The great TV licence debate!! Should we or shouldn't we?

Question

I begrudge paying the BBC for a TV licence that just keeps getting more and more expensive every year. What do you think?

Do other countries have the same problem?

Should the Beeb become a commercial station? I think so!!

Answer 1

I lived in Scotland w/my husband and thought it weird that the UK had a license to run a TV, but he explained that the BBC doesn't have advertisements between shows like we do in the states...NO we don't need a license to have a TV, but we do have to put up with 2-3 minute commercials every 10-15 minutes...your 30 minute TV shows are 20 minutes over here (on BBC America) because they have to get the 10 minutes of commercials in, which in turn pays for the program...so it doesn't cost us anything

Answer 2

To be honest with you, I don't pay the TV licence, just ignore it, but I NEVER watch BBC anyway, I only watched it a bit recently 'cos of World Cup. As for the radio, I don't even know the stations or anything (I'm not from the UK), so I don't see why I should pay for it. As you're asking, where I'm from, we pay for TV, but the sum is very low, it comes on the same bill as gas and yes, probably it increases from time to time, but so does everything. But it's nowhere near £120. Then again, the country is much poorer than UK, of course.

Answer 3

I would pay 3 times the licence fee to stop my programmes being ruined by commercials every 10 to 15 minutes! Steve Coogan is worth the licence fee alone. The football coverage is also vastly Superior on the BBC!

Answer 4

I don't think that it should become commercial as they would be even more s***e on than there already is, however i do not see the need for the expense to rise every year, they could do it for that money a couple of years ago, what's changed, apart from the bank accounts of the execs.

Answer 5

In fact we are not just paying the BBC. There is the government and some money goes to other TV and radio (yes radio) stations over here in the UK.

Its cheaper to pay it now then later.

Answer 6

Here is the US, the airwaves are public property so technically a broadcasting station pays us for the use of a particular signal (although through the FCC). This is also why stations get fined for foul language and nudity because of so-called decency standards that get pushed by certain groups.

Answer 7

I could handle a 2min ad break every half hr if it meant saving £120 a year!

At any one time, on radio and TV they are running 00s of services, 95% f the time I never even watch or listen to it, wish they stopped it and got with the times!

Answer 8

get rid!!! the only programs i watch on bbc are top gear, little britain and the occasional film, my fiancee watches eastenders. we don't listen to any bbc radio station sothat's it and to be honest they are repeated on all the other sattilite channels that i have so no it isn't worth it twenty or thirty quid a year would be fine if i had too. but to be honest now that we have digital we should choose whether we have BBC channels or not!!

Answer 9

Scrap it completely, sort out the wannadoos from the cannadoos and all go on holiday.

Freeview Forever... Might solve a few other problems in the education dept too.

If you can't do it for love then don't bother doing it at all.

Answer 10

tv license does take the p every year getting more and more exspensive,it wouldnt be so bad if they provided bettter viewing on the tv, but half of its repeats and the rest is utter rubbish.

it very few and far between.