Does anyone still buy a tv license?

[cucumberman]

I do. I don't want to endanger others by watching tv without a license.

 

[Tricky Dickys Right Foot Shot]

I do. I don't want to endanger others by watching tv without a license.

It's mental how people think they can get away with not paying it, and those who have for years better hope they never get caught!

 

[i kne albert davy]

Again, it's your choice to pay the licence fee.
As it stands I don't have a choice, I'm forced to pay for something I detest.

The programmes you mention could and would still be made without the BBC.
They are made by independent production companies and would find a platform elsewhere.

Do you seriously think British TV compares favourably with American TV.
I can't imagine a British TV company, let alone the BBC, making The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Elementary etc.

I detest income tax why should I pay it,I'm sure if I didn't bother somebody else would cover it.

 

[GortonBlue62]

I detest income tax why should I pay it,I'm sure if I didn't bother somebody else would cover it.

Silly.

This has been done to death on here. BBC five live is worth the licence fee alone, imo.

Here's the thing with the BBC; the people on the right think it's biased towards the left. The people on the left think it's biased towards the right. That says to me it does a pretty fucking good job of trying to find a balance.

Long term, the licence fee will be rolled into council tax so it will get paid, one way or another

Even BBC insiders acknowledge that the corporation is left of centre and to progress you need to buy into that left wing agenda.

Long term the licence fee will be abolished because it is no longer relevant.

 

[GortonBlue62]

I detest income tax why should I pay it,I'm sure if I didn't bother somebody else would cover it.

Very silly post this.

You should pay income tax because that's the way you contribute to the society you live in; and if you don't pay you'll probably be locked up.

 

[pace89]

Silly.


Even BBC insiders acknowledge that the corporation is left of centre and to progress you need to buy into that left wing agenda.

Long term the licence fee will be abolished because it is no longer relevant.

Of course the BBC is basically left of centre. It's run by people who are mostly highly educated creative types that believe in the BBC's founding principles. They are the sort of people that can see that non-commercial broadcasters have a civilising effect in a media environment which is otherwise dominated by the lowest common denominator commercial TV and the bigotry and hatred of the right wing press.

Whether any form of bias towards believing in fairness, decency, tolerance and caring for those who are more vulnerable than ourselves makes it into the BBC's news and current affairs broadcasting is questionable. Neo Nazi Nigel appears on Question Time on regular basis despite being only an MEP, Nick Robinson was student Tory (and gobshite Rag twat to boot) and Jeremy Paxman is self confessed Tory. Not many other BBC figures have obvious political allegiances.

It's notable that other than people of the right the people who complain most vociferously about the BBC's political bias the Stop the War knobheads and Corbytrons. They're totally convinced that the BBC is a mouthpiece for Government propaganda and the neo-liberal military industrial complex. All this proves is that people see bias where they want to and overall the BBC is pretty good at being neutral.

 

[che_don_john]

The programmes you mention could and would still be made without the BBC.
They are made by independent production companies and would find a platform elsewhere.

They could, but then they would be more at the mercy of commercial pressures were they to be made for commercial channels: they'd take less creative risks and stick to lowest-common-denominator populism; and they would certainly have content cut if the advertisers didn't like it (look at South Park's weekly battles with Comedy Central execs who are under pressure from corporates). Is it a coincidence that all our best comedy is on BBC and Chanel 4, whereas the stuff on ITV is atrocious? No, because ITV can't take those creative risks when they have to appease advertisers with ratings.

Do you seriously think British TV compares favourably with American TV.
I can't imagine a British TV company, let alone the BBC, making The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Elementary etc.

Yes, I do. What you've done is list the cream of the crop but ignored the 95% of American TV that is utterly awful. They churn out a lot, so law averages dictate that they would produce some quality. I think that the percentage ratio of quality/terrible for the BBC is much better. And in America, when it comes to news, political and cultural programmes, all the best stuff is on PBS

There was a great feature on Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe - may have been the U.S. special - where some American TV guy was explaining the process of how comedies are made there, and how the quality ones - e.g. Friends, Frasier, Curb - stand out because they are the tiny few that initially made it through the commercial grinder and built up enough strength to withstand the pressure.

 

[old blue]

Very silly post this.

You should pay income tax because that's the way you contribute to the society you live in; and if you don't pay you'll probably be locked up.

I think it was tongue in cheek.

 

[BigOscar]

Again, it's your choice to pay the licence fee.
As it stands I don't have a choice, I'm forced to pay for something I detest.

The programmes you mention could and would still be made without the BBC.
They are made by independent production companies and would find a platform elsewhere.

Do you seriously think British TV compares favourably with American TV.
I can't imagine a British TV company, let alone the BBC, making The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Elementary etc.

They compare very well, because American TV is craaaazy expensive. Most of the programs you list are HBO, which you have to pay a large fee on top of the already large fee you pay. They are huge budget programs made with the extortionate amounts they charge.

 

[GortonBlue62]

I think it was tongue in cheek.

Oh. Sorry.