I would say, let the people decide if it’s relevant. Keep the license fee as an annual subscription service. Optional to subscribe and get the BBC. One channel free as the nations voice, others under the £2 a week sub. BBC annual report released this week so worth a read to see where they are going
I guarantee a direct correlation between those who don't want to pay the pennies per day for the license fee are those who also think OAPs should get it for free. But they won't pay for it for them. And I would also guarantee that those people also consume more BBC content than any other media firm. Knowingly or not.
Agree 100%, and pretty much said the same in another thread yesterday. The argument made is 'You're forced to have it'. It's the envy of most of the world. If we get rid so we can have some genuinely biased news instead, it would be such a shame. The old argument holds true. If both the left and the right feel it's biased against them, it's probably quite evenly balanced.
I like Ken Bruce and Steve Wright too, but are they really deserving of half a million a year for being in the radio ? Zoe Ball earned over a million quid last year for ruining the breakfast show when Sarah Cox would have been miles more entertaining. I usually tune in to Penistone FM for the drive into work miles better than BBC and no millionaire DJ prattling on. It’s become a platform for highly paid presenters who’ve no idea what life at the sharp end looks like to empathize then retreat to millionaires row. I rarely watch the BBC. Somebody should tell Look North that there’s another Yorkshire club in the premier league and that Barnsley also play on a weekend.
The BBC is a national institution. Whether you agree with everything or not. It’s not just about TV there’s radio too. I would rather listen to any BBC radio station than others. Interrupted by adverts. Less than 50p per day. less than a pint in most pubs for a week. Gior bairning. I get far more value from the beeb than I do my sky subscription sports Element. I don’t watch football. I would miss cricket. But I’m paying towards someone’s obscene wages. In football which will be the biggest slice. Not only through my subscription but indirectly through advertising. I have thought about paying just for cricket But the difference is minimal.
Incredible what the BBC do with the funds at their disposal. The radio alone is worth the money, I regularly listen to every station except 3 and 1 extra, and then there's the local stations. I think its a massive case of 'you don't know what you've got until its gone' for most people who oppose the license fee. Can you imagine TV without it? ITV being the defacto UK station, just as bad with the repeats, standard of programming just a pound land version of what the BBC does. Then there's Channel 4, but I suspect if your main complaint is left leaning broadcasting, it won't be for you. And anything reliant on the traditional advertising sold between programmes will probably struggle more and more the further we go. And as for bias, a number of my left wing friends accuse the BBC of bias in the opposite direction, they're probably doing the right thing if they are managing to piss off both sides in an increasingly polarised country. That being said, the comedy isn't what it used to be.
Critical thing for me is during a time of crisis, BBC is where you went. They altered outputs to support government messaging, informing the public & reacting to the situation as part of their mission - commercial broadcasters wouldn't have done that. I find it incredible how people want to dismantle things are so obviously value for money.
Do you have links to this stuff that you reference? Like I said yesterday, genuinely interested to read a bit more into it.
Don't, it's complete dross. Radio 4 on the other hand is usually interesting and informative. If you want to listen to crap music and inane drivel there's plenty of that around....
The problem with criticising the BBC for its politics is that when you look at the political and news shows, they exhibit varying degrees of right-wing tendencies. Question time effectively made Nigel Farage an household name yet pro-EU MEPs were invited on a lot less. There is also a revolving door between the Tories and BBC with people like Robbie Gibb going from one to the other. At the same time, the drama, comedy and music output tends to be more liberal/left wing. Overall, its about equal, but it could do more to remove the bias from the news and report facts rather than feelings and having nutters on for balance. The stated intention of the new leader to reduce left-wing/anti-government comedy isn't a good sign though.
Radio Sheffield is worth the £3 a week subscription alone. Toby, Paulette. Praise or grumble, ( I’d put up for best comedy) Attenborough’s stuff on TV . Enders for her indoors. Question Time. Have I got news. Would I lie to you. NO ADVERTS. I’d pay £3 a week to have adverts removed. As much as I like some of the sky stuff. Some Ad breaks I’d not only have time to make a cuppa .i could make a 3 course meal. ( ok joking. Only 2 courses)
Worth it for the local radio alone, in my opinion. Don’t really watch much of their TV output as I’m not much of a watcher of TV full stop, other than sport and they don’t show much of that anymore. The politics on the beeb channels is horrifically biased towards the right though. Kuennsberg, Neil, Marr. Massive Tories. QT is obsessed with Farage. It was an embarrassment during the last election. So yeah, I watch C4 for my news and politics. I don’t mind paying the license fee myself, but it probably should be optional this day and age, a subscription like anything else.
you have answered your own question. Value is what is perceived by the consumer. I wouldn’t miss the BBC, but recognise it may have value to some. As such the option to subscribe demonstrates a recognition of value by those who choose to pay and doesn’t unfairly penalise those who don’t. I’m not advocating OAPs free license. I’m saying make the license optional for anyone who wants it, paid as such. The legality of a license is outdated. I can guarantee that BBC channels both TV and Radio are way way down in my watched / listened hours. it’s unfortunate that shows that used to interest me no longer seem a priority Genre on the BBC.
The BBC is heard throughout the world and it’s seen as a voice of good. It makes brilliant documentaries. But politically it’s been all over the place in my lifetime. It was very much in support of the Conservative Party and Thatcher during the miners strike. But over the last few years it’s lurched over to the left. Anti Brexit and anti immigration control.
