The BBC

[Yel]

The Guardian have made a story out of nothing, or at least a purposefully manipulative move to ignore the actual facts of the situation.

Ah thanks, not surprised at all. The idea the guardian is credible and not just another tabloid that creates click and sharebait stories is laughable.

 

[Snippysnips]

We should always be allowed to choose what we pay for, I wouldn't be paying for netflix if I didn't watch it, so that should have been the same with the license, if I wanted to watch none bbc stuff on sky then I shouldn't have to pay the BBC anything but it never worked like that cause of the greed of the BBC

What gets me is my mate in America can watch BBC content completly free of charge but yet anyone in Britain would be fined for that

I can honestly see it going before it hits 2027, does any of the younger generation even watch BBC? Most of my cousins kids have grown up with streaming sites, even my neice I'll sit her down to YouTube, I'd much rather her watch little alphabet songs an number songs on that than let her watch the abomination that is peppa pig

 

[StephenTJackson]

I just want to say about the David Attenborough show, the new series is five episodes and was always commissioned as five episodes. All five of which are being broadcast on TV.

The iPlayer only episode was a totally separate commission and the BBC acquired it specifically for iPlayer. It was never planned to be broadcast on TV. It's just extra iPlayer exclusive bonus content of you like.

The Guardian have made a story out of nothing, or at least a purposefully manipulative move to ignore the actual facts of the situation. Because even all the original commissioning news articles refer to the series as a five part series, not a six part series.

 

[glasgow27]

I'm not against the BBC's existence, I'm simply against people being harassed (yes, I will use that word because that's what the letters are phrased to do) in order to pay for their talent like Zoe Ball & Gary Lineker to earn millions and for all of the money wasted on middle management. I was particularly annoyed in Ball's case where she lost around a million listeners and got a huge salary increase. You can't justify that. Nor can you justify making someone pay the BBC to watch ITV. By the same logic, why don't we have to pay Tesco a shopping fee if we prefer going to Sainsbury's?

It's not the end of the BBC, they just need to find another way to fund it. I only watch the BBC for a quarter of the year anyway for Strictly and TBH, I wouldn't mind if it had adverts, the show can drag on a bit without any break.

 

[Yel]

The BBC isn't ONE Channel. It is:
9 National TV channels
6 Regional TV Channels
12 Local TV Channels
13 International TV Channels
11 National radio stations
Approx 40 regional radio stations
Plus the online provision

My response is should it really be doing so much? It's good value for what it does (I'm guessing the revenue-generating commercial arm must be well run?).

I'm for state broadcasting - covering what the commercial sector won't and have high quality output. But it seems to try to compete in many instances and so much of their journalism seems at the same (low) level as the commercial sector.

 

[carriebooboo]

The actual collection and monitoring of license usage is a colossal waste of money in of itself and should have been shut down years ago. It cost £137 million last year: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-financial-information-AB19

 

[NeverEnough]

You must have a pretty limited vocabulary if you think the Guardian uses long words! Can you also explain how it's the left wing version of the Daily Mail.

Long words is an ironic take on the hard of thinking's insistence that the Guardian is a reliable source.

And it is the Left Wing version of the Mail because it uses selective statistics and biased editorials to push it's own agenda.

"Guardian reader" and "Daily Mail reader" are equal an opposite meme's. The two cheeks of the same arse.

At least Mail readers realise they are a parody. Never quite sure about Guardian readers....

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Being as I bought a TV again recently after years without, I like the idea of no license in the near future.

 

[StephenTJackson]

BBC Four doesn't have original content commissions anymore anyway, so like you say, put it back on BBC Two. Going online with CBBC makes sense, and can easily do a linear broadcast section on BBC Two, like they used to do before digital channels. They are right to go online. But the truth is, the BBC deserves to be properly funded, not some 10 year deal that they have to fight over tooth and nail every time. It deserves to be able to compete against streaming and commercial channels, but needs to be properly funded to do so because it has huge commitments to things like local radio, that doesn't exist in a commercial radio space. Because commercial radio has obliterated local radio broadcasting. Most stations part of larger groups, and lucky to get a regional breakfast or drivetime show and everything else is national broadcast.

 

[thegirlscout]

Is there much need for a BBC Parliament channel? Who is watching it enough for it to be a separate channel? And BBC 2 and 1 are so similar now surely they could merge those and keep BBC 4 or merge BBC 4 with BBC 2 as it’s only on 9 hours a day?

 

[Brigitjonesbuttcheek]

the expenses gravy train is disgraceful. No consideration for cost of travel, taxi’s, do’s, off site meeting, catering etc.

That's the thing, they keep saying they need more money, but the pay the staf £££££ they travel all over the shop unecessary they make loads of dramas that are pretty shit and the amount they pay people for strictly.

The BBC should be about finding new talent and giving new shows a chance. Anything or anyone popular can then go on to another channel.
So they launch a new TV show with low budget and up and coming actors or presenters on a low wage. If people like it, they well the format on to another channel. Might help someone other than the kids of other TV people getting on the TV.

 

[Merpedy]

I enjoy BBC programmes and I think their news is decent enough but it’s been somewhat obvious over the years that they don’t challenge the leading party enough, and now it’s looking like the very MPs calling for impartiality are encouraging not very impartial behaviour too

I often find their certain political news not in depth enough too. Presumably because reporting on it may risk taking a side

 

[Yel]

I thought everyone with a TV or radio had to pay for it

It's nothing to do with the radio, but anyone that watches live or near live TV or uses the iPlayer needs one. If you just watch Netflix and TV isn't tuned then no need.

There's some grey areas as does watching live sport on Amazon prime video count as live TV?

Other countries have made it so anyone with an internet connection needs to pay it, Germany I believe.

 

[LittleMissOnions]

For those of us old enough to remember!

 

[Yel]

Looks like they're going to need to cut a fair bit, if as reported they've been cutting for a fair long time there must not be much low hanging fruit left.

I did cancel my license years ago (they could have saved a fair bit not sending the dozens of threatening we're coming for you letters) because I didn't use the service and it quality has gone downhill. Programmes like panorama used to be excellent; now it's so watered down, littered with silly shots like slow motion and sliced up in that common way to show half of something then leave the viewer hanging so they keep on watching. Dire.

If you've seen any of the documentaries that feature tattle and are a regular here it's absolutely laughable that they claim to be independent, impartial and honest as their foundation. Absolutely biased to please those in media circles.

Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We’re independent, impartial and honest

I like the idea of a state funded broadcaster but the current state of the BBC makes it unfit for purpose imo.

Id ditch BBC four, return some of the more interesting things to BBC two. Also ditch BBC news and let the commercial sector do such an expensive operation. Lots of the online stuff cannibalises the commercial sector and is unnecessary.

The last good thing I've watched from the BBC was the bodyguard, but that was available on Netflix.

The BBC for so long has been able to go in and quash any competition. I forget who but there's and lbc presenter that used to work on BBC local radio and their boss said "if at least one person is listening then that's good"

Anyway I'll end my messy ramblings

---
'The days of state-run TV are over': Nadine Dorries clobbers the BBC with £2billion funding cut as she freezes the licence fee for two years, with a row over 'Left-wing bias' threatening to spill out into all-out war with the Corporation

• Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries freezes annual £159 fee for the next two years
• Anticipated inflation rises mean BBC will need to find savings of circa £2billion
• Tories continue to accuse state broadcaster of showing 'left-wing bias' in row
• Ms Dorries' allies have warned the Corporation the 'days of state run TV are over' with plans for the licence fee to be replaced by a new funding model

The BBC was last night on the brink of a war with the Government after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries hit the Corporation with a two-year licence fee freeze – as her allies warned that ‘the days of state-run television are over’.

Tense negotiations between the Government and the BBC over the cost of the annual fee until the end of 2027 have concluded, with Ms Dorries deciding to hold the licence at £159 for the next two years.

Officials calculate that – due to inflation currently running at 5.1 per cent – the Corporation will have to find savings of more than £2 billion over the next six years.

However, Ms Dorries is also considering pegging future fee increases below inflation between 2024 and the end of the current Royal Charter on December 31, 2027 – meaning the savings the BBC must make could end up being even higher.

At that point, if the Conservatives are still in power, the licence fee is likely to be replaced by a new funding model which reflects the growing domination of subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The move comes after a series of rows with Ministers over the Corporation’s alleged Left-wing bias.

 

[WritersBlock]

Apart from high levels of Jewish people who don’t trust the BBC anymore after they ran that story about the Jewish people on the bus and refused to apologise or change their story - even when it was found to be false. That was in the last few weeks.
But the BBC also pays some of its top ‘talent’ a disgusting amount of money to do the bare minimum, has culture of gender pay gaps, sexism, it helped cover up Saville, had a history of executive payoffs. The comparison to the NHS is apt though because that is also an origination that has become a money pit.
If it doesn’t go I think it needs to be restructured.

I agree with the points you made; there’s still a lot it can do better for sure.

My response is should it really be doing so much? It's good value for what it does (I'm guessing the revenue-generating commercial arm must be well run?).

I'm for state broadcasting - covering what the commercial sector won't and have high quality output. But it seems to try to compete in many instances and so much of their journalism seems at the same (low) level as the commercial sector.

i think this too. I like some of the stuff on BBC4 but it can easily find a home on BBC2. I’m sure they’re already thinking this themselves and it’ll all be part of the ongoing negotiations with government.

 

[AllSeeingEye123]

I don’t really like ITV, it’s full of trash shows and detective stuff. However even I can find something to watch on there and nothing for me on the BBC. What on earth are the beeb going to do when Attenborough retires, as he is the main draw for their big wildlife shows.



this goes to show the BBC has become too big and bloated.

it needs to cater to the core audience who pay for the fee, slim down on those pointless channels

Who decides which service is pointless? What someone likes someone else might not. The license fee is about appealing to as many different people as possible. They will be fine when Attenborough retires. He only narrates the script he's given to read. All the real stars of his shows that we don't get to see like the camera people who risk themselves to go deep under water or up close to dangerous animals will still be working for BBC.

 

[AllSeeingEye123]

Ex-Radio 2 star Simon Mayo says working for BBC was 'soul destroying'

Simon Mayo, 63, hosted an acclaimed film review show for more than two decades with Mark Kermode, 58, on various BBC channels, before recently moving it to Sony.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Scathing but true. The way he was treated with Radio 2 was horrible as well and he seems much happier on Greatest Hits Radio. They are losing so much talent with Dan Walker leaving in two weeks time for Channel 5 and others already gone like Andrew Marr who has his new radio programme. I suppose on the plus side BBC can lower their wage bill on talent by bringing in fresh new faces on much smaller salaries.

 

[Merpedy]

I accept, but a football broadcaster having a political opinion isn't a problem.

A few people interviewed on the BBC pointed out that people will have already had a set view on the government policy anyway so the opinion wouldn’t have changed much anyway

 

[Moe]

I finally cancelled the license last year. I hardly ever watched anything on the BBC apart from Eurovision.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the Martin Bashir fiasco and the millions that will have to be paid out in damages. Well not from me it won’t.