[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mr K

So to stand on its own 2 feet that would mean the BBC advertising and an end to programming that doesn't make a profit?? It would just become ITV/Sky or any of the other rubbish channels, of which we have hundreds. More down market reality TV, less quality drama and documentaries.
It's not just 2 channels either it's several channels, plus it's radio, local and national, and the website. All provided without advertising, it would be hard to totally avoid using it. It comes out at about £12 a month, compared to Sky/VM it's a bargain, many of their channels are just repeating BBC content.

BBC local radio was awful in the main, it's why they done away with most of its output apart from breakfast and drive shows and their national stations have been overtaken imo, I don't even listen to radio 4 anymore

Originally Posted by johnathome

I have to pay over £12 a month for the BBC, the only things I've watched in the last 3 months are Blue Planet and Detectorists.

If the BBC was a subscription service i would have stopped paying long ago, certainly at that price a month.

That's two things more than me, I only watch tv on a Wednesday and that is purely so I get some value from having to pay the tax and it's never the BBC I watch, I used to like BBC3 but they did away with that

Originally Posted by Mr K

£12 a month to produce mostly original content, advert free plus all the extra service s the BBC provides is a steal.
Sky/VM charge 3 times plus that amount, for advert infested and imported crap. The little content they do produce is usually of inferior quality.
We need a state broadcaster, it's output is unique as its not influenced by profit/advertisers, it really would be a case of you'd miss it when its gone.

I prefer to look at it as the BBC is stealing from me

Originally Posted by japitts

Yep, agreed. I know that BBC bashing is quite fashionable these days, and there's a lot more competition - but take away everything they provide and I suspect a few people would be rather surprised.

Yes I'd be pleasantly surprised by the extra 12 quid a month

---------- Post added at 08:45 ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

Same reason you’re forced to pay for services you don’t use via your council tax. Parliament has ruled that the BBC services, provided in the way that they are, are useful and desirable to the national life.

You may choose to use a private school or a private health club but you still pay council tax, which funds the local leisure centre and the local school.

Those are essential services, the BBC is not, you could make an argument that it used to be but that argument was lost about 10 years ago at the latest, probably even earlier