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.

I watch a huge amount of BBC programmes and radio but I think it would be better as a subscription service maybe with a top up from taxation. It would stop it being such a political football. Now they have Britbox they could do a Netflix type service where they switch off the service if you dont pay. It annoys me when people say they watch iplayer on their computers so dont pay the licence fee. I'm paying for them to watch bbc programmes for free then!

I think a subscription would be better. I pay subscriptions for stuff I want to watch (Netflix, Amazon etc) so if there was anything worthwhile paying for on BBC I would happily pay.
As it is, I very very rarely watch/listen to any BBC stuff. The quality has drastically changed, a lot more celebrity shite has crept in so why should I pay for something that I never use?

I absolutely think it should be scrapped.
If someone wants to watch BBC then they can pay for it.

I object the being forced to pay a fee just because I have a TV or any device capable of watching TV, whether or not I ever watch the BBC.

I strongly disagree that the BBC is fantastic, brilliant, envy of the world and all the other bollocks about it that gets drummed into us.

Those who think it's so amazing will be happy to pay for it I'm sure.

I think it should be scrapped. I don't understand why one entertainment provider should be entitled to this form of automatic funding, whereas others have to stand or fall by the quality of their output.

I do watch BBC channels sometimes, but if I add up what I watch versus cost of the licence on a pay-per-view basis, it isn't good value. The BBC is a bloated organisation which vastly overpays its favourite 'talents'. If it did that on genuinely earned income, fair enough, but we are locked into a TV tax situation - and even if you don't have a TV (as I didn't for about 8 months) they take no notice when you tell them that, and keep hassling you.

To those who just say it should be a subscription service, can you please explain why this is better?

Because people that still want to watch or listen to the BBC can then pay to do so, and those that don’t won’t have to.

I could list on one hand the number of TV programmes that I have watched on BBC in the last 10 years or so, and there are none that I would have been gutted to miss.... Maybe ‘Years and Years’ but, honestly, I can’t think of any others.

Totally disagree. It should be a subscription service. I’m currently paying for something I just don’t use at all. How is that fair?
It just goes to give the fat cats a massive salary!

I've witnessed the dumbing down of the BBC over the past 30-40 years. It's not a shadow of what it used to be. I barely ever watch anything on BBC these days, certainly not what they pretend is the "news".

It never recovered from that period, 15-20 or so years ago, when it embraced digital TV, websites, etc. They spent millions on their BBC Bytesize educational website which was pretty pathetic and pointless except for a very simple overview of the subjects they covered. Also all those digital channels which no one ever watched/listened to which have now been canned.

The only part I'd keep is the world service - make everything else subscription only - if enough people value the BBC, then they'll survive. Hive off the world service and make it freely available to all, via direct govt funding.

YABVU. How can you support a system that legally compels people to pay a fee for a service they may not actually use, towards a corporation that’s become massively over-bloated and doesn’t actually even bother to represent a genuinely diverse range of viewpoints? Subscription puts the choice into the hands of the consumer, which is where it should be.

OP. You have absolutely no idea what the TV licence is or why/when it needs to be paid.

If you watch ANY live TV broadcasts, regardless of the channel, you must pay the BBC an annual fee, or as they like to call it, a TV licence.

That's why people hate it.

What would you think if Virgin Mobile sent you a £150 bill every year just because you have a mobile contract with another company.

You are not a Virgin Mobile customer. Never use their service, but they send you a bill anyway, and the law says you must pay them or you'll be prosecuted and revieve a criminal conviction.

That's why it MUST be scrapped. The BBC are just a TV company. Nobody should be forced to pay a company for a service they don't use.

Tell you what OP. PM me your details and I'll send you £150 bill for some work I have just done for a client. If you don't pay me I'll sue you, even though you're not a customer and have never used my services I'm still going to take you to court.

Sound fair?

I think YABU.
I'm a single mum on a low wage. It's an awful expense to pay.
I don't get out much, I have no family nearby to help out. I have a lot of guilt about not being able to do the things I'd like with my children due to lack of money.
I know tv is a luxury and I could read books on an evening because I do love to read but it would be a pretty big loss to not be able to relax and watch a good TV programme.

Adverts are annoying but it would be worth it for me to save money.

I do love Call the Midwife, but that's about it and I don't love it enough to pay £150 for it.

I think it's weird they are allowed to charge so much money for one channel and basically give no choice about it.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for change.

The BBC is already a shadow of its former self. The world moved on and left it behind. It no longer make the "much watch" TV it used to.

That nearly everyone is forced to fund it is a national disgrace. It needs to be stand or fall on its own merits ( or lack of them).

Having watched it in 10 years. Have not missed it. The BBC could still exist without licence fees They’re just greedy bastards on a high horse.

The whole idea of potentially scrapping free licences for the elderly is disgusting imo and the BBC are responsible.

I'd happily subscribe, but I want my kids' classmates to be able to watch those programmes too.

Well, currently they're having to pay over £150 for the privilege. Most subscription services are cheaper than that, and £150 is a lot of money for many families. I'd rather their parents get some say over where the money goes, rather than being told it's going to the BBC whether they watch it or not.

Ffs haven’t watched it, not having

For a channel that hardly anyone watches anymore, I don't see why we have to pay for it just to watch other live TV.

You have to pay the license fee if you watch any live tv or Iplayer as far as I understand. I personally resent having to pay for an English centric, in my opinion fairly rotten service. They pay huge amounts of money to ‘celebrities’ (middle aged,mostly English men) who I really feel do not deserve or earn it. They encourage huge gender inequality in pay and treatment of staff. They have had on their payroll paedophiles like Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris but refuse to allow an independent inquiry into claims of a paedophile ring in the BBC. They loudly trumpet how generous and wonderful they are in charity fundraisers but they are relentless in chasing and prosecuting ‘evaders’ - mostly people who can’t afford their fees. I’ve seen loan sharks who are less persistent.

I live in Ireland and BBC are the only channels I watch but of course I don't pay for them but I would. I pay for the inferior Irish channels but given a choice I would prefer to pay for and access BBC player and channels. I cannot access BBC player but have all the BBC channels for free. I can see why a change may be needed.

And the tactics they employ it you dare not to have a TV licence, increasingly threatening letters about coming around to check you are not breaking the law ,they have no power to enter your property anyway but they don't tell you that ,I don't have a driving licence as I don't drive can you imagine if the DVLA kept sending people letters saying they needed to check that people are not driving without a license ?

The fee is an outdated concept in my opinion, sub would be much better. If you can't afford the license fee then you could watch the other channels still, it seems unfair you have to pay them money to watch, say, channel 4 or ITV. I would probably just pay for Cbeebies if it was done channel by channel, as I genuinely don't watch anything else or listen to the radio; likewise for many they would probably prefer the main channels instead of paying quite a hefty annual fee towards ones they never watch. If they actually invested in new and emerging talent, didnt pay the same few teedious presenters inflated wage packets then maybe, but no.

@x2boys I agree, it's actually really intimidating for some people. Sure many just read them and chuck them away, but for others it is genuinely quite scary.

Yes, and I believe if you have a radio or a computer, even with no tv, because they have digital output. It is basically a media tax - as far as I see it (please correct me if I am wrong).

You do not need a tv licence unless you watch live tv or watch iplayer

You do not need a tv licence for a radio or a computer device, unless you watch live tv you don’t need to purchase a tv licence or if you watch bbc on iplayer - then you need a licence, but not for any other catch up

x2boys You can write to tv licensing and withdraw rights if access, this means legally they are not allowed to write to you or come on your property

License or subscription it makes no difference to me because I don't use it. I do however resent the assumption that I will use it and the harassment they seem to get away with.

Do people genuinely never watch the TV?
I mean never watch channel 4? ITV.

If you have a TV capable of receiving live signals (so with an aerial or set top box etc) then yes you need a TV licence whether you watch the BBC or not.

That and the money they pay the likes of Gary Lineker and Graham Norton while charging over 75's the full licence fee under under pain of prosecution. Setting up Question Time with blatantly selected audiences. Sending multiple OB crews to cover the same event. Layer upon layer of ineffective editorial management. Political bias. Jimmy saville, Cliff Richard , Lord McAlpine, Jeremy Clarkson. Ageism, sexism, gender paygap.

However , even after all that, and on balance, I still think its worth it.