to think the BBC has had it's day and it really is over now?

[hamstersarse]

Obviously this debate has been rumbling for years, but it seems to me that the tide has turned very quickly in recent months.

They genuinely do not seem to represent anyone well, and the license fee model is just so broken and irrelevant to how we now consume our art, news and content.

It remains a great idea (possibly fundamental to a civilised society) to have a non-biased media outlet, but the BBC just do not seem up to the job.

Does anyone still feel they are a reliable source of news? Does anyone agree with the license fee model? Can we not get their type of content elsewhere, by choice?

They had a phone in today about schools ( bbc radio five ) and some of the points raised were valid and they had a cross section of views about schools going back in England and Wales soon and face mask wearing , what was being done to make it safe and so on. A few teachers phoned in which was interesting.
It was very balanced I thought. At least they don't have to cut people off for advert breaks!

I boycotted and cancelled after JS I will admit to watching BBC stuff on Netflix and listening to R4 occasionally but I don't miss it one bit.

It still does a good job/fill an important gap.

The neutrality challenge is huge and ever-changing [particularly challenging with the resurgence of populist politics], and never one that they'll get completely right, but I've seen nothing to suggest that they're completely failing all ends up.

Their children's content, especially the educational stuff, had been a godsend over last few months. Adult TV... It varies. There's a lot Ilike, a lot that doesn't interest me. But everyone has their preferences.
Getting more disillusioned with their news website.

@Stripesgalore

*Has there not been a thread on here about the number of women who have been criminalised because they can’t afford the license fee?

I don’t know the figures, but that seems like a good reason to get rid of it*

Nobody gets criminalised for not paying the licence fee. Non-payment is not a criminal offence. You're likely talking about women who have been caught watching without a licence, fined, and then imprisoned for non-payment of the fine.

I object to the licence model for a number of reasons, this being one of them, so therefore I choose not to watch any BBC licenced content. No interest in mindless garbage like Strictly and Eastenders anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing out. It's a nonsense that suppliers of all subscription packages are compelled to include BBC just so they have the right to force licence compliance.

I hear criticism of news output/politics from both the left and right...which suggests to me they’re doing impartiality pretty well

This.

Though goodness knows why they gave Farage so much air time.

Daisy the pictures of schools. 8 children in classrooms bigger than average. Children lining up in masks for primary school. 6 children say 2m apart one carpets.

Alongside whatever the governments lastest line is about how safe it is.

Except the truth is no masks and 30 children in classrooms.

The images are a fake representation and loads of complaints have been sent in about it.

I watch BBC programs every day. I am happy to pay the license fee and I would never forgive any government that got rid of the BBC.

I can’t remember the last time I watched BBC or listened to BBC radio. Yet I still pay the licence fee.

Does anyone agree with the license fee model?
No I find it ridiculous that it covers all live TV, it should move to a subscription service.

Sure you want usa style tv with constant adverts and unbiased news from rupert murdoch?

I think that public service broadcasting is essential in a functioning democracy.

Considering the amount and range of their output (tv channels, radio stations, children's programmes, schools programmes, podcasts and the website), the licence fee is very good value for money.

There are plenty of tv shows that they produce which seem boring or rubbish to me, but if you're producing programmes for an entire diverse nation, not everything will appeal to everybody.

As someone who is left of centre, I'd like them to hold the Government to account more and I wish that when Tory ministers or Trump make racist comments, the BBC would have the bottle to call them racist. They try so hard to be even handed that sometimes they balance experts with uninformed outliers (This used to happen a lot with climate change). But overall, I think they are doing their best and are reasonably impartial.

Their tv news coverage tends to be a bit superficial and short on world news (Channel 4 news is much better) but there's some good indepth coverage on the radio, the website and some podcasts.

Most media tends to the right, and is highly commercial. It’s important to have a counterpoint (although I’d say they were fairly pro Johnson)

Not having R4 or R6 would be a real blow. There’s a station in Aus RN that has excellent in depth political, scientific and news coverage. We should realise the value of having that content.

Their documentaries and children programs are amazing. The news side has always been weak.

The license fee is daft. But I'd pay good money to access their content. And no ads is great.

@itsgettingweird

Daisy the pictures of schools. 8 children in classrooms bigger than average. Children lining up in masks for primary school. 6 children say 2m apart one carpets.

Alongside whatever the governments lastest line is about how safe it is.

Except the truth is no masks and 30 children in classrooms.

The images are a fake representation and loads of complaints have been sent in about it.

I haven’t seen pictures like that. Schools aren’t back though, yet, in the main, so I am a bit puzzled how there are any pictures at all.

I guess they are giving pictures of schools like they were before the summer perhaps?

@araiwa

Sure you want usa style tv with constant adverts and unbiased news from rupert murdoch?

Most TV the world over features commercial advertising, it's the BBC that's the oddity here, and to be honest, I watch far more sports than anything else, the commercials don't bother me in the slightest.

There are plenty of sources of news that aren't controlled by Rupert Murdoch. Besides, the BBC's political reporting is laughably inept. Laura Keunssberg repeatedly quoting 'Downing Street sources' without bothering to do even the most scant scrutiny of the facts of what she'd being fed, simply because they're terrified at having their access to these 'sources' removed.

YANBU
I watch TV from another country and the ads are not intrusive and certainly not as intrusive as the BBC sanctimonious virus signalling.
I couldn't give two hoots about the Proms, but somewhat hypocritical to ban Rule Britannia and LoHaG and still retain the 'British' in BBC.

If it's dumbed down, presumably that's because they think that's what the viewers want? If it were all Lord Reith-style high-mindedness, then people would complain that it's irrelevant because too high-brow, blah, blah. It's the curse of public broadcasting that everyone is dissatisfied, I suppose. But YABVVU to want to get rid of it for just those reasons.

Hello Rupert Murdoch, thanks for your unbiased opinion!

BBC - £150 a year

Sky - £80 a month

Licence fee is great value for money.

it's the BBC that's the oddity here

Yes, thank goodness. Most TV around the world is unmitigated commercial shite. Let's stand out and be different.

There is a lot of really important content but I have been disappointed by the news coverage In recent years. It feels like in an effort to be fair, they’ll find someone to say X and Y even if the Y is ridiculous. There are too many comments from the public. I’d rather here from an expert than from Vera who has been cornered in the high street to give her ill-informed opinion on the issue of the day.

Is Sky £80 a month?!!!!
Why would anyone pay that much for tv?

I have now tv cinema and entertainment, which are both sky, but I pay for them with club card vouchers.

The only thing I’d say is slow down. All the interrupting every morning on R4 is frustrating.

They have enough time going by some of the other stuff used instead

@Graciebobcat

It's not a straight choice between BBC or Rupert Murdoch

'Value for money' depends entirely on your viewpoint. £150 a year for the BBC is, in my opinion, a complete waste of £150 because the BBC lost the rights to any of the things I'm most interested in years and years ago. I have absolutely no interest in the few sporting events they managed to cling to thanks to the government protecting them, Wimbledon etc, whereas I don't mind paying a much larger subscription to actually watch the sports and events I do take an interest in.

The fact is, the BBC licence amount to nothing other than a 'TV tax' regardless of whether you watch or value their content or not. The fact they are legally permitted to harass people who are not fully paid up members listed on their database is scandalous. I don't have any other company harassing me and sending me threatening psuedo-legal letters simply because I'm NOT a customer.