The BBC - Licence Fee

2008-Aug-19
I was in a shop in our village centre today, listening to a dude moan on about having the pay the licence fee and yet, and I quote "I don't even watch the BBC!!"

When I move to uni, the Licence Fee to put a TV in my room, will be £139.50 a year.

Should we HAVE to pay Licence fee?

I think we should.
The BBC, privatised would be a nightmare. I think we need an impartial news channel, if it was suddenly private, wouldn't it be in danger of becoming a British Fox News? Biased and partial? Would they be able to test shows on channels like BBC3, which then move to BBC2 to BBC1 based on ratings (like have i got news for you), which then get thrown into the history books of television? Wouldn't privatising the BBC mean that we just have channels full of stereotypes? Black channels, white channels, gay channels, action channels, movie channels, sports channels... Nothing dedicated to innovation and variety. Isn't the Beeb special, an institution and should be treated as such?

The alternative is of course channels like ITV, which could be considered very similar to the Beeb, but ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 are failing massively financially. Channel 4 and 5 certainly provide nothing innovative. I get extremely bored of programs titled "The Woman with the giant legs" that Channel 5 is currently advertising, or "Teenage Transexuals" like Channel 4 had. The licence fee keeps the Beeb consistant. It currently guarantees freedom to new producers and writers, it caters to creativity where ITV or Virgin 1 or Living or MTV just can't, as they are only answerable to share holders. The BBC caters to viewing figures, not share holders. Which means it needs to be fresh, updated, and new all the time.

The BBC is a great part of Britain. If the destruction of British culture is the main focus of talk lately, due to the Government, the do-gooders, or influx of foreigners, then abandoning the licence fee and handing over to a private investor would be like twisting the knife of British Culture. We complain about paying the fee now, but we'd miss the entire influence of the BBC if it were to end. The Beeb HAS proved more inovative, and quality driven than any other broadcaster.

There has been no Private broadcasting company that can rival the BBC for things like Radio 1 and it's Big Weekends, the evolution of Radio 4, the comedies like Blackadder, Only Fools, Fawlty Towers etc.

I think changing Licence Fee to Private funding, would be a nightmare, and have absolutely no benefit.
  • Post A Comment!

    • 2008-Aug-20 - Untitled Comment

    Posted by thedietcokeofevil
    I agree with you in principle. I support the licensing fee, but I object to the way it's applied. With the pervasiveness of home video and video games these days, there is more you can do with your television than simply watch broadcast programs, and I think it's unfair to charge those people who simply want to be able to play their xbox or watch the occasional DVD for a public service they aren't using. You have to pay a tax for your car to drive it, but people who don't drive on public roads don't pay the tax (unless I'm remembering incorrectly.) It would be a pretty simple matter for the Beeb to transmit an encoded broadcast and only charge the licensing fee for a decoder, rather than for the TV set itself. It's absolutely ludicrous that I, as an American serviceperson stationed in the UK, had to pay a licensing fee to own an American television on an American installation that due to the PAL/NTSC discrepancy to say nothing of the different connectors was not even capable of recieving the BBC broadcasts.
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    2008-Oct-11 - Watched attentively

    Posted by NawextedaKend
    Hello.
    :)

    Martha Louise, who is the only daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, gave up the title of 'royal highness' upon her 2002 marriage to writer Ari, and has a reputation for not standing on ceremony.
    Bye.
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