TV License >; (

[Lou]

Still, that's not a small number of squid....at LEAST 10 baskets!

 

[palabravampiress]

Umm, erm... why do you need a license? I mean, I understand being licensed to drive a car, carry a firearm, operate a forklift, perform surgery, do folks' taxes, marry, etc., but why in the name of all that's holy would one need a license to own and operate a telvision set? What do they think you're going to do with it? Over here in the USA, licensing tends to be required for activities of big old honkin' importance... well those and fishing. I never understood why we needed a fishing license, either. So yeah. Why?

 

[T.I.P]

Well we need licences for that stuff too. In Ireland your even supposed to have a DOG licence if you want a dog.
But the TV licence is pure and simply for money for one TV network(Scotland-BBC or Ireland -RTE) and thats it.
Like this is no joke how it is. Obviously almost everyone has at least one TV, now, these TV (BBC etc) networks basically go around demanding EVERYONE pays a fee each year, if you dont its possible(altough unlikely) that you'll get a hefty fine or... yes... thats right... a criminal record.
Worst thing is, these are quite bad channels to watch, with the exeption of their documentaries, they are terrible.
Its actually like a new network appearing in the USA, demanding everyone has to pay a tv licence. Its sad and childish. Its pretty much legal robbery.

 

[Aethra]

Wow. I never knew about this! I have to go buy a TV tomorrow or the next day, and I'm now grateful for the fact that I can just buy it and run, not having to worry about a lisence or registering it. That sounds very useless. I'm rather pissed for you guys!

 

[nerd4hire]

Hasn't the BBC always been funded by tax dollars? What's changed?

Aren't they actually making more money than ever before now selling programs, DVDs, and BBC as a cable channel abroad?

Also aren't some programs such as Doctor Who, and Torchwood receiving funding cooperation from other countries like Canada?

Where's all this extra money from the new licensing going?

 

[RestInPeace]

nerd4hire here's a link to some article i found on the BBC. They make an enormous amount of profits. As far as i know it has always been funded by the public. It seems from this article they do make a lot of their money form Dr Who, Top Gear, Strictly Come Dancing and another show I can't remember the name of.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/09/bbc.television1

The director general earned £816,000. That would take most people decades to earn. :jawdrop: At least he refused his bonus though unlike the woman mentioned in the paragraph below in the article. "Despite the penalty Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, still boosted her overall pay by £103,000 to £536,000, after adding "extra responsibilities" over the year." I wish i could just increase my pay by 5 times. I might actually be able to afford to buy a house then lol

I also live in the UK and hate having to pay the licence fee, i pay it but am never happy about it. Paying to own a television when i don't use it alot anymore really annoys me. Most of my favourite shows don't even air now but to watch them on DVD or on video i have to pay for the tv licence.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

Worst thing is, these are quite bad channels to watch, with the exeption of their documentaries, they are terrible.

Thing is, it's stuff like the documentaries that the Lisence fee pays for. Think about it, Channel Four, the "alternative" channel which is entirely commercially funded by advertisements churns out lowest common denominator drivel like "The 16 ton 3 year old with 6 arms and gay parents". The BBC has stuff like Planet Earth, Panorama, Horizon and the likes. Without a secure source of funding that doesn't depend on viewers, there is no reason for them to create quality public service broadcasts, and they'd probably end up just like Channel 4 and five.

Now, I know there's also a lot of drivel on the BBC, and there are some (seriously) good programs on ITV/stv, Channel 4 and five, but the BBC is very different. The lisence fee does contribute to that.

Stephen Fry made a speech about this very issue when it came up for debate at some conference or something, and he released it as a podcast. It's 40 minutes long, but if you have the time, it's definately worth the listen. It may not change your view on the issue, but it certainly makes a good argument for keeping the lisence fee. It's good to know exactly where your money is going. Plus, it's Stephen Fry. Always good for a laugh.

Here's the link:

The Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry [podcasts]

It's episode 4, BROADCASTING. The most recent one. I think you have to download it through iTunes though, but it's an mp3, so it's not too much trouble.

 

[RestInPeace]

Thanks for the link FivebyFive. Will give it a listen when i have more time, will be interesting to see where our money is going. Much better than my link, i posted :lmao:

Thinking about what you said the BBC do make amazing documentaries. 🙂

 

[nerd4hire]

Wasn't the BBC making Documentaries even before the licensing? Aren't some of the new ones such as Planet Earth considered commercially successful?

The BBC is kind of famous worldwide for leaning noticeably left. If I happened to be a UK taxpayer who leaned right, a licensing fee for the BBC would be pissing me off right about now. The way I'd see it is I'd be paying to fund a political agenda I didn't believe in. One that was already making a profit, and using those profits to support political cronyism, then demanding more money from taxpayers. This in a country already excessively taxed, and mired in lunatic regulations. In london isn't there some regulation saying you can only pack your trash bins so high, and if you go over you get a fine, and a criminal record? If there were a way to avoid paying this TV tax, I think that's what I'd be doing.

What were "the phone-line scandals and fakery allegations that hit the BBC last year"?

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

What were "the phone-line scandals and fakery allegations that hit the BBC last year"?

Winners were being chosen before the phone lines closed, so anyone entering after a winner was chosen had no chance; people were still being charged for calls even if they phoned after the lines had closed without being told (this still happens, but people are warned - it's common sense really); and most importantly, money that they claimed was going to charity, wasn't. It was quite a big thing: they had to apologise and compensate people.

However, it is majorly important to note that it was not only the BBC involved, ITV/stv and Channel 4 were also just as guilty. Moreover, it was not done directly by the BBC. The channe;s had hired an outside company to do it for them (Opera, I think it was called), and it was said company that actually did it. The BBC was only really guilty of not checking that they were doing their job properly.

 

[T.I.P]

Thing is, it's stuff like the documentaries that the Lisence fee pays for. Think about it, Channel Four, the "alternative" channel which is entirely commercially funded by advertisements churns out lowest common denominator drivel like "The 16 ton 3 year old with 6 arms and gay parents"
.

If the documentaries are that good another network would take it anyway, and think about the millions of people that dont watch documentaries anyway. It just seems wrong that they are even allowed to take our money and we simply have no say in the matter.

 

[Lou]

It would seem like, in this day and age, they could somehow find a way to take it OFF the normal airwaves and work the fees into either donations and/or cable fees. Leaving the few people who don't have cable and watch the stations freed up.
No one should be charged for a channel that they don't watch. And it shouldn't be a criminal offense to NOT want to support a network that you don't watch!

 

[nerd4hire]

It sounds like they're saying they want to be free to enjoy the spoils from the programming people watch (eg Doctor Who) to enrich themselves, and their buddies, but have the public pay for the stuff it doesn't want to watch (eg BBC, leftist, propaganda, documentaries).