Why is everyone so angry at the BBC?

[NameWithChange]

Seriously don't get it?

It was the government that said they would stop the Over 75 subsidy for BBC from 2020.

20% of their income is a pretty hefty sum of money to expect any business to suddenly come up with. Why is no one mad with the Government?

They've picked on the weakest section of society; the people who haven't got any power to argue

Actually the weakest in society and the homeless and people using foodbanks, not wealthy pensioners. Poor pensioners are exempt from paying it.

The BBC is extremely biased, wasteful and over-burdened with nepotism and past its sell by date.

All benefits should be means tested.

At one point it was estimated that half those eligible for pension credit didn't claim it, whether for lack of knowledge, inability to access claiming, or refusal to use welfare. So the fact that many very-elderly people who rely on TV will likely lose out is true enough - but the people now complaining about that include many who didn't care when it was kids losing free school meals, claim the benefits system is adequate for families, free prescriptions would be/are a waste, etc. Either you believe benefits make up for low income and high costs, or you don't - can't argue it both ways.

I do resent the huge salaries paid to certain presenters.

OTOH I'm not mad about the licence business. Many over 75s are well able to afford licences - they're by no means all poor old things counting the pennies. In any case, those on pension credit will still get it free.

IMO the 'outrage' is being stirred up by the outrage-loving tabloids.

If the BBC were not the official broadcaster of government, it would have repeatedly challenged ministers, and government spokespeople from day one over the policies of "austerity" which have mean the poorest in society have ended up paying for the bank bailout.

Here's a question for anyone reading this thread ... what proportion of government spending is lost in fraudulent benefit claims ? If the BBC were doing their job, we'd know.

OP, I think the answer to your question is that a significant proportion of people take their opinions from the BBC’s competitors, and don’t stop to ask if there might be a connection between this and the constant slating, particularly from the Murdoch-owned bits of the media- they just regurgitate.
I think in many ways there’s also a similar dynamic to the one with the NHS- people have completely unrealistic expectations, particularly compared to what they’re prepared to pay for. And in general it’s more socially acceptable to have a go at millionaire TV presenters than at overworked and underpaid nurses. So the BBC gets it with both barrels.

Yanbu op. I also don't think you are being goady at all. I'd like to see more outragecat the cuts to school and social care budgets and Boris Johnson's ridiculous proposal re. the top level of income tax. So many knee-jerk reactions to this tiny issue.

LaminateAnecdotes
The BBC were too busy jumping on the poverty porn television bandwagon, commissioning programs like "Saints and Scroungers" where the very well paid Dominic Littlewood would 'be on the case' fishing out the benefit cheats.

My mother has been living in this country since 1960 Shes 83 And had to work in the fields at EIGHT years old to help provide while her dad served in the Italian army. As well as help cook and clean because she was the eldest.

post from another site

"i regularly hear tales from my uncle, now aged 88, about what he had to do in the UK in the 2nd World war, such as working in agriculture & delivering food & medicines. I expect that some children in other countries had a much harder time."

Cant have it both ways eh? Wonder how many would put their money where their mouths are.

from the Changes to Pension Credit thread

"For eg, under UC, couples are treated as permanently separated after 6 months. If mixed age couple split after 15 May, older partner can't claim UC due to age but can't claim PC as need to be separated for 12 months to no longer be treated as couple"

So why should those couples on UC who split up be classed as split up after six months.

Yet if a mixed age couple split after 15 may they arent classed as split until 12 months.

What has this got to do with this thread about the tv licence i hear you cry? Well a lot of people are saying that pensioners should pay like everyone else.

How is it fair that an older person is not considered spilt up for 12 months here but for a person under pension age its 6 months.

Where is the even stevens that everyone is crying out for in this situation?

I genuinely cannot understand the anger over this.

For a start there are far more serious issues facing our elderly people in this country; widespread abuse in the care system for example but no one seems to be getting angry about that.

But take away the free tv license and oh my goodness, the rage!

I don’t think they should be entitled to it free anyway, there are huge numbers of young people who also in great difficulty.

Who are disabled, in poverty, suffering crippling loneliness and/or depression but no free licenses for them.
Why?

What makes the elderly so entitled to this free licence over everyone else?

TV isn’t a human right at the end of the day.

Focus on more important issues.

People who are entitled to free TV licence include HM The Queen, Judi Dench, Cliff Richard, Mick Jagger, Michael Palin, Michael Parkinson. Why should they receive a benefit which they xan so obviously afford? There are a lot of wealthy pensioners who can afford daily Costa coffees, regular holidays and expensive cars. The tabloid press appear to be using it as a stick to bash the BBC with again. This article is an interesting read www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2019/06/today-s-75-year-olds-didn-t-fight-war-so-why-do-we-think-they-did

Somewhat off topic but I would be happy to pay the licence fee for Radios 3 and 4. In fact I kind of do, because we watch very little terrestrial television. The world would be a far poorer place without them.

The BBC is a massive waste. It used to exist to regulate the bandwidth that tv stations and radios utilitised. That’s now done by ofcom. They also do weather and shipping reports but to be honest this is a negligible and marginal cost as the Met office run those facilities.

Then there was the drift to provide cultural content- no problem there, the BBC is world famous for producing TV shows of high quality on very low production budgets.

But despite this, the TV licence is second only to expensive cable packages for entertainment. Netflix and Amazon don’t use advertising for revenue, and they charge £7-£10/month.

The BBC are telling me that TV licences now start from £6/week. That’s around £26/month. For what?? Grossly overproduced and overpriced TV shows? I’m pretty sure the BBC isn’t looking to compete with HBO- they’re not making any sack of King’s Landing shots.

The price or the TV licence is grossly disproportionate to what you get. £27/month for bake off? Come on- this isn’t even presenter wages. This is mostly bloated middle management cultural apparatchiks. I’m not even sure the organisation knows which way it swings culturally- it doesn’t matter. If they can’t survive of a more modest budget (call it £8/month) then they should give up- they’re in the wrong business if they can’t turn a profit at that price.

I thought bake off went to channel 4? Anyways your points are spot on hiddenMnetter

I don't have a TV and the only TV programme I watch (literally) is The Handmaid's Tale on C4 on my phone.

Paying £26 a month for that seems somewhat steep.

I'm glad free licensing for over 75s not claiming pension credits will be stopped. I don't want to subsidise it. My grandparents aren't wealthy but they're a lot better off than my 20-something siblings who can't find secure, well-paying jobs (and if they did they'd be paid less for them).

Should be no fee for anyone. They should earn the money they need from advertising. Paying a tv licence so I can watch skyliving etc but never a bbc show or even listening to a bbc radio channel is stupid.

Licence fee should be scrapped. BBC do have ads, if only for other BBC products (at least last time I looked a few years back). I could pay for both Amazon AND Netflix for much less than the licence fee, no ads, and they get BBC dramas such as Poldark, The Bodyguard, Fleabag etc. Can also watch catchup C4, ITV etc.

I think they should move to ads to pay for their programs. Do they get money off the government still? If yes, that should end. I don't care how many ads they have, I always go off and do something else when they are on anyway.

I think they should move to ads to pay for their programs. Do they get money off the government still? If yes, that should end. I don't care how many ads they have, I always go off and do something else when they are on anyway

Same. The huge rise in Platforms like YouTube and Netflix mean no where near as many people are watching TV anyway. The BBC is dying. Why are we subsidising this welfare channel.

The government is responsible for the loss of the free licence, not the BBC. passing on benefit commitments to a broadcaster is a truly sly tory trick. I for one do not want adverts all over the BBC, how annoying when programmes are constantly interrupted. Remember, BBC also support C4 as well as local radio. A lot of production companies get commissions off the BBC, helping breakthrough talent.

No please not ads. I know they advertise their own programmes but those ads are inbetween programmes.

Something has to be really really good for me to watch it eg in Channel 4 with constant interruptions (and recaps after every break).

But there is no new programmes it is a load of tosh right now I pay my licence for the sewing bee