to not want cuts to the BBC?

[Mintyy]

Can anyone explain to me how cutting the BBC massively will actually improve my life?

I hardly watch tv. I do listen to a lot of radio. But I fervently hope the BBC isn't going to change too much.

It is something that the rest of the world envies us for and I fear it may be one of those things we don't miss until it has gone.

All I hope is they make it an opt in thing. I'd happily get rid of all BBC channels and stop gifting them cash every month for something we don't use. I find it ridiculous that I have to pay for tv/radio I have no interest in watching or get taken to court.

Bbc3 is being scrapped and moved to an online only model, sky is a different entity with it being a private company so your not forced to pay it if you don't subscribe

The emotional bullshit has started 'but the Beeb gave us all these wonderful programmes' 'if we get rid of the licence fee then they'll be no more Doctor Who and your kids will grow up stupid'. Fucking crap.

The Beeb used to be good. Most people happily coughed up the fee and then the Beeb got arrogant and complacent. Other channels came along that people were happy to pay much, much for, so now the Beeb are reduced to threatening those who don't want its output - doorstep salesman,fines, prison etc.

As already stated they could move to a subscription model. If it's a 'National Treasure' they should be beating the punters off with a stick, whilst preventing the freeloaders from spending their evenings watching Strictly or Eastenders. The Beeb won't go for that though, which means that all of us who don't watch their output and don't wan't to watch their output are going to be forced to pay for it anyway. All the time being lectured about how this is in some way good for us. It really isn't, and I'm very, very pissed off about it.

However, I am very nervous about this Murdoch-sponsored government medelling with the BBC. Its currently impartial. You can't put a price on that.

This wasn't mentioned in the aftermath or run up of the election from labour supporters (UKIP getting to much coverage/slating ed, etc), the fact is even if you believe the hyperbole of 'Murdoch' meddling, since the Dr Kelly affair the BBC has become a government mouthpiece, no one will want to dismantle it.

Didn't the director general say that if you can't run on ~3b you are doing something wrong?

The BBC could certainly do with streamlining a bit, but what the government appears to want is to turn it into the kind of Public Service Broadcaster that they have in the US - you know, the kind that people who can't afford extortionate cable TV watch, the kind that only shows programmes that are years old because it can't afford to show anything else. Because obviously all the commercial gravy is in the great shows like Bakeoff, Dr Who, Sherlock, Strictly (which I hate, but many people love). Oh, and of course there would be the bonus of getting rid of Panorama, which has a nasty habit of shining a light where people don't want lights shone.

YANBU.

SomethingFunny Or iplayer could just ask for that number off the top of the TV Licence :) - no need for a separate PIN.

Charlesroi
Agreed.

pointythings It's a bit much claiming that Panorama is the only place bad stuff gets aired. In fact C4 news and dispatches has been at least as good as anywhere in the BBC, and Private Eye trumps the lot of them - due to the unique way it's funded - subscribers like me and (in the past) supporters (like me) paying into various "balls" funds to help defend them from expensive m'learned friends hired by the rich and famous.

BBC didn't out Robert Maxwell, BBC famously didn't out Jimmy Saville.

The way people watch tv has changed
The BBC can't expect indiscriminate funding going towards a organisation that never seems to have any accountability or understanding of its users.
BBC have been given ample warnings that they need to adapt and change but they haven't And seem to lurch from crisis to crisis with no real change

I don't watch a lot of TV but my favourite programmes are mainly BBC ones. I like Radio 2 and I like the BBC website. I am happy to pay the licence fee to avoid adverts.

I don't like the bake off/strictly/talent show stuff they show (and I also don't watch Top Gear which seems to be really popular) but I love BBC4 and BBC2, and I like being able to watch documentaries without endlessly setting up for the commercial break and then reminding you after the break what they covered in the previous section.

I fully accept that other people love the programmes I can't stand. If there was some way of opting in paying for it and funding the BBC that way without having to have advert breaks, I'd be up for that (depending on the cost and how sustainable it was - and they should be looking at charging for iplayer). I'd definitely be up for them moving the sport to a different channel and charging for that separately, but I'm not sure that would be a mainstream view.

OOAOML I agree about Sport being separate - I also (perhaps unusually for a petrolhead bloke) have no time for Top Gear.

I would also like the option not to be paying for Top Gear, all the Bake-off, Masterchef, Voice, Strictly, Soaps etc.

It seems outdated that this can't be done.

Another reason I gave up the BBC is that it isn't advert free - it is packed with adverts for BBC programmes and services all the time - the ones for sports coverage on Radio 5 which they try to make into major drama with a shouty bloke are vomit inducing.

I do subscribe to Netflix, and guess what, no adverts !

As an expat I'd happily pay a fee to be able to use iplayer, instead of trying to frig around with boxes or fake ip addresses etc.. Which we don't do. I'm sure there are many of the same opinion as myself.

We have the most basic uS tv pkge for the broadband, watch mostly netflix and whatever interesting things DH can download. I can't even remember the last time I watched US TV live tbh

Ha! We have ads on netflix in the US, watch out, coming to a country near you!

Oh yes the BBC has lots of adverts, it just doesn't put them all the way through a history programme that is meant to be on for an hour but actually only has about 20 minutes of content as they're so busy reminding you what you've seen before/after someone tries to flog you stuff.

I suppose if Top Gear/Sport/Strictly all become opt in services then we will see just how many people want to watch history at premium rates.

I remember when Top Gear was about cars, not just about mid life crisis blokey stuff. Mind you I didn't really watch it much then either.

The BBC adverts are worse than other channels. I'd rather hear about comforts next fabric softener than a plug for eastenders.

Well I love the BBC and am pissed off (if unsurprised) at the government's attempts to dismantle it.

The thing is you can scoff at Top Gear but that has been there cash cow for a good few years, obviously ignoring Jeremy's original ~60% stake in the company before he sold it back....

As for sport, they don't really show anything now that isn't on the protected charter and most people avidly pay for sky sports/Eurosport for there fix.

I do agree though, no one does history stuff like the Beeb and I hate the recap/look what's coming up style format on some documentaries.

Um, as an ex bbc employee i may be slightly brainwashed here but totally think licence is worth it. It's not just TV programmes but radio, Internet resources, five orchestras that are able to push boundaries cos of no commercial pressure. Proms, sports I could go on! I.Def think though that programme makers should be paid more and not top bosses. By the way you do need a licence for iplayer .

All the posters sad/disappointed about any threatened changes to the BBC, would you honestly be happy to pay for something you don't use at all? I may as well burn a tenner each month. I understand people enjoy the channels etc but why should the rest of us face court or even prison (in extremes) for not paying for something we don't want or use.

I don't want cuts to the BBC either. Just that.

BBC have disgracefully given up on most sports and they certainly don't represent my interests anymore. They could retire Peter Allis and Henry Blofeld and improve their output at the same time as cutting costs!

I suspect the number of people who claim they never watch BBC TV or or listen to BBC radio is far higher than the actual number of people who don't consume any BBC output.

Surely it can't be that difficult to make i-player pay per view if you don't have a Licence and free if you do? The technology and password whatsits to enable this must exist, surely?

Cadenza1818 One requires a licence for iplayer if watching stuff at the time it is broadcast - not if watching a "catchup" -

From TVLicencing -

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one

You need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record programmes as they're being shown on TV or live on an online TV service.

MitzyLeFrouf
I freely admit I listen to BBC Radio, a lot.

I would pay for it too, but I'm not paying for million pound redundancies and £3m pension pots and TV I hardly watch (and never watch live). There's no current mechanism to just pay for BBC Radio, but I would if there was.