Would you give up the BBC?

Question

Would you give up the BBC to save the £120 you spend on a licence fee?

I would.
I watch maybe one show a week on the BBC and I could definitely live without their repetitive radio stations.

Although they have no mid program ads they do fill the space between with adverts for their own shows so we don't entirely get away the "no ad" thing.

So what do you say?

Answer 1

yeah as the only thing i watch is EastEnders, bloody shocking how i have to pay £120 for what 2 hours of a programme

Answer 2

On an average week I watch less than an hour of TV so perhaps I am not the best judge but I totally 100% disagree. (which means after one sentance I will probably not get a best answer, but I shall carry on anyway).

I used to watch about 5 hours of TV a day and then I suddenly realised that most of the TV I watched was of very poor quality and decided that I would only watch a show if I would pay £1 to rent it on DVD. So "Will & Grace", "Friends" and the like went out of the window because although I enjoyed seeing them I didn't think I liked them enough to be worth paying £1 to watch an episode.

Eventually I was watching less than an hour's TV a week and I did not miss the shows I used to see because really I just watched them to fill up time.

Over the last year I watched the following shows - Extras, The Simpsons, Life On Earth, Planet Earth, Doctor Who, Torchwood and the news. Thus 80% of all the shows I watched were BBC shows.

Without the BBC I would only watch The Simpsons whch although funny is not in itself worth owning a TV for. So if I did not get the BBC I would not own a TV.
.
I would rather a full hour of adverts inbetween shows than a 5 second interruption in the middle, in fact as often as not as soon as a show is interupted by an advert I turn off the TV and go out for a walk or start reading a book, to this day I don't think I have ever seen a whole film on ITV because of the interuptions.

Also without the BBC we would not have the (highly boring) shipping forecast on Radio 4. I don't listen to the shipping forecast but I do think that if even one life each year is saved by avoiding a storm at sea it is worth me paying £120 per year.

Finally the BBC makes all those shows which only a few people watch (like the sign language shows) because it does not need to make every show popular. If the BBC had to make money from adverts all the shows that allow certain minorities to enjoy TV would not be able to get enough viewers to be made which would be a sad loss to those people who need shows like this.

So I am sorry but even though I only watch a few BBC shows I think the BBC is the best TV service in the world and a vital way for minority groups to be able to access the world.

Even though I don't get £120 worth of viewing out of the BBC I am happy to pay knowing that my money will be well spent.

Answer 3

The BBC is as ancient as the tube itself. I think paying the license fee a is feat to be commended, for the same reason other taxes are installed into the system, the license fee, at least provides those whose jobs it is to brain wash us, the freedom to do so away from the pressures that would otherwise be a issue if they had a sales agenda to adhear to.
I could do without it now because I live on my own, but in the future when there will be at least two sets in a house, I can see it being invaluable as a thread to provide homes with nutritious content. BBC2 is completely different in its overall structure and how it imposes itself to the viewer over the course of the evening, there are no advertisments or news bullitins to demand your attention, its about the only channel in the uk that can stretch almost seamlessly over the kurfuffle of evening soaps, scrubbing away on the other sides.

Answer 4

Hi, don't know if I would give it up as watch sometimes. The thing that gets me annoyed though, is when you subscribe to sky or cable u still have to also pay a licence fee. As part of a digital package, you get the BBC channels, so r u in effect paying for the same thing twice. Has anybody ever challenged this in court? Anyway couldn't give up as my little one watching CBeebies all the time.

Answer 5

Yeah, it no longer does the job it was supposed to do, being more interested in copying rubbish ideas from other channels. Also, with Jerry Springer: the Opera, I could have boycotted commercial channels for showing it by refusing to buy anything made by the sponsors and advertisers; but with the poll Tax paid to a monolithic, self-regulating travesty of a "public service provider", then there was no chance without throwing out the telly.
Either make it truly accountable to the licence-payer or make it fully commercial (it advertises on its channels abroad).

Answer 6

I have already given up the BBC. Unfortunately BBC is now aimed at the lowest dominator with unrealistic soap operas and game shows and pathetic documentaries. It news service is PC nonense (for example non reporting of whites killed by non-whites murders, non reporting on the SA farm murders etc....) Even the screen breaks are PC nonense, do you see morris dancers or theUnion jack on teh screen breaks? No, you see indian dancers and NY skateboarders etc....

I not paid for a TV licence since 2002, no problems yet! And even if I do get a knock on the door I can whole hearted say that I dont watch BBC.

Answer 7

No way
Best programmes are on the BBC, television and radio, and, because theya re not financed by any corporation, they can risk offending whomsoever they need to to cut through scandal.
Just the privilege of hearing John Humprhys demolish a pmpous politician is worth the fee
And then you throw Dr Who and Blue Peter into the mix
I'd keep the Beeb and the licence fee

BTW - to the guy who implied that they execs and presenters are getting rich at our expense - has he never heard how bad BBC salaries are compared with the private sector?

It's deffo worth the fee - just put on something decent against the soaps, cos I don't go for them!

Answer 8

I all ways thought you should be able to have that choice. I think alot of people would just not bother with the BBC if it meant they could save £120.

When you think about it you could have Sky + Broadband for £25 a month - so the £120 for two channels hardly represents value.

Answer 9

I'd happily pay my license fee to the BBC if it meant the end of Eastenders .... surely that programme cannot get anymore depressing!!!! Other than that I like Match Of The Day and Question Of Sport but that's the only time i watch BBC .... Oh, Top Gear too ... can't forget that!

Answer 10

One of the best ideas yet. Do we really need a tv/radio station paid for by the viewing public, who have no say in how it is run or what is shown. If it was a commercial station it would be forced to raise it's standards because no1 will advertise on Chanel that is not watched except for a few.