TV licence thread

[catmiss]

On 04/12/2020 at 23:07, Pettytom said:

Or, maybe, just obey the law.

 

Like most of us.

I agree, where’s the argument? I might not like it but if I choose to receive a service I have to pay for it. You might disagree with the penalty for non payment or even the current BBC funding method 

but that shouldn’t condone people happy to enjoy the service as it stands but not willing to pay for it and pass on the enforcement costs to those who honour their obligations. 

[Jeffrey Shaw]

The real question is not whether 'the law' requires payment of a TV Licence fee but whether there should be:

a. a criminal offence of not paying, i.e. prosecution for non-payment; or

b. no such criminal offence but instead a contractual obligation to pay, with civil enforcement proceedings for non-payment.

[Arnold_Lane]

2 hours ago, Jeffrey Shaw said:

The real question is not whether 'the law' requires payment of a TV Licence fee but whether there should be:

a. a criminal offence of not paying, i.e. prosecution for non-payment; or

b. no such criminal offence but instead a contractual obligation to pay, with civil enforcement proceedings for non-payment.

Is it?  
 

I think it’s pretty obvious that Car boot and others don’t want to pay a TV licence if they don’t watch the BBC.  Whether it’s a criminal or civil offence is not their argument at all. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Arnold_Lane

[ivan edake]

All the BBC have offered over the Xmas period is a mass of repeats, hardly any new programmes at all. They don't even offer a plus one hour channel and they can't even keep to time.Anybody who records a BBC program will be lucky if they get the ending as programmes are often several minutes late finishing.For this abysmal mess we are required by law to pay about £170 per year.It would be nice to know just what The BBC are spending our money on ,it certainly isn't new programmes, it must be on obscene wages to second rate presenters. The BBC is now unfit for purpose and it is time the licence fee was stopped.

[Pyrotequila]

They should just make it subscription based like Sky or Virgin, make it so that you need equipment to decrypt the signal or you can't watch. Simple.

 

Apart from the news, I can't remember the last time we watched a single thing on the BBC.

[ECCOnoob]

15 minutes ago, Pyrotequila said:

They should just make it subscription based like Sky or Virgin, make it so that you need equipment to decrypt the signal or you can't watch. Simple.

 

Apart from the news, I can't remember the last time we watched a single thing on the BBC.

You still need a licence for both of those as well.

 

Any live broadcast television.

 

I've said before many times the BBC could be abolished tomorrow and the government will still find some way of taxing television broadcast.

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by ECCOnoob

[catmiss]

3 hours ago, ivan edake said:

All the BBC have offered over the Xmas period is a mass of repeats, hardly any new programmes at all. They don't even offer a plus one hour channel and they can't even keep to time.Anybody who records a BBC program will be lucky if they get the ending as programmes are often several minutes late finishing.For this abysmal mess we are required by law to pay about £170 per year.It would be nice to know just what The BBC are spending our money on ,it certainly isn't new programmes, it must be on obscene wages to second rate presenters. The BBC is now unfit for purpose and it is time the licence fee was stopped.

I’ve been disappointed with most of the TV programming, the 2 main terrestrial channels having relied on depressing episodes of their respective soaps which seem to have had poor ratings. It may be that Covid has affected the ability to provide the entertainment needed by a nation largely confined to home

[andyofborg]

7 hours ago, catmiss said:

I’ve been disappointed with most of the TV programming, the 2 main terrestrial channels having relied on depressing episodes of their respective soaps which seem to have had poor ratings. It may be that Covid has affected the ability to provide the entertainment needed by a nation largely confined to home

New content requires lots of people to produce not just those you see on the screen.  You would need to put the entire cast and crew  in their own bubble and isolate them from the rest of the universe for several weeks, 

 

[Thirsty Relic]

6 hours ago, andyofborg said:

New content requires lots of people to produce not just those you see on the screen.  You would need to put the entire cast and crew  in their own bubble and isolate them from the rest of the universe for several weeks, 

 

My understanding is that most "new" programmes and series are "in the can" for many months before being broadcast. TV Channels have lots of new content stored - they just don't air it until they feel the time is right.  Perhaps when they keep hearing complaints about repeats they may decide the time is right,

 

Of course, it's easier and cheaper to put out repeats - and viewing figures show the public watch them.  They also like to do retrospectives  (let's look back at the work of so-and-so and get lots of people whose agents have been pressing us for work to say bits about their memories of them while we show some old footage...), that are cheap to produce and are ratings winners.  Air them as soon as the subject starts being ill, then when they do kick the bucket they can air it again, followed by a tributes programme.

[andyofborg]

2 hours ago, Thirsty Relic said:

My understanding is that most "new" programmes and series are "in the can" for many months before being broadcast. TV Channels have lots of new content stored - they just don't air it until they feel the time is right.  Perhaps when they keep hearing complaints about repeats they may decide the time is right,

 

Of course, it's easier and cheaper to put out repeats - and viewing figures show the public watch them.  They also like to do retrospectives  (let's look back at the work of so-and-so and get lots of people whose agents have been pressing us for work to say bits about their memories of them while we show some old footage...), that are cheap to produce and are ratings winners.  Air them as soon as the subject starts being ill, then when they do kick the bucket they can air it again, followed by a tributes programme.

This has been going on since March there is no new content. I imagine content considered unsuitable in March would likely be less suitable now.