Scrap TV license fees?

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by scastle

I say keep the licence fee. The whole industry needs it. People have held up Channel 4 as an example of good programming. It is, but it is partially funded by advertising and partially funded by the licence fee.

I think you should re-check that.

As I stated earlier, I think making the BBC a commercial entity will cause massive problems for the existing commercial channels (several, including Channels 4, 5 and ITV would possibly fold).

The same way they have folded die to the influx of all the sattelite channels?

It's basic economics that the more suppy you introduce into a market, the lower prices for that supply go. Commercialising the BBC would introduce a massive supply of advertising space into an already over saturated market.

Well in that case they'd have to get use to the real world then.

Apart from anything else, if you have watched any TV or listened to any radio station in this country, you have either directly or indirectly benefitted from the BBC. Whether they provided services for production, trained the technicians or developed the technology involved.

This has been said before - so what. If the BBC didn't exist the technicians, technology and services would have been available somewhere else.

NTL for that matter, you may raise your eyebrows but NTL/IBA where are just as talented in broadcast technology.

[also]Also, the licence fee allows the Beeb to "carry" a series that has low ratings, but may improve. Look at "Men Behaving Badly", "Only Fools and Horses" and "Blackadder". The first series of each of those was dreadful, and if they were on a commercial channel, they probably wouldn't have been recommissioned (this actually happened with Men Behaving Badly - it's first series was on ITV and wasn't recommissioned by them).[/QUOTE]

The same licence fee also allows the Beeb to turn out crap series after series.

Originally Posted by ian@huth

Scrap the TV licence fee and provide the revenue lost from general taxation.Most households have a TV licence and there is enormous cost in administrating, collection of the fees, database upkeep and evasion detection.But keep adverts away from the BBC.

The income from the TV license fees are over £2 billion per year. Given the existing priorities for distributing government funds I think funding the BBC from general taxation would be a no no, public opinion would be horrified.

When I lived in Kenya I was curious to note that every time you bought a radio or tv you would pay the license fee, so that each sale of apparatus raises more money. The more radios and tvs you buy the more licenses you collect! Anyway, such a scheme wouldn't raise the cash here.

Actually, the BBC has been practising with its own adverts. Probably might be a good idea for the BBC to start advertising in general once parliament and the government gives the go ahead.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Gogogo

The income from the TV license fees are over £2 billion per year. Given the existing priorities for distributing government funds I think funding the BBC from general taxation would be a no no, public opinion would be horrified.

When I lived in Kenya I was curious to note that every time you bought a radio or tv you would pay the license fee, so that each sale of apparatus raises more money. The more radios and tvs you buy the more licenses you collect! Anyway, such a scheme wouldn't raise the cash here.

Actually, the BBC has been practising with its own adverts. Probably might be a good idea for the BBC to start advertising in general once parliament and the government gives the go ahead.

The income may be over 2 billion but what are the administrative costs? Most households have a TV so overall they would be paying a smaller amount. What would you rather pay, £121 a year for a licence or maybe £1 or so a week for no licence?

Originally Posted by ian@huth

The income may be over 2 billion but what are the administrative costs? Most households have a TV so overall they would be paying a smaller amount. What would you rather pay, £121 a year for a licence or maybe £1 or so a week for no licence?

Well the BBC may well be overstaffed, so staff cuts and cutting back on celebrities and channels may help. Advertising and subscription services would be preferable.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Gogogo

Well the BBC may well be overstaffed, so staff cuts and cutting back on celebrities and channels may help. Advertising and subscription services would be preferable.

Big savings would be made on the administration of collecting the TV Licence fee and enforcement.

I would rather the BBC is kept advert and subscription free.

Originally Posted by Chris T

lol ... sadly not! But I'm interested to know how many people who claim 'never' to use the BBC actually never use BBC online, never listen to a BBC radio station, never watch any BBC TV content or, for that matter, don't take advantage of innovations like NICAM stereo, which IIRC BBC engineers were heavily involved in developing.

I suspect the answer is that the BBC is such a part of the fabric of this country that we won't truly appreciate what we've got until the day it's taken away from us. I do hope that day never comes.

Can somebody please tell me why the BBC broadcasts things like BBC America, BBC World Service and BBC Spain and things like that... what benefit is this to British people, who have paid for the service?

Other than this one minor point, I think the BBC is fine.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Diamond

Can somebody please tell me why the BBC broadcasts things like BBC America, BBC World Service and BBC Spain and things like that... what benefit is this to British people, who have paid for the service?

Other than this one minor point, I think the BBC is fine.

British people are not always in Britain, many holiday, work or live abroad.

Originally Posted by ian@huth

British people are not always in Britain, many holiday, work or live abroad.

But BBC Spain is broadcast in Spanish... and BBC World Service is in 43 languages

[Millay]

I dread the day BBC loses the licence, fee and the worrying thing is, I reckon it will happen within my lifetime.

For £120 a year, we get so much, the news service is classed as number 1 in the world, along with there output. BBC Three is gaining in the viewer stats, and wrightly so there is some brilliant stuff on there now.

I listen to Radio 1, 2, 4 and my local bbc station comercial station in genral are terrible, they have an advert slot every ten minutes, you cant get anything like radio 4 in the comercial arena.

There R&D department is one of the most important in the world, without which many advances in broadcasting would probably not ave happened, wait till we can whatch the last 7 days worth of TV like we can with radio on there site that will be great.

wehn you wok out howe much you pay for subscription channels, the license costs pennys and gives us the best output...

[gazzae]

Originally Posted by Diamond

Can somebody please tell me why the BBC broadcasts things like BBC America, BBC World Service and BBC Spain and things like that... what benefit is this to British people, who have paid for the service?

Other than this one minor point, I think the BBC is fine.

BBC America is not funded by the license fee. Hence the reason it has ad's.

Originally Posted by gazzae

BBC America is not funded by the license fee. Hence the reason it has ad's.

Ah, ok.

Originally Posted by Diamond

Can somebody please tell me why the BBC broadcasts things like BBC America, BBC World Service and BBC Spain and things like that... what benefit is this to British people, who have paid for the service?
Other than this one minor point, I think the BBC is fine.

BBC World Service,"Dedicated to the friendship of English-speaking peoples" as the inscription says above the Bush House entrance, receives a generous contribution from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, that is tax money, the FCO used to have a say over content. Certainly, when I lived overseas I valued its World Service radio broadcasts and was always amazed just how many locals would tune in to get an alternative to local state media.

[ian@huth]

The BBC World Service has had significant political and strategic uses over the years and still has.

Originally Posted by ian@huth

The BBC World Service has had significant political and strategic uses over the years and still has.

That's an interesting line of thought and certainly justified in the years before the end of the Cold War, web reference below clarifies the FO position:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?...=1007029395267

There is a view that the World Service should remain under FO funding and perhaps should be formally separated from the main BBC services.