Should the BBC be scrapped?

Cartus

Cartus

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,874
Name
Tim
Edit My Images
Yes
I have always been a big fan of our national broadcaster but more recently my household tends to watch tv series on the internet and via DVD's. I don't at all mind paying the licence fee of £145.50 feeling that it represents good value for money. There appears to be a growing contingent who don't agree with me though:

"The BBC are a disgrace! Riddled with left-wingers who despise Britain and all it represents, these odious people take any opportunity given to deride and belittle anything the mainstream British people hold close to their hearts."

"The BBC are vile anti British filth....... scrap the TV Poll Tax now!"

Comments like these are abundant in the (more right-wing) media these days, the recent scandals haven't helped the corporation at all.

What does everyone think - Keep or Scrap?
 
Last edited:
Keep the BBC but scrap the licence fee. Fund it by ads, every other channel manages it.

I agree Btw, I barely ever watch or listen to BBC broadcasts.
 
antihero said:
Keep the BBC but scrap the licence fee. Fund it by ads, every other channel manages it.

I agree Btw, I barely ever watch or listen to BBC broadcasts.
Click to expand...
Exactly my thoughts as well.
 
antihero said:
Keep the BBC but scrap the licence fee. Fund it by ads, every other channel manages it.

I agree Btw, I barely ever watch or listen to BBC broadcasts.
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
The price of the BBC licence fee is outrageous. It's far too low. I would willingly sell my house and all its contents to help the BBC.

Eric Prepuce
Leighton Buzzard
 
Just had a think about this. There isnt really anything on the BBC that I watch...Maybe Top Gear and Match of the day, so £145 a year to watch 2 programmes is a bit steep!

Yes, scrap it!! :D
 
Why not make it a subscription service? User pays.
 
MartynK said:
Why not make it a subscription service? User pays.
Click to expand...
Because they know its crap and very few people watch it?
;)

Remember the days when you also used to
have a licence for a radio in your home and later your car as well?
That became outdated many years ago, and got scrapped.
Time for the TV licence to follow suit.
 
Keep, absolutely.

It would be a crying shame to get rid of the finest broadcaster in the world. Take a look at the opposition and think, do we really need more like Sky TV, Fox News etc.

The fact that BBC gets criticicised by whichever party is in power means they are performing their journalistic duty with aplomb.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
gramps said:
Just think of the natural history programmes that the BBC produces, some of these are absolutely stunning and not interrupted by mindless adverts!
Click to expand...
Well worth the licence fee alone, now if only the beeb would get rid of all the other schite, they have no need to pander to the brain dead.
 
andyscott said:
isnt there already advertising on the BBC??
Click to expand...

Depends what you mean by advertising. The lesser channels such as BBC3 have endless promos for their own programmes inbetween real programmes, and it's the same ones over and over again. I'd happily have adverts in place of this, but not breaks in the programmes themselves for ads. As for other paid services, there are no less than 3 Christmas movie channels currently running already! :runaway:
 
Bear in mind that your licence fee doesn't just cover the BBC channels.
For example, a large chunk of the cost for the UK's digital switchover was paid for out of licence funds.

It's not all about the programming that could be funded by advertising either.
There are some services that meet a community need which may not necessarily be commercially profitable if not licence funded.
Gaelic and Welsh language services for example - which could very well dry up without the licence fee because they just wouldn't be profitable enough.
 
I think we should keep it. They do some fantastic programs and while they do stuff which has a commercial value (Dr Who, Wildlife), they also do stuff which is more diverse. Overall the quality is hard to beat (aside from say Sports which is better on Sky).
 
If you have lived abroad and watched any of the overseas BBC channels or used the BBC website, then you'll be used to the BBC with advertisements. It's no big deal. I say scrap the license fee and apply their commercial tv model to the UK.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
If you have lived abroad and watched any of the overseas BBC channels or used the BBC website, then you'll be used to the BBC with advertisements. It's no big deal. I say scrap the license fee and apply their commercial tv model to the UK.
Click to expand...

If you want TV with adverts you have hundreds to chose from, leave the BBC add free and put the licence fee up if that's what it takes to keep high quality programing. One Attenborough series is worth the licence fee on its own. IMO of course.
 
Big Andy said:
If you want TV with adverts you have hundreds to chose from, leave the BBC add free and put the licence fee up if that's what it takes to keep high quality programing. One Attenborough series is worth the licence fee on its own. IMO of course.
Click to expand...
The BBC is only ad-free in the UK. It is already a commercial network.
 
I barely get near TV; there is maybe 1 hour a week or even a month worth my time. Top Gear is great, but where is it? Nat. history series can be also great but they only come like once a year. I don't know what else - they should just package the rubbish like soap operas and reality shows with radio 1 horror and offload it as some commercial venture. The rest fits into a few hours a week. I don't think 6 episodes of TG + 1 series of nature show is worth £145. It really is not.
 
I think the way the licence fee is collected is a bit silly - i have never owned a tv myself and it's annoying the amount of letters i get through the letter box and the assumption that anyone without a tv is a licence evader. Imagine if the same method was used for anyone who did not own a car! As it's essentially a form of taxation then it would make more sense if it was paid from general taxation funds. Apparently you need a licence even to watch tv on a mobile phone, so I wonder what people from other countries do when visiting the uk while on holiday - i'm not sure if there is an option to get a licence only for say a few days while they visit the uk - I think it's at least a month's minimum subscription period.
 
I was under the impression that you need a licence if you watch or record (Sky + etc.) BBC content as it is being broadcast.
 
antihero said:
if they promised never to make another episode of Eastenders I might change my mind
Click to expand...

I think that spewing out the travesty of Eastenders is proof that a licence fee for that alone, the BBC should bd shut down.
 
In Germany all households have to pay for a tv licence wether you have a tv or not.....it is to cover the cost of those who watch on mobile devices and computers etc...... I hardly watch tv but when I do it is normally a BBC program or radio 4
 
viv1969 said:
I was under the impression that you need a licence if you watch or record (Sky + etc.) BBC content as it is being broadcast.
Click to expand...


That is correct Ruth......if you are physically watching or recording live tv from any source you require a licence.......if you decide to only watch on demand tv then you do not.......
 
archangel said:
That is correct Ruth......if you are physically watching or recording live tv from any source you require a licence.......if you decide to only watch on demand tv then you do not.......
Click to expand...

And that's a big change from years ago when you had to have a license if you had equipment capable of receiving the signal. ..whether you watched it or not.
 
So how many who say Scrap the BBC have SKY, BT, Talktalk, etc on a monthly deal and probably pay more per year than they would for the license fee??

3 out of 4 (forget BBC3) of good programming, OK some Prog,s not so good or ITV with 6 Channels (I believe) of mostly not watched stuff.

Know which I prefer!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top