Give up free licence fee.

[tut]

Debate on the news that over 75 year olds should offer to give up their free TV licence fee.

Just passed that mark and actually agree, I would give mine up, but only on condition that the licence fee was substantially increased that has been frozen for years now to maintain the standard that we expect from the BBC.

Sky is taking over the whole spectrum, I now pay £110/month which equates to six weeks of the TV licence.

tut

[j2 lot]

.... they shouldn't have sacked their biggest money maker quite so quickly, ( a suspension would have done surely?) & then dropped F1 And while they still make Gaelic programmes ffs

[Sanjøy]

Last two new series I have watched were shot for amazon and Netflix. Beeb better evolve else they'll be moaning like taxi drivers...

[graeme]

Now would be a good time in life for us to stop paying the TV license for a couple of years. We haven't had time to watch live TV for months. Since we ditched Sky last year, I think I've switch the Freesat box on twice, and that was for reruns of F1 on the beeb, which I could have watched on iPlayer instead, as it was already highlights.

The only reason I wouldn't stop paying the license fee (as we did once before, years ago) is because of constant harassment, including letters with "YOU MAY BE BREAKING THE LAW" in red ink on the front of the envelope, for the postman to see, designed to embarrass you into paying.

It doesn't matter how many times you say, "we don't watch TV", they just will not leave you alone. They call, they write, they come to your door.

It's easier to just pay, stay off the harassment radar, and justify it as, "This pays for Radio 4 and BBC 6 Music and iPlayer and David Attenborough", whether we actually legally need to pay it or not.

[c8rkh]

I think the BBC should go back to being a public service broadcaster. Programmes on parenting, ethics, how work is good, how to eat cheaper and better by cooking real fresh food and not just buying takeouts and frozen pizza's etc. Less celebrity focused etc. Who knows, the right messages might start to get heard rather than all this celebrity crap around the Voice, faded "celebrity" stars being paid lots etc. FFS, look at the new Tracey Ullman show - it was embarrassing and straight out of the 1980's - the format, the characters, the jokes etc.... The money should go on providing this public service stuff and not on over priced, has been celebrities and crass "talent" shows.

A lot of this stuff we (my generation) learned from our grandparents and parents in the 70's. I've tried to pass this on to my kids. Unfortunately, in places like Perth and Dundee the great grandparents are now 47, the grandparents 32, the mothers and fathers are 18 and they all go out drinking as a family and the children get left to watch the sh*t on the BBC, SKY etc and then we wonder why they grow up workshy and obsessed with celebrity, gangsta and making a fast buck for the least amount of effort.

I think I'm getting too PC in my old age.....

[David]

I'm a BBC employee, and have been for almost 17 years now (so this is a personal opinion and not that of the BBC). A lot has changed in those 17 year - much of it for the better, but also much of the good stuff has gone. Without the commercial pressures, the BBC has the privilege to be able to deliver something a little special, and does do so on occasions.

But (and it's a big but) funding is being slashed year on year and there are those who believe that the BBC has reached its twilight years. Will it be gone in a generation? I suspect that it will. Maybe we'll look back and wonder why. As a nation, we need to be careful what we wish for.

[Dominic]

I am happy to pay my licence, and would not be too bothered if it went up a bit either, after all, SKY and Virgin are quick enough to put their prices up on a regular basis. I think the beeb still produce some top quality programs and I enjoy being able to watch stuff or listen to the radio without advertisements.

[woody]

.... they shouldn't have sacked their biggest money maker quite so quickly, ( a suspension would have done surely?) & then dropped F1 And while they still make Gaelic programmes ffs

Clarkson? A. he wasn't sacked. B. Name me another large corporation that would have kept him on after that one incident alone?

Believe they are obliged to make Gaelic programmes.

Looking forward to F1 on Ch4, but agree in general.


As for the fee, same argument as winter fuel payments; both rich & poor automatically get it, so maybe this is the sensible way ahead?

[Sanjøy]

Make iplayer available overseas at minimal cost, bank account full again. Bosh.

Woody, you would be amazed at what you HAVE to broadcast as part of your license. When I worked at Teletext we had to employ a minister for the religious pages and cover x major religions on the service.

c8rkh, seriously the BBC was better in the 70s? Now then now then, where do I even start ?!

[Ferg]

I thought the latest BBC series was going to be put out on iPlayer first. Certainly looks like they are trying to engage in the Netflix/Amazon phenomenon. I'm the same, all current series I'm watching are on those mediums. iPlayer needs to stop removing content after 2 weeks if you ask me.

[thinfourth]

Make iplayer available overseas at minimal cost, with the full BBC back catalogue bank account full again. Bosh.

Do that and netflix would have many a sleepless night

[r10crw]

Make iplayer available overseas at minimal cost, with the full BBC back catalogue bank account full again. Bosh.

Do that and netflix would have many a sleepless night

Jeez, that something I would use for sure. VPN no longer works.

Brilliant idea but guessing the contracts with other broadcasters would be problematic?

[campbell]

What's happened to your VPN, Craig?

[Scotty C]

Debate on the news that over 75 year olds should offer to give up their free TV licence fee.

Just passed that mark and actually agree, I would give mine up, but only on condition that the licence fee was substantially increased that has been frozen for years now to maintain the standard that we expect from the BBC.

Sky is taking over the whole spectrum, I now pay £110/month which equates to six weeks of the TV licence.

tut

£110 i have everything and it only costs me £87. time to haggle a new deal.

[campbell]

That's about our school dinner money budget each month. I'll stick with Virgin/Council, thanks!!

As for license fee. Don't mind paying. But I think the method is outmoded.