Page 5 | To cancel my TV licence

trampoline123 · 2024-05-29T07:18:12+00:00

I want to cancel my TV licence because I'm fed up of the way they broadcast the news. The language they use and the way they report is biased and quite frankly sickening. I don't want to fund it in any way shape or form. AIBU to cancel my tv license for this reason?

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:35

The vans were probably like the some of the non working speed cameras in our county just there for a deterrence rather than doing anything, you just need to stick an aerial on top of a van and can say it does anything

x2boys · 29/05/2024 11:37

titbumwillypoo · 29/05/2024 09:32

Megifer, just so we know, what else is ok to steal?

🤣🤣

MikeRafone · 29/05/2024 11:38

Don't be silly that was all smoke and mirrors nonsens they tried to frighten us with years ago

when I rang up to cancel my tv licence 14/15 years ago, the guy on the phone actually told me I wasn't allowed to go to a friends to watch BBC tv ... Id not mentioned anything about watching BBC or friends - not like he even knew if I had any friends!

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:39

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 11:31

I didn’t say women’s prisons are full of licence fee non-payers. It was, however, statistically true quite recently that it was the single biggest offence among women serving custodial sentences. There are recorded cases of women whose only offence is non payment of the licence fee, though it has become so unpalatable that this route, which the BBC has the power to pursue, is still open to them.

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I didn’t say women’s prisons are full of licence fee non-payers

Well, no, but this line -

I found out that the biggest single reason why women in the U.K. are in prison is non payment of the BBC licence fee

the implication here is that more women are in UK prisons for non-payment of TV licence than any other offence, when that simply isn't true, never has been true, and has never been anywhere near the reality in UK prisons.

Women, and men, certainly have been imprisoned in the past for non-payment of the fine, but it was always relatively rare given the comparative numbers of prosecutions resulting in fines, incidence of this was in sharp decline from at around 15 years ago, and there isn't a single recorded instance of it anywhere in the UK since at least 2019.

It's something that is endlessly repeated in any MN thread about TV Licence, and I'm at a loss as to why, because it has no basis in fact. It's a mangling of the truth, at best.

Single biggest offence among women serving custodial sentences is factually accurate, or may have been at one point, but as I've explained, that's a huge distortion of fact, because the overwhelming bulk of the women with that conviction were serving a sentence for a far more serious crime in the first place, with the TV aspect an afterthought.

I've always wondered precisely who had a vested interest in perpetuating this myth that UK prisons were full of women who were there for no other reason than they had not paid their TV Licences. On the one hand, it would make quite good propaganda for the purpose of scaring people into paying it, but on the other, the optics are terrible, so I'd argue that it's a net negative for the BBC/Capita even though I wouldn't put it beyond them to propagate it. On balance though, no, I don't believe this was instigated by the BBC, so I'm left wondering who, and why?

kirbykirby · 29/05/2024 11:39

Nesbi · 29/05/2024 11:22

Certain things in this country are done on a collective basis, as that is the most effective way for that thing to be done properly. Public service broadcasting is one of those things, and is in no way unique to the UK.

It is a funding model that allowed the UK to create one of the very few non-US media brands in the world that is widely recognised and consumed outside of its own country. You would think that would be considered a success, but of course the UK can’t have nice things any more, best kill it off!

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Nobody is killing it off, times have changed and it now has to adapt. If enough people think it is good quality on a collective basis they will pay for it. If you have to force people to pay for your service perhaps it isn't providing the products most people want.

If you want to watch it, pay for it, supply and demand.

I disagree that the BBC provides quality programming these days, it certainly lives on its antiquated reputation which hasn't existed for a while and I think there is a huge amount of bias in its news reporting. I don't want to be forced to fund the salaries of people like Jeremy Bowen or Gary Lineker.

x2boys · 29/05/2024 11:42

Zimunya · 29/05/2024 09:43

When we moved back to the UK three years ago, the container with our furniture took a good six months to follow. As such, we were without a TV (or beds, wardrobes, pots, pans and cutlery!) for six months. I received a television licence letter, and I called the company to explain that we currently had no TV. This happened for three months running, and I politely called them on receipt of each letter. Then I gave up, as there's only so many times you can say the same thing. Then we received a letter stating that an inspector would visit. He did visit one evening - a polite gentleman who explained at the outset that he had no statutory authrity and I had no obligation to let him in. DH was home, so I was happy to let him in and show him all the empty, furnitureless rooms. If he had found a television I'd have been thrilled! We did get a TV licence when the television arrived, obvs.

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Why did you let him in ?
If any stranger had turned up would you havec let them in to have a nose around your house?
These threads always amuse me ,people accusing others of stealing etc and getting upset that we don't all think BBC is the most marvellous entertainment ever.

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:45

I would pay for it if it was like the other streaming channels, blimey the amount I pay to Sky and the others, and that is mainly for convenience, the TV licence is quite cheap, I'm sure many others would pay, at least there are no adverts which is another thing I seem to be paying out for now but it should be completely optional and on a monthly basis if people choose

shearwater2 · 29/05/2024 11:46

Just don't watch the news, it's not hard.

EasternStandard · 29/05/2024 11:47

kirbykirby · 29/05/2024 11:39

Nobody is killing it off, times have changed and it now has to adapt. If enough people think it is good quality on a collective basis they will pay for it. If you have to force people to pay for your service perhaps it isn't providing the products most people want.

If you want to watch it, pay for it, supply and demand.

I disagree that the BBC provides quality programming these days, it certainly lives on its antiquated reputation which hasn't existed for a while and I think there is a huge amount of bias in its news reporting. I don't want to be forced to fund the salaries of people like Jeremy Bowen or Gary Lineker.

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I think it has benefited from its position and become protected from criticism on bias

I take the soft power point in pp but mostly I’d want to ensure radio 6 music stays for UK music

So I’m somewhat undecided

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:47

They should also open it up more, I have seen posters on here from other countries saying they would use iPlayer if they could.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:48

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:47

They should also open it up more, I have seen posters on here from other countries saying they would use iPlayer if they could.

Presumably people who have never heard of VPN's 😛

Nesbi · 29/05/2024 11:51

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:47

They should also open it up more, I have seen posters on here from other countries saying they would use iPlayer if they could.

If iPlayer was available in more countries it would reduce the ability of the BBC to licence programmes individually to the various broadcasters in those countries, so the net result would be a loss of income for the BBC.

shearwater2 · 29/05/2024 11:52

If everything is going to be optional, I'll happily pay my full BBC licence fee and just pay Sky about £10 a month to watch football only and not all the other fucking shite which is apparently mandatory and costs the price of a licence fee in one month just so you can watch football.

I'll happily pay another £10 a month to never see any adverts ever on anything. Particularly not the ones on ITV and Channel 4 that are longer than the programme I am trying to watch.

BobnLen · 29/05/2024 11:54

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:48

Presumably people who have never heard of VPN's 😛

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I have seen posts where people don't want to use them

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 11:57

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:39

I didn’t say women’s prisons are full of licence fee non-payers

Well, no, but this line -

I found out that the biggest single reason why women in the U.K. are in prison is non payment of the BBC licence fee

the implication here is that more women are in UK prisons for non-payment of TV licence than any other offence, when that simply isn't true, never has been true, and has never been anywhere near the reality in UK prisons.

Women, and men, certainly have been imprisoned in the past for non-payment of the fine, but it was always relatively rare given the comparative numbers of prosecutions resulting in fines, incidence of this was in sharp decline from at around 15 years ago, and there isn't a single recorded instance of it anywhere in the UK since at least 2019.

It's something that is endlessly repeated in any MN thread about TV Licence, and I'm at a loss as to why, because it has no basis in fact. It's a mangling of the truth, at best.

Single biggest offence among women serving custodial sentences is factually accurate, or may have been at one point, but as I've explained, that's a huge distortion of fact, because the overwhelming bulk of the women with that conviction were serving a sentence for a far more serious crime in the first place, with the TV aspect an afterthought.

I've always wondered precisely who had a vested interest in perpetuating this myth that UK prisons were full of women who were there for no other reason than they had not paid their TV Licences. On the one hand, it would make quite good propaganda for the purpose of scaring people into paying it, but on the other, the optics are terrible, so I'd argue that it's a net negative for the BBC/Capita even though I wouldn't put it beyond them to propagate it. On balance though, no, I don't believe this was instigated by the BBC, so I'm left wondering who, and why?

Edited

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And my focus was the fact that it remains a criminal offence, not a civil one. If it is decriminalised then the issue will go away in its entirety.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:58

My thoughts on the "licence-dodging will kill the BBC!" are much the same as those I had about the "home-taping is killing the computer games industry!" stuff in the 1980's.

There is a bizarre belief that every instance is a lost sale, or someone who would otherwise pay the licence in order to access content. It isn't true.

Here we are 40 years on, and the Computer Games industry, far from being dead and gone, is worth many times annually what the entire Hollywood movie industry is.

The BBC is using an outdated, ridiculous, indefensible model and relying on the Government to attempt to force compliance. It's well past time they lived in the real world, and survived on their own merits. If their content is really that great, then they should have no issues whatsoever surviving off the back of it.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 12:01

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 11:57

And my focus was the fact that it remains a criminal offence, not a civil one. If it is decriminalised then the issue will go away in its entirety.

Show quote history

Well, possibly. It isn't a criminal offence in Scotland. Capita propaganda suggests it is, but it is not, and lo and behold, they appear to have pretty much given up enforcing it up here.

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 12:02

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:39

I didn’t say women’s prisons are full of licence fee non-payers

Well, no, but this line -

I found out that the biggest single reason why women in the U.K. are in prison is non payment of the BBC licence fee

the implication here is that more women are in UK prisons for non-payment of TV licence than any other offence, when that simply isn't true, never has been true, and has never been anywhere near the reality in UK prisons.

Women, and men, certainly have been imprisoned in the past for non-payment of the fine, but it was always relatively rare given the comparative numbers of prosecutions resulting in fines, incidence of this was in sharp decline from at around 15 years ago, and there isn't a single recorded instance of it anywhere in the UK since at least 2019.

It's something that is endlessly repeated in any MN thread about TV Licence, and I'm at a loss as to why, because it has no basis in fact. It's a mangling of the truth, at best.

Single biggest offence among women serving custodial sentences is factually accurate, or may have been at one point, but as I've explained, that's a huge distortion of fact, because the overwhelming bulk of the women with that conviction were serving a sentence for a far more serious crime in the first place, with the TV aspect an afterthought.

I've always wondered precisely who had a vested interest in perpetuating this myth that UK prisons were full of women who were there for no other reason than they had not paid their TV Licences. On the one hand, it would make quite good propaganda for the purpose of scaring people into paying it, but on the other, the optics are terrible, so I'd argue that it's a net negative for the BBC/Capita even though I wouldn't put it beyond them to propagate it. On balance though, no, I don't believe this was instigated by the BBC, so I'm left wondering who, and why?

Edited

Show quote history

PS
I did my investigations 5 years ago after a conversation with a prison visitor. There was definitely plenty of evidence at the time for what I wrote earlier. It was easily accessible in the internet and included House of Common and select committee discussions. 10 years ago it’s clear that the majority of MPs favoured decriminalisation, but it was not pursued and the BBC did not want to lose its special status. Your suggestion that I might have been swayed by propaganda is absurd.

Longma · 29/05/2024 12:03

Cancel it if you aren't using it.

You need a tv license if you watch:
> any BBC tv channel
> anything in iPlayer
> anything on live TV, even if not BBC

The bottom one is the bit some people don't always realise.

But if you don't do any of the above, you can cancel and not pay.

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 12:03

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:58

My thoughts on the "licence-dodging will kill the BBC!" are much the same as those I had about the "home-taping is killing the computer games industry!" stuff in the 1980's.

There is a bizarre belief that every instance is a lost sale, or someone who would otherwise pay the licence in order to access content. It isn't true.

Here we are 40 years on, and the Computer Games industry, far from being dead and gone, is worth many times annually what the entire Hollywood movie industry is.

The BBC is using an outdated, ridiculous, indefensible model and relying on the Government to attempt to force compliance. It's well past time they lived in the real world, and survived on their own merits. If their content is really that great, then they should have no issues whatsoever surviving off the back of it.

We agree on this!

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 12:05

Genevieva · 29/05/2024 12:02

PS
I did my investigations 5 years ago after a conversation with a prison visitor. There was definitely plenty of evidence at the time for what I wrote earlier. It was easily accessible in the internet and included House of Common and select committee discussions. 10 years ago it’s clear that the majority of MPs favoured decriminalisation, but it was not pursued and the BBC did not want to lose its special status. Your suggestion that I might have been swayed by propaganda is absurd.

Show quote history

I did not "suggest you were swayed by propaganda".

My point was, that the "prisons are full of women...." is repeated so frequently, inevitably in every single MN thread on the topic, that it's clearly originated from somewhere despite being wholly untrue, and I'm simply pondering where it came from, and who might have an interest in pushing a "fact" that is nothing of the sort.

Longma · 29/05/2024 12:09

I have seen posts where people don't want to use them

A lot of people have devices linked to work contracts and many work,places don't allow you to use a VPN on them.

Nesbi · 29/05/2024 12:11

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 29/05/2024 11:58

My thoughts on the "licence-dodging will kill the BBC!" are much the same as those I had about the "home-taping is killing the computer games industry!" stuff in the 1980's.

There is a bizarre belief that every instance is a lost sale, or someone who would otherwise pay the licence in order to access content. It isn't true.

Here we are 40 years on, and the Computer Games industry, far from being dead and gone, is worth many times annually what the entire Hollywood movie industry is.

The BBC is using an outdated, ridiculous, indefensible model and relying on the Government to attempt to force compliance. It's well past time they lived in the real world, and survived on their own merits. If their content is really that great, then they should have no issues whatsoever surviving off the back of it.

For that to have even a chance of working they would have to move entirely away from public service programming, and would instead be just another media company, focussed entirely on producing the content that generates the highest revenue, and dropping all the other things.

I often think about lockdown and the experience of schools closing and being stuck at home with the kids. It was the BBC that stepped up putting content out there to help keep kids entertained but also give them educational content to try to offset some of the impact of the schooling they were missing.

It was a great demonstration of how a public service broadcaster has a vested interest in the welfare of the people in the country it serves. Compare that to Netflix who couldn’t give a flying fuck that kids over in the UK were missing school, as long as you paid them your subscription fee they could just sit in front of mindless cartoons all day for all they cared!

verdibird · 29/05/2024 12:12

I don’t have a license. I don’t have a TV. I don’t watch TV online, just listen to the radio which is allowable. Don’t miss telly one bit and it frees up lots of time, for instance to post on Mumsnet. 😁

Zimunya · 29/05/2024 12:16

x2boys · 29/05/2024 11:42

Why did you let him in ?
If any stranger had turned up would you havec let them in to have a nose around your house?
These threads always amuse me ,people accusing others of stealing etc and getting upset that we don't all think BBC is the most marvellous entertainment ever.

Show quote history

Already answered upthread why I let him in. I remain happy with that decision as it generated the desired outcome., and I would do it again in the same circumstances.

Not sure if the stealing and BBC comments were for me or just in general, but for the avoidance of doubt, I haven't accused anyone of stealing, and don't have any strong feelings about the BBC, either for or against.