To think the BBC really should be shut down?

[Loeri]

After the child abuse scandals, and now this where BBC execs have been given payments far beyond anything they were required to be given, isn't it time that the BBC was just shut down? It can't really be said that it makes the best TV in the world anymore, the best TV programmes come from the US and have done for well over a decade now. I just don't see the purpose of the BBC in 2013. It is arrogant, bloated beyond belief and seems only to exist to provide cushy jobs for the Guardian set.

[friday16]

"One bad Daily Mail story (aside from the 70's and 80's abuse horror) does not represent the entire organisation. "

Are you seriously saying that the potentially illegal, unaudited payment of millions of pounds of money, paid solely by license-fee payers, to already rich people, is just a Daily Mail story? I don't think the BBC should be shut down. But I think the cosy club-ocracy within the BBC, in which it is impossible to discipline people and there is no accountability by senior staff, has to end.

Your HR director was incompetent, and either approved or ignored illegal payments to senior staff. She is now leaving, under her own steam, with a similarly fat payoff. George Thompson was incompetent, and was rewarded for that incompetence with an immense payoff for a couple of weeks' work. Other senior staff have received massive, non-contractual payments which, in the real world, would constitute fraud. Sure, staff on the ground aren't responsible. But the organisation is corrupt at the senior level, and is continuing to provide cost sinecures to second-rate managers. If they think they can be paid more in the commercial sector, fine, let them leave. It is obscene to extract a regressive tax, backed by 150000 prosecutions per year (most of them of people who are extremely poor) and piss the money away on bungs for the boys.

We now have the hideous sight of Mark Thompson, a man whose contribution to broadcasting and culture could be written on the back of a stamp, engaging in a fist fight with his previous employer over who was more corrupt than whom. Never mind the programmes: why does the BBC employ such loathsome people?

[Loeri]

"that means watching it, rather than seeing a couple of cherry-picked programmes"

What is the difference? Doesn't everyone "cherry pick" the programmes they want to watch?

[Ifancyashandy]

If BBC shows drastically lose ratings, they too are cancelled.

[Pantah630]

OP if you feel so strongly don't watch or listen to anything the BBC puts out for a month, then come back and tell us how it was.

[slowco4ch]

It's not just about dramas either...what about the factual programmes they do so well? What about the children's programmes/channels that save my sanity? What about my beloved Great British Bake Off? If you tend to watch only tv in the genre you describe I see how you could live without it.

[Inertia]

You are being so unreasonable that I don't have time to explain before work. Will return later. But how narrow minded to assume that drama is the only worthwhile programming .

Btw DM or Wright ?

[Loeri]

I doubt I have watched anything on TV the BBC have put out in the last month, certainly not of by own voalition anyway, may have seen something at someone elses house. I have listened to the radio though.

[TheYamiOfYawn]

Nope. No ad breaks, BBC4, Radio 4, Cbeebies, the BBC news website, the Cbeebies website and local news radio in times of bad weather or other mild crisis are all immensely better than any of the alternatives.

[ILetHimKeep20Quid]

You might be happy filling your screen with American dramas but don't judge tv by your standard. I've never watched any of those shows, or Lost or anything like that.

I can't remember the last time I watched itv, it's inane drivel.

The BBC does programming like no one else can. Take Africa for example. Where else would you get a programme of that calibre? Yes, discovery does animal documentaries but with stock footage and naff voice overs.

There was a series on History a whole back, squeezed on between the crocodile killing and gold mining a show about the original big businesses of America, Carnegie, Fordetc, was to be shown. I was very interested in the content, thought Italians be fascinating.

It would have been if the BBC done it. It was full of bad actors recreating overt dramatized scenes, adverts and cheesy music.

Take the BBC show about the Jews that's on, immaculately done.

So if your going to judge quality tv on inane dramas you will struggle.

[ivykaty44]

it is a misogamist abusive greedy organisation

[wonderingsoul]

america may may make soem good programe.. but untill you have watched their tv.. i wouldnt complaine.

[Loeri]

"america may may make soem good programe.. but untill you have watched their tv.. i wouldnt complaine."
What does this mean? They make a good programme but "watch their TV"? What would I watch, if not the good programmes? Who watches something they don't want to watch?

[DropYourSword]

Yeah why not, along with the catholic church, police force and anything else ever that's been involved in any sort of scandal. Get rid!

[GingerBeerAndTinnedPeaches]

The BBC is still the envy of the world, and is relatively cheap. I pay the French license fee for channels with adverts and v low quality output. BBC news and the children's channels in particular are excellent. You don't know how lucky you are in the UK.

YABVU and stop reading the Daily Mail, there are reasons why they and the Murdoch rags are anti-Beeb you know, and it is nothing to do with the outrage they like to whip up against it

[EsTutMirLeid]

The BBC makes excellent radio and television programmes, I would hate to see it go.

[Iheartcrunchiebars]

Only this week there's been an example of the BBC's outstanding journalism with a murder conviction for Rachel Manning's killer. You only have to listen to local radio everyday to hear small (and big) scale corruptions being uncovered. Where do you think the national papers get most of their stories from? They are often local tv/radio stories from the day/week before.

And when it comes to snow/floods etc the BBC give vital information.

As for the child abuse scandal surely any big organisation statistically is going to have issues like this. The health service does. Should we get rid of that too?

If its lost its gone forever, I think most people don't realise what an amazing organisation it is.

Also there's a certain national paper that gives its journos a bonus for every anti bbc piece it runs which might explain its coverage.

[DropYourSword]

I would imagine they are referring to the insane amount of commercial breaks.

[FannyMcNally]

Agree that BBC4 is the best channel on TV. (And I also love BBC3 for showing Family Guy)

[KoalaFace]

Friday I think you're spot on. BBC needs an overhaul so that the people at the top can't just decide how much money to award themselves. Still don't want it abolished though.

It is obscene to extract a regressive tax, backed by 150000 prosecutions per year (most of them of people who are extremely poor) and piss the money away on bungs for the boys.

100% agree. This makes me stabby.

[EsTutMirLeid]

And their comedy and children's programmes are fantastic.

[reggiebean]

^^ agreed 😊

[livinginwonderland]

Have you ever watched American TV? And I mean TV aired in the US (or Australia for that matter), not just American shows on Sky or Channel 4? The adverts are painful. There are ad breaks every 7-8 minutes that last 3-4 minutes. Your beloved Mad Men or whatever else you watch is littered with ad-breaks and it takes over an hour to air a 42 minute episode because of how many adverts you have to sit through.

I love the BBC. We don't have TV so I don't pay the license fee but we use iPlayer and I watch a lot of documentaries and cookery shows on there that you'd never find anywhere else. David Attenborough just did a really good nature show following the lives of four tiger cubs. You wouldn't get anything like that on C4, C5, ITV or even Sky.

[Squitten]

American TV, watched in America, is appalling. They cut to endless ads about every 5mins and the bloody "info-mercials" are ridiculous. It's a VERY different experience to downloading it whole with all that stuff cut out. Completely commercialised and it drives you insane to have to sit through.

I love the BBC. Of course the organisation has its issues and they need to be addressed but they make some cracking stuff and their radio is excellent.

[LumpySpacePrincessOhMyGlob]

There is too much good. Watch US reporting then watch the beeb, no comparison.

[Pantah630]

Friday I quite agree with you about the corruption in the higher echelons, it seems rife in any public funded company/council to be quite honest and needs stamping out by a Government with some balls, unfortunately we no longer seem to have one or the prospect of one in the immediate future.

It rather detracts from the programming though, which in my opinion is rather first class. I could quite happily just watch the BBC, whereas if I could only watch the rest of the 400+ channels, my telly would be off for even longer than it is now and I'd be much better read. Listen to Roger Waters Amused to Death, that pretty much sums up most TV broadcasting to me I'd bung BBC1 and 3 in with that lot too but don't tell anyone :)