Is it time to defund the BBC ?

[Nomorefees]

Just that - is it time to defund the BBC (Biased Broadcasting Corporation) and make it subscription only?

Discuss

Totally agree, BBC Radio 4 was a gem. I listened to it all my life pretty much, until about 5 years ago when everything was about ‘issues’. I rarely listen it to at all now, sometimes when on a long drive, but I usually end up turning off. I miss the plays and don’t get me started about The Archers😡

How sad that this still needs to be pointed out.

Are "British people of Asian or African heritage" allowed to "think of themselves as British" if they don't give a toss about Jane Austen, I wonder?

The idea of the BBC as a woke left propaganda unit is positively laughable when the current Chair is a Tory donor and the Director-General is a former Tory candidate/former deputy chair of a local Conservative Association. The irony!

Yes.
Totally outdated institution. Abolish or let it live or die on subscriptions.
The entitled staff unlike to survive in a properly run business - too bad -they can get jobs at the Guardian instead till that folds too.

it is because people are so misinformed that they BBC are coining billions isn’t it ? Like a PP saying you need a licence if you own a TV, plenty of resources out there -even the BBC website explains about the Live viewing. I fully expect the Detector Van to be mentioned very soon😭
off topic a bit but I love the Met Office weather forecast on YT especially if Alex Deakin is doing it, no need to,watch live news / weather at all or anything Live unless you just switch in TV for background noise. £159 a year is not worth it to me, for some people it is. I’m just happy we are legitimately allowed to not have a licence if abide by these simple rules

No, absolutely not.

I cancelled my licence as I didn't feel it was worth it

I know there are people who think the BBC is to the right

And probably as many who think they’re too left

But if it goes I’d say our media landscape overall would shift right

There is no other TV service where you are hounded and sent to prison if you don't subscribe

But I don’t want to pay for the BBC to watch live ITV, and not should I. Nor do feel it’s acceptable to be restricted whether I can watch live tv or not, based on whether I subsidise a public corporation of the Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. I really can’t explain it any more simply for you without drawing a picture. Even then, based on our engagement so far, I have doubts you’d be able to grasp the concept.

I understand you want other people to subsidise your TV viewing, and either don’t see that as unfair, or don’t mind it being unfair. What I don’t understand is why you can’t grasp that we are unhappy to do so?

I think that's probably accurate, but I don't think that is evidence of the BBC being left wing. (I know you're not necessarily arguing that it is!)

I think most of our independently funded media leans towards the right, while the BBC strives to be impartial. Taking that "neutral" broadcaster out of the mix would inevitably shift things towards the right wing bias of the remaining independent media, but it isn't as if it is currently left leaning in order to balance the right wing media out iyswim.

No. HTH

@JoonT So you didn't see 'Sensationalists: The Bad Girls And Boys Of British Art'? It was on a few weeks ago. All white, all British, quite a lot of males. I watched it a few weeks ago.

This ^

I don’t want you to subsidise anything. There are perfectly legitimate ways of avoiding paying the licence fee, it’s not my problem if you persist in refusing to understand how to achieve it. Nor is it my problem if you resent the restriction involved in not buying a TV licence.

Why would you want to watch any commercial channel live when 25% of it consists of adverts? All live TV programming is readily available to stream immediately after it’s broadcast.

@Blossomtoes you seem utterly determined to miss the point that is being made: it is unfair to make people pay for a TV licence to watch live TV that is not BBC.

YES, people don't have to watch live TV, and those people, don't have to get a licence, that is a given. But if they want to watch live TV that is not funded by the BBC, WHY should people have to pay a licence fee? Apart from "it's the rules". Genuinely - does the licence fee cover the cost of all live broadcasts in some way?

No absolutely not. This is what the tories would love.

Yes agree it can be true if people believe it’s neutral

Do you think they should allow presenters to air views on SM?

I think we’ll find out pretty quickly how political each are, left or right but I’m not sure about impact on the perception of impartiality of BBC

I suppose they are doing a review on the guidelines and will make decision on various factors. I think they messed up and were a bit lax not to be clearer.

@ThereIbledit
I agree, I could be wrong but I want to say they brought the ‘ALL live TV’ caveat a few years ago
cheeky AF really

"I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky Movies and Sport, BT Sport, Disney+ to watch. I hate being forced to pay BBC, which I never watch and I really dislike professional lefty Linekar Lineker and think he is paid a rediculous ridiculous amount to talk over the football match. The fact last week without any pundits talking all over the match it gained a half million viewers should send the message to BBC, it seems viewers like MotD better when they can watch it in peace."

You certainly would benefit from the BBC Bitesize website.

Suspicion of what ? Assault. Theft. Murder?

You do NOT need a license to own a TV. I'm always suspicious of people who seem to think otherwise. When if they just read the BBCs own guidelines it's perfectly clear.

I think you’re right. And it is cheeky. Not insurmountable if you really don’t want to pay though.

Just to add I’ve seen a few posts over last few days re BBC being to the right but in reality if people care about a stretch of views across the media they would be mad to get rid of it.

The Guardian and a few others wouldn’t be able to counter the DM etc

I may not watch the BBC that often, or agree with everything they do, but I will be forever grateful for CBeebies and CBBC and R4, so will happily pay my licence fee.

The only thing I watch on BBC these days is Strictly. I used to listen to Radio 2, but since the powers that be have recently got rid of all the DJ s I liked ( as I'm considered too old for R2 these days), I m really not sure what I'm paying for now. There should be a BBC but the one we have got now isn't for for purpose anymore. I watch C5, All 4 and Sky Arts now, they are doing things the BBC used to do. But they've dumbed down so much they are dull and unwatchable now IMO.

I think the days are long past of a "national broadcaster".

It costs too much for what it is. Both the netflix and dinsey plus subscription are cheaper.

I don't watch it yet it is almost impossible not to pay it due to the set up of the licence fee, you literally have to prove you can't watch it to not pay.