The BBC

[BertiWooster]

From one who objects to being forced to pay a direct tax in order to watch that box in the corner - irrespective of how much BBC content i view ...

..... Message to the Editor of the Daily Telegraph Will you please make efforts to procure , next , a disc of the expenses of the BBC staff .

This is in order that we can see that the next inflation busting increase in the licence fee is justified .

I caught the end of someone being intervied on one of the news channels , late the other night - who stated tnat he had been informed by BBC journalists that there is a lot of waste going on at the Cooperation .
I'm not suprised , when there also appears , for example , to be a lot of duplication - head of news for this area - head of news for that area , etc .etc

Is anyone else of the same opinion ?

[R1Geezer]

So you never watch the BBC or listen to BBC Radio?

[BertiWooster]

Yes - what's your point ?

[BertiWooster]

That is - yes I watch the bbc and listen to bbc radio

[Oneeyedvic]

Do you have kids? I don't. Should I object to paying for schools which I have never used (I went to Private School) and never will use?

The BBC is a service - one that some people don't like to pay for.

As you can see from your responses, it appears that a good many people do want it to stay in its current form.

Most people don't begrudge paying for something when they get value from it - and I think most people can see the value of the BBC.

Funnily enough all the Murdoch owned corporations don't want it (eg Talk Sport, The Sun, ITV etc etc). Wonder why that is!

[sp1814]

I think the only possible way around the argument would be for an electronics company to develop a telly which couldn't receive any BBC channels.

Therefore you could buy that and not pay a TV licence.

However, I don't think technology is that far advanced.

[Oneeyedvic]

Lucy, I get the point - which why I made the comparisson to the School system.

Equally, you could say, I take care of myself and have private healthcare, why do I fund the NHS?

How about, I recycle all my rubbish so why should I pay for dustbin collection?

The answer to these (as well as the BBC funding question) is that they are better for society.

We could allow people who pay for private treatment to stop paying NI contributions - but that would be detrimental to everyone.

Most people would agree that the standard of broadcasting in this country is very good - certainly one of the best in the world. Most of that is because of the way that the BBC is funded.

[Oneeyedvic]

and let the People decide .

Most peoples views are influenced by the media.

Who owns most of the media?

[Oneeyedvic]

So it's a referendum on who watches what channel.

Can't believe that the question is on wastage and now you want an annual referendum at an amazing cost.

[Gromit]

The UK network of Television and Radio transmitters is paid for out of the License fee. If you claim you do not watch or listen to BBC content, you are still getting your ITV, C4 and Five transmissions and Freeview via the License fee paid for transmitters.

I could object to �156.9million that the Government spends on television advertising on SKY and ITV et al, which I do not watch.

Or I could object to the fact that everything I buy would be cheaper if it wasn't advertised on television.

[SODIT]

I Can't believe that some people on here agree to this TAX !
I have never met in the real world anyone who agrees with this tax . Do you lot work for the bbc

[BertiWooster]

Oneeyedvic - you state ...

'' Equally, you could say, I take care of myself and have private healthcare, why do I fund the NHS? ''

''How about, I recycle all my rubbish so why should I pay for dustbin collection? ''

Well if someone harbours those opinions , then why shouldn't they ? .
Personally , i dont object to paying towards the NHS or rubbish collection

My particular gripe here is with the licence fee .

[jno]

just to point out regarding Jonathan Ross (I don't like him myself), the money he gets isn't his pay; it goes to his production company and pays for the programmes he makes, so his salary isn't �18 million over three years. I don't know how true this is of other presenters and suspect a lot of them could be paid less. But the BBC, though it gets its money differently, is in the market and has to pay market rates for 'talent'.

[Gromit]

infundibulum

No, it is everything from Join the Army commercials to Swine Flu advice.

[Oneeyedvic]

The trouble with referendums is that people don't think through the consequences of their actions.

Should we pay 1p less in income tax every year?
Should VAT be reduced to 10%?
Entering this difficult climate, should people who have just been made redundant be supported with extra training.
Should we increase the number of nurses in each hospital?
Should we decrease the size of classes in schools?

Most people would answer yes to all of these without thinking through where the billions of pounds will come from to pay for it all.

Look at American Football - it is run purely for the TV audiences. Would you prefer football to be four 22 minute
'quarters' rather than two halves, so that the TV companies can get extra revenue?

Would you like a media (we already have it to some extent) that don't research articles properly and print 'mistruths'.

The BBC is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is certainly a lot better than having purely commercial stations.