Adverts on the BBC?

Question

Am I the only person who finds this wrong?

Where I work we have Radio 1 on all day. They often slip in adverts for the latest shows being shown on both bbc radio and telly. That annoys me for one thing because they're still irritating adverts breaking into out listening time that we aren't supposed to have as we pay for the bbc. But, what gets me worked up even more is that they even advertise on the news bulletins as if they are news items. For example for most of last week the end item on the news reports were adverts for Torchwood starting with interviews with the cast and everything.

I'm sure they're allowed to do this as I can't see them breaking advertising laws without knowing. But, how do they get away with it legally?

It gets right up my nose

For weatherman and a few others. So it's ok to advertise their own shows because they aren't selling them as we've already paid for them???? That's exactly my point. Not only are they just as annoying as adverts for soap powder etc. but they are just blatantly promoting their own programming ALL DAY and even pretending they are news worthy items. It just seems wrong or at the very least excessive and I can't believe they get away with it.

That's a nice theory Emmett but as we all know, not all of our license fee goes into programming. I can't quote you exact fugures but I do remember last time the bigwigs at the beeb got pay rises I was absolutely disgusted at what I heard. They're just like the greedy government because they are completely self governed.

Answer 1

because they are only advertising their own programmes they can intrude on our time-though technically it's still advertising/placement. They can say it's schedulling information to make the public aware of what's on offer for their licence fee.
It's informing and not selling anything for money. Personally the sooner the licence fee is abolished the better. If the bbc is any good it will survive-people will pay properly to watch their programmes rather be threatened to pay up. You don't need a licence to listen to bbc radio even though the money for it comes from the licence fee. The bbc has total monolply on all the tv channels as without paying the bbc you can not watch their rivals and the government is complacent in this. The public is not offered any choice in this. The resources and time the law spend protecting the bbc's revenue is mind boggling-hundreds of thousand of people end up in the courts every year because of the unfair bbc monolply. The government talks about the peoples right to choose, to be treated like adults, but if you make a choice of disagreeing with the licence fee, god help you. You can choose a telephone supplier, your internet supplier,your gas and electricity supplier but not your tv programmes supplier! without going thorugh the bbc-it's a cushy number if you can get it!

Answer 2

I normally don't listen to Radio 1, I don't enjoy it. All last week I listened it just to find out more about the excellent Torchwood. I have not looked forward to watching a show so much since Doctor Who. Torchwood will be the first time I have turned on my TV in months.
I hate having the radio on at work - I find it a distracting annoyance, I would gladly take a pay cut not to have it on all the time. At home I love Radio 6, Radio 4 and Radio 7. I take the adverts as a chance for a pee break or a cup of tea.

I don't think the BBC promoting its own shows technically counts as advertising them. After all the shows do not make a direct profit from being advertised unlike products do.

Answer 3

I honestly wouldn't care if there were ad breaks in BBC shows. I hardly watch anything on the BBC as it is, and I quite like the ad breaks on other channels. I can go to the toilet or get a drink or whatever in the break so I don't miss anything; when watching a BBC show that I'm interested in, I don't want to go to the bathroom or kitchen and miss anything. Surely if the BBC introduced adverts they'd make more money, due to virtually every company competing for BBC airtime? The BBC assume that we all welcome the 'luxury' of an uninterrupted program, which I for one do not. I don't see why I should have to pay for The One Show, Bargain Hunt and Match of the Day (which seem to make up the majority of the broadcasts on the BBC) when I don't watch them and never plan to

Answer 4

HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH IT?

Simple, THEY ARE NOT ADVERTS

They are trailers for BBC programmes.

An advert tries to sell you something, what the BBC are doing therefore isn't advertising as you don't have to buy the product they are pushing.

Now if they tried, on the radio, to actively sell TV licenses that would be advertising, but they don't.

Answer 5

It may be annoying but - The BBC has a duty to provide value for its licence payers, and to do that it needs to keep viewing numbers up and people interested in its products/programs without this it would be difficult for them to fund future projects( its only partly funded by the licence and needs to fund itself in many other ways such as selling the rights to the Office to countries around the world). As we all know that advertising works and that its nearly free for the BBC using its own networks, i would be appaled that an organisation funded by our licence didnt use all its resources to there fullest potential

Answer 6

I suppose because they're not being paid for advertising, they're just providing information for upcoming shows that their listeners or viewers may be interested in.

However much they play trailers it's still not as annoying as the adverts on local radio. So you have that to be thankful for :)

Answer 7

Its the BBC they charge a licence they cotroll a lot of other networks and yes they can get away with it..its a goverment scam that we fall for as its owned by the gov

Answer 8

Honey, as I understand it, they ARE the government. They make the laws; they don't break them. That is, if they are putting on advertising (and perhaps advertising your own activities does not count as "advertising" in their rule book.

Answer 9

YES! They've been getting away with these adverts for years, especially on local news programmes. It gets right on my tit ends

Answer 10

But they are advertising upcoming shows and programmes and this is the only way to increase ratings. HTH.