To think it's a terrible idea to scrap the BBC licence fee?

[dellacucina]

Inspired by this article: www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1242927/BBC-News-Boris-Johnson-license-fee-subscription-British-Broadcasting-Corporation/amp

I'm recently naturalised and I think that the BBC is part of what makes Britain special. It makes me very sad indeed to imagine it being cut down.

manipulative advertising, meant to say!

I see what you are trying to correlate, dellacucina but for me it boils down to the BBC no longer being seen as a British institution worth preserving - and that's probably just as true for Brexiteers as for Remainers.

I do remember what seemed at the time a 'golden age' in childhood - Radio 4 on over dinner with Kenneth Williams screeching away on 'Just a Minute' and the hypnotic ritual of Shipping Forecast (now relegated to long wave only except at midnight) and then watching evening TV programmes as a family. 'Children's Choice' on Radio 1 with Tony Blackburn of a Saturday morning and getting your request played on your birthday. Classic children's series such as 'Grange Hill'.

But then, you look back to the 'golden age' with the knowledge we have now, and find that actually behind the scenes everyone was covering up for Jimmy Savile, and licence payers' money was being splurged on boozy lunches, so even that era of programming is tainted now.

Ultimately the world has moved on and the BBC has lost almost all its credibility.

Nowhere else on TV do you get the quality of the BBC: Fleabag, Killing Eve, The Fall, Top of the Lake,

Actually they are available on Netflix. Why should poor households pay £150pa when they can get the above elsewhere for a fraction of the price?

Nowhere else on TV do you get the quality of the BBC: Fleabag, Killing Eve, The Fall, Top of the Lake,

The US is broadly considered to be in the midst of a golden age of television, produced by subscription-based networks competing for the best talent in the business.

Just because you voted Leave, it doesn't mean that you can't watch an American movie on your South Korean Tv while eating Italian gelato which you picked up in your Japanese car. I think many wanted International Britain to include continents other than Europe.

There are some batshit statements on here

But happily, we are definitely having a golden age in television.

Nowhere else on TV do you get the quality of the BBC

That depends on your definition, surely?

I've probably watched about two shows on the BBC in the past year or so. Otherwise most of the shows I watch are from the US and I watch them on YouTube or Netflix.

strawberrylipgloss
They are only on Netflx because the BBC paid for them to get made. Then get sold on.
Judging by the US model we will end up with shite tv with twice as many ads.
Subscription channels spend half their air time desperately trying to get people to buy subscriptions.

Actually they are available on Netflix.

They are only available on Netflix because the BBC made them...

The constant comparisons to Netflix as if it is comparable to the BBC seem quite uninformed. Netflix is a massively debt-leveraged venture capital company which has no public service remit, so no news, current affairs, educational programming (other than streaming BBC docs) or live sport.

Publicly funded news and current affairs coverage is essential for us to remain informed. Look at the hideous echo chambers of American news for the alternative.

@sluj yeah, I said that. It seems that people don't think that the BBC offers much of value.

@AutumnRose1 no, I definitely wasn't trying to insinuate that. I certainly don't see a clear link between racism and opposition to the BBC

I genuinely was interested in hearing constructive views about why approximately 70% of people seem to oppose funding something that seems like a very British institution, the UK's mouthpiece to the world, but approximately 50% of British voters wanted Brexit, when the loftiest ideals I have heard re Brexit relate to sovereignty, keeping England English etc.

As i stated above, it appears that people just don't necessarily value the BBC as an institution/care more about not paying for it than preserving it.

Killing Eve was half produced by:

The division was formed in 2016 with an intent to make it a for-profit entity in the future, which would allow it to produce programming for other broadcasters to supplement the income received through the licence fee. In exchange, the BBC agreed to place production of much of its non-news programmes to tender, allowing third-party independents to compete with BBC Studios on bids to produce them.

And half an American company.

I voted remain but what has that got to do with an outdated viewing platform model that went out of date the moment people could sub for other viewing services and channels?

As someone who has read War of the Worlds numerous times and watched various makings of the book I would say that the BBCs recent "interpretation" has shown it is the BBC that is "dumbing down", not the general UK paying public.

The BBC sells their valuable and high content shows to other channels and services so they will still make those. We will just get less goat yoga if the TV licence is scrapped.

Nobody is saying that the BBC should stop making content. They should and presumably make money from selling it. I don't want to pay £150pa for them to broadcast it to my home. I will pay for the content that interests me by streaming etc but it shouldn't be a universal tax paid regardless of usage

A previous poster stated that people from outside the UK can watch BBC programmes for free. Is that really the case?

I think the licence fee should continue. I'm happy to pay just over £10 a month for it, it's much cheaper than sky and I think it's an institution worth protecting. It produces high quality TV and radio shows , with no adverts and has a good news website . I also like the fact it can( in theory) be more independent and produce TV and radio shows that are not always mainstream. Having said that I don't think people should be sent to prison for non payment, does that really happen? Seems overkill . There should be discounts for those on benefits/ low income and wealthier pensioners should pay. But really at around £2.50 a week its good value for money and affordable for the vast majority of people.

Ps before anyone jumps on this and think I'm missing some nuance, I said that in a summary version because obviously people don't value the BBC that much for various reasons, including thinking it's biased, thinking it's bloated and should trim down to essential stuff like the world service, thinking BBC celebs are overpaid, thinking it's sexist and racist, and/or thinking it simply doesn't create much content of value.

We will just get less goat yoga if the TV licence is scrapped.

Also less news, so less independent scrutiny of the government, and a population even less well informed than it is now.

A previous poster stated that people from outside the UK can watch BBC programmes for free. Is that really the case?

A VPN would probably allow access to iplayer. You can illegally download programmes.

But they were commissioned by the BBC, do you think they still would if there was no BBC? Jane Campion for Netflix?

I think this 'poor households' argument is such crap! Don't you think 'poor households' deserve high culture? The BBC provides high culture and education for everyone, and I am really dismayed if that becomes something that is solely available for those who can afford it, as it would in the end if it was only available by subscription. The children's programmes too are far superior to the rubbish elsewhere. £150 a year isn't much for what you get if you care to look at what the BBC actually offers.

It has been really depressing to watch the general dumbing down of culture and people here, biased news coverage, etc - but then all that makes people so much easier to control and influence a la Dominic Cummings! Soon there will be people brought up on a cultural diet of social media and reality TV alone, and no-one will see anything wrong with that...

PPS as a person who grew up in a place with a totally dysfunctional media culture, I really think that people in the UK don't understand what value the BBC adds. If all we lose the BBC and then only have the equivalent of Fox News and MSNBC, god help us.

But it's been interesting to hear these opinions.

@strawberrylipgloss I live outside the UK and can't access.
Also, we pay the equivalent of a tv licence for our country. I understood that most countries had this?

We have to pay even if we don't use, but just have the possibility to view, ie: laptop, smartphone and a radio.

Ours is a bit more than £150 as well, I don't watch it as I am not fluent in the language.

Bite Size is not the best resource out there. It was a great science teaching tool at KS2

A previous poster stated that people from outside the UK can watch BBC programmes for free. Is that really the case?

Yes, on channels like BBC America.

YANBU.

I find it incredibly sad how devalued the idea of public service broadcasting has become.

The BBC is far from perfect, but it provides services that would not be produced by a commercial provider.

Haven't had a licence for years. Totally outdated. Subscription fee would mean those who want it can use it, and it was also stop those who watch I player without a licence. I would happily subscribe for the odd month here and there, as I do with amazon or Netflix.