To think they should scrap TV licence and advertise?

[pinkunicornsparkles]

I wouldn't care if there were adverts on the BBC. I would prefer it actually, so that I wouldn't have to fork out for a TV licence every year.

We did cbeebies when young as no ads, and it made a huge difference. No clamouring for latest tat/toys as blissfully unaware. Was decent programming too.

The BBC are not unbiased in their news reporting. That’s laughable. It should be scrapped. The fact they knew about Saville long before it came out and that should be enough reason to stop funding them and I’ve no doubt they are covering up others. Also, Attenborough isn’t the saint everyone makes him out to be

it’s the fact that it’s unbiased

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ok.

Given the incredible prevalence of false news these days - and the terrifying inability of a lot of people to identify it - I'm very glad there is one unbiased news platform, and I think it would be insanity to give that up because some people moan about the cost of a licence. You only have to watch a small amount of tv in America to see how politically slanted their news channels are.

There's nothing like Radio 4 made by any commercial stations because it wouldn't make any money, but I'm glad we have it because of the licence fee.

The BBC is a loooong way from perfect but I'd prefer it if people lobbied them to improve it rather than scrapping it altogether or bringing in adverts that would put funding pressure on some of the best programmes/channels.

Basically, we pay for all TV and radio in one way or another. At least with the licence fee we have some control over how the money is spent by putting pressure on the BBC and constantly whining at them to be less biased

YABU
I hate being advertised at all the live long day.
I like the BBC as it is - TV and radio. And the the fact that it is unbiased!

There's nothing like Radio 4 made by any commercial stations because it wouldn't make any money, but I'm glad we have it because of the licence fee

This. Radio 4 is awesome.

All news programs are monitored for bias, its ofcom that needs reforming if you think that the BBC is bias.

Licence fee pays for the World Service, which even the Tories now want extended (after cuts by themselves) it gives the UK a worldwide presence, so called "soft power"

I don't have street lighting and don't use social services, so i want a rebate!!! Thats not how it works!!!

And what about Radio? that would go if the BBC fee went too, radio is a lifeline for many older folk.

I actually object to paying for the World Service. You can get it for free everywhere but in the UK and we are paying. If it's a political thing let the government pay for it. There are also many neighbouring countries outside the UK who appear to be able to pick it up for free.
There are also too many channels and radio stations now, they need to be cut back.
I love the BBC and enjoy stuff like Peaky Blinders but very rarely listen to radio 6 or watch BBC4

Yabvu! It's not only the (admittedly I feel "supposedly" often but apparently they get roughly equal number of complaints claiming "bias" from supporters of both sides of controversial subjects aired/addressed which does suggest they are striking a balance) lack of bias, but also the fact that they are making programmes in the public interest that don't necessarily attract the numbers of viewers that a commercially made programme would need to be "viable", that's important.

They also make certain programmes that wouldn't necessarily seem to be likely to be successful "on paper" but the quality is so high they attract viewers.

There's also all the radio programming, website, apps...

Which are also uninfluenced by commercial interests. This affects quality and standards, just compare commercial radio (often repetitive limited playlists with excessive advertising) with BBC radio which not only plays a wide variety of music but discovers and promotes new artists in a way nobody else does.

Educational info on the BBC site is generally well written and benefits from not being biased by advertisers perspectives.

The recipes are simple and well written and I feel this is one area that would very quickly and far too easily be ruined by advertisers of the BBC were to become a commercial entity.

"I object to paying my licence fee. Theres not a single programme on BBC I watch. Why should i pay for something I dont use." Do you HONESTLY really NEVER watch anything on BBC tv, listen to BBC radio, use the BBC website or podcasts?

"You do realise, OP, that actually you are paying more for the commercial channels with less choice of whether to pay or not? The cost of all those deadly boring adverts gets added to the price of what you buy in the shops, whether you watch any TV or none whatsoever." I think a lot of people DON'T realise this. I've even had a discussion on this with someone who went "but I don't buy anything branded" - they'd missed that even buying supermarkets own brand they were paying for the supermarkets adverts.

I'll admit I mainly watch Netflix or prime streaming but I still love BBC tv for certain shows when they're on (question time, panorama, who do you think you are?, shop/eat well for less, documentaries on history and social issues, certain quiz shows, certain cookery shows...) but I regularly use the website for news, history and recipes, listen to BBC radio...

I want to get on board with the podcast "thing" but don't think I'm doing it right (think I need to brave starting a thread on that)

All that said, I do think their methods of collecting the license fee need to go! Bully boy tactics are unacceptable and with modern tech there's no real reason why a login setup with licence number as part of the login "password" couldn't be done.

The laughable nonsense when you use iplayer and it just asks you if you have a licence and all you have to do is click the "yes" button is ridiculous! At the very least that and the website could be password protected and the "password" be the licence number.

The BBC are missing a massive trick re raising money. I can't be arsed to google the exact figures, but I am pretty sure that a sgnificant proportion of English speakers living outside of the UK would love to have access to iPlayer and be happy to pay an annual fee for it. I am betting that the revenue from this would far outweigh the "cost" of free licences for the over 75s and go some way to keeping the BBC advert free.

At the moment, the only way to do this is pay for a VPN which can be unreliable and they are all slowly getting zapped by the BBC anyway.

I actually object to paying for the World Service. You can get it for free everywhere but in the UK and we are paying. If it's a political thing let the government pay for it

The govt does contribute significantly to the World Service, they took away their funding under austerity, realised it was a mistake, almost 300m now.

We all have to pay for things we don't agree with, mine would be Trident.

BBC licence fee is 'pence per day.

Don't grudge paying a licence at all! I could fling plenty criticism at the BBC but its journalism training is world class, the investment in scientific programming is unrivalled and hopefully, at some point, we'll see a better governance model in place.

No thanks, don't want Proctor and Gamble and Nestle dictating all of our media.

YANBU.

All the people posting that they think the content is great would be free to sign up to a BBC subscription service and carry on watching. The real issue isn't whether the content is good or not, it's whether those uninterested in the content should be forced to pay for it if they want to do unrelated things like watch ITV or Channel 4 live.

If you love David Attenborough and cricket, great! I'm indifferent and don't watch either. Why should I have to pay for them? If the argument is that a subscription-based service wouldn't make enough money to be viable, that's a sign that not enough people value the BBC that much, and it should be quietly let go. Not an argument to force uninterested people to keep paying.

(Personally, I don't have a licence and just watch Netflix, but I'd watch some live TV on other channels if the licence wasn't there. Also, anyone calling the BBC unbiased should read the threads about it over in FWR.)

No no no. I love the BBC. I pay for sky and still have blooming adverts. Protect the BBC The anti BBC stuff is fueled by the dodgy media families like the Murdochs, Barclay brothers and Rothermere. The Tories have chosen not to continue to fun free licenses for over 75's their the real criminals.
The BBC is best at so many things like sport, big events and news reporting. The radio and Childrens channels. Not to mention recipes and bite size.
Pay every month or opt out but don't destroy it for the rest of us. The adverts are annoyingly and the BBC is better off without them.

I object to paying my licence fee. Theres not a single programme on BBC I watch. Why should i pay for something I dont use Do you HONESTLY really NEVER watch anything on BBC tv, listen to BBC radio, use the BBC website or podcasts?

I can easily believe that someone never watches BBC.

DD only watches Netflix, YouTube vids and the odd Amazon Prime show. I honestly can't remember the last time she watched actual TV.

DH watches sport (Sky and BT) and documentaries/those shite 'living in Alaska/Digging for Gold' shows. He'll sometimes watch historic style drama like 'Vikings'

I watched Years and Years. Other than that I watch Netflix/Prime shows like Lucifer, Stranger Things, Manifest etc or Sky for Crime/Thriller/Sci-Fi dramas. Oh and I always watch the Australian Masterchef on W. I did used to watch Bake Off on BBC, but obvs that's not a thing now. I'm struggling to think of anything else tbh. We don't do soaps, reality TV, period dramas etc.

If we listen to the radio it's GHR (DH) or Heart (Me). Never listened to a podcast in my life.

I honestly think that Subscription should be the way ahead. I'd happily pay for a box-office style deal if there was something particular I'd like to watch (like Years and Years). Oh I've just thought of something - Dr Who, yes, I did watch that.

The BBC is old now. It's model needs to change with the times. The teens/young adults just aren't watching - how many Uni students buy/need TV licences? Not many I'll bet.

YANBU. It’s a stealth tax, that has no place in 2019.

The BBC is a national disgrace

There is never anything on the BBC worth watching in my opinion. Scrap the license fee in its entirety.

It is bizarre and outrageous in the internet era to make people pay for the BBC, whether they like it or not (assuming they want a TV).

Imagine a computer licence and in return you got the BBC website. Happy with that?

The only reason people accept it is that they are used to it.

I would pay the licence fee for their radio channels alone. We had a 2 month road trip in the usa and their radio is utterly shit. There are times when I find the bbc deeply annoying, especially the 'comedy' but, guess what, I turn it off and do something else for a bit.
There are too many good things about their output to list and commercial stations are really poor.
I would be heartbroken to lose bbc4, and any of the radio channels.

Yabu. I feel very proud that we have the BBC. It is famous for quality programming and tv shows through the world.

My kids watched cebeebies advert free when they were younger. CBBC has educational programmes which they watch now. The news channel is excellent and the radio channels have excellent choice.
The weather/news apps I use every day. The list goes on..

Poldark!

It benefits us all that this country has independent journalism and educational programming available free at the point of use without commercial interference, whether you individually choose to watch it or not.

I think it's interesting that the NHS has pretty much branded itself as "our NHS", which means that we all (mostly) feel proud of it and want to protect it, and the BBC hasn't. Obviously the BBC isn't going to help much if you've been injured in a car accident, but I think that actually it's also really important to the nation that it exists, and it's strange to me that we never seem to think of it as "our BBC", even though we fund it and we own it.

We don't own Sky and never will, but the BBC is ours. I think we should be prouder of that and take more interest in how it works and how it could improve.

YANBU @pinkunicornsparkles

@pinkunicornsparkles

As a number of posters have said. make the BBC a subscription channel. So if people REALLY want it, then they can pay for it, and those that don't want it, don't have to subsidise them! A tenner a month, if you really want BBC.

I cancelled SKY TV 4 or 5 years ago, as there were only 3 things on Sky One that we watched. Worth saving £50 a month! Never looked back, never regretted it, and caught up on those programmes a year or so later via other mediums.

I could live without BBC tbh. Rarely watch any BBC channel, and think most BBC TV programmes (these days) are dull, boring, or just plain shit. And I rarely listen to BBC radio, or use their services either. Bet loads more people are the same.

To the people saying 'oh but there is soooooooooo much more get for your money!' Yeah maybe for you, but some people don't USE any of the BBC 'services.' Would it kill you to pop outside your world for a single moment, and realise that not everyone thinks the same, and not everyone likes the same things!

Sing the praises of the BBC if that floats your boat, but quit prodding at, and slating people who don't think like you, and who have no interest in BBC services or channels and resent paying the licence fee.

I don't see people who resent paying it, having a go at people who are happy to.

It HAS to go subscription only!

And as for the person saying 'how do you KNOW you don't like something unless you watch it?' What a daft thing to say. People know what they like to watch and what they are interested in, so they are not going to give something a go if it does not interest them.

ALSO, I have watched many things on BBC this past 3 or 4 years, and they have not held my interest, and have bored me. Eg, I have tried to watch Strictly, but it bores me, same with Peaky Blinders.. Just got bored with it. The Apprentice: crap... Full of people just wanting fame. Poldark? Nope, doesn't interest me. I got bored very quickly. Same with a few more programmes that seem to be popular. Other stuff they churn out just does not interest me. That's how I feel, whether you like it or not.

As I said, just accept that people think differently to you!

And the BBC is unbiased? Don't make me laugh. It's so PC and anti Brexit that it makes me cringe!

Oh and finally, I agree with a few posters that BBC world service is free to the world, except the UK! Why the F should we be paying for millions of others to get it for free? NOPE. Scrap the licence fee NOW and make it subscription only, then all the people who think it's soooooooooooo amazing can sign up, and the rest of us (quite rightly) will not have to pay!!!