty cheap per hour for what they are :)


*Including paying the BBC for use of it's facilities to record the shows :p
 
Not really, when an hour of very cheap TV (no studio, handheld cameras) can cost £50k+ from memory.
The BBC site actually has a general guide as to what they will normally pay (in bands) per hour of content of different types (for example Drama has 3 or 4 different bands depending on if it's low budget daily stuff, or a high budget headline costume drama).

Basically the DM's entire rant about how expensive he is was based on people not knowing how much it actually costs to do a professional TV production, or that he wasn't being paid it all himself (not to mention they basically guessed at a figure, as the actual amount being paid is confidential, but it is/was known he was offered more by other channels before he signed his last BBC contract).
 
The govn't are going to print a newspaper for anyone to read free of charge but everyone will need to buy a reading licence, even if they only read other newspapers. If you are found reading the govnt's newspaper and don't have a reading licence you will get a criminal record or go to jail. Inspectors will go round everyones house to make sure they are not reading a govn't newspaper.

Sound fair?

A newspaper isn't entirely comparable to the wealth of stuff the BBC produces.

And you don't need special equipment to read a newspaper, so it wouldn't be practical.

And newspapers are going out of fashion.

And actually, newspapers without adverts would be pretty good.
 
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