Privatising the BBC

[dune]

So ITV and channel 4 deliver constant quality programming?

 

ITV is generally crap, but it's a good investment so i'm more than happy to make a few quid out of them as they recover from the ITV digital fiasco.

[rocknrollman no2]

ITV is generally crap, but it's a good investment so i'm more than happy to make a few quid out of them as they recover from the ITV digital fiasco.

 

Great,Loose women,Doctors,Jeremy Kyle and Midsummer murders on tv for Christmas day then.

[dune]

Great,Loose women,Doctors,Jeremy Kyle and Midsummer murders on tv for Christmas day then.

 

Don't forget the 60 minute makeover christmas special. So much to record.

[Saint_clark]

Hope to god it never happens. Bad enough having to put up with adverts on the other channels.

If you don't like the political views of the beeb, may I suggest not watching the news/politics shows? Get your info from different sources on the web and form your own opinion, and leave the telly for more important things like Come Dancing and Blue Peter.

[badgerx16]

ITV is generally crap, but it's a good investment so i'm more than happy to make a few quid out of them as they recover from the ITV digital fiasco.

Self, self, self.

[John Boy Saint]

I can't believe you would want to privatise the Beeb, if you have full fat movies an all Sky subscription you are paying obscene (by comparison) viewing figures. Leave it alone, I like my TV without adverts thank you very much.

[scotty]

I think the BBC is superb, I would hate to see it privatised. It's news and politics shows are unrivaled, the website is probably the best on the web and radio 5 gives great sports coverage.

 

It's great being able to listen to the radio, watch TV and go on a decent website without having some **** try to flog you something.

 

this

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

Anyone who thinks the BBC is crap is a mentalist. Having lived in several countries the BBC it is streaks ahead of other countries' main broadcasters plus it so much cheaper than sky.

 

Would any of you bother with Sky if they didn't have the football? I wouldn't.

[Red and White Army]

As another overseas resident who has lived in many countries I concur with the poster above. The BBC is streets ahead of any other broadcaster I have seen anywhere. It is the envy of the world, and makes a huge amount of money selling shows like Top Gear to dozens of countries. The license fee is an absolute bargain, and I would happily pay three times the current amount to get BBC programming here.

 

As for left-leaning, it only seems that way if you compare it with Fox News or the Murdoch rags!

[Red and White Army]

Because it is hell bent on "not being commercial" it misses the chance to make real money (and reduce the burden on the Licence Payer OR provide funds for better productions)

 

This is all in the pipeline. Doing things right can mean it takes time to develop scalable solutions and negotiate the myriad of vested interests in other countries & broadcasters. I suspect we'll be seeing paid-for high quality content delivered over the internet within 18 months.

[georgeweahscousin]

I like Midsomer Murders.

 

[ecuk268]

If you let the BBC take advertising then the programmes will be created to get the largest audiences for the advertisers.

 

This stifles innovation and creativity and we'd just see more of the garbage churned out by ITV. The founders of the BBC saw one of their objectives as education and, although I think that BBC1 has dumbed down somewhat, BBC2 and BBC4 still produce some good stuff that they couldn't do if they were dependant on advertising revenue.

 

Same applies to R4, which despite it's somewhat stuffy image, produces an extraordinarily wide range of programmes. Not all to my taste, but always something to engage the brain.

[scotty]

I like Midsomer Murders.

 

 

[scotty]

If you let the BBC take advertising then the programmes will be created to get the largest audiences for the advertisers.

 

This stifles innovation and creativity and we'd just see more of the garbage churned out by ITV. The founders of the BBC saw one of their objectives as education and, although I think that BBC1 has dumbed down somewhat, BBC2 and BBC4 still produce some good stuff that they couldn't do if they were dependant on advertising revenue.

 

Same applies to R4, which despite it's somewhat stuffy image, produces an extraordinarily wide range of programmes. Not all to my taste, but always something to engage the brain.

 

R4 has some of the best comedy around. The monday 6:30 slot is usually good value, (imo there is nothing funnier than Sorry I havent a clue anywhere in spoken form,) and the friday evening end of week show is unmissable.

[dune]

I like Midsomer Murders.

 

 

Me too.

[dune]

Self, self, self.

 

Why is it selfish to invest and save?

[bridge too far]

Anyone who thinks the BBC is crap is a mentalist. Having lived in several countries the BBC it is streaks ahead of other countries' main broadcasters plus it so much cheaper than sky.

 

Would any of you bother with Sky if they didn't have the football? I wouldn't.

 

This

[Seaford Saint]

Dune, you and your ilk can keep your hands off the BBC.

 

I wake up to Radio 4 and John Humphries, I check the on line Beeb all day (periodically) at work and watch mostly the Beeb in the evenings - I am choosy. I use iplayer regularly these days too.

 

Its all excellent

 

Gardener's World

Question Time

Timewatch

Children in need

Match of the day

Doctor Who

Top of the Pops

Desert Island discs

The Archers

 

To name but a few outstanding programme

 

Keep you grubby profit making hands off the BBC and off the health service too. ****s

[dune]

Dune, you and your ilk can keep your hands off the BBC.

 

I wake up to Radio 4 and John Humphries, I check the on line Beeb all day (periodically) at work and watch mostly the Beeb in the evenings - I am choosy. I use iplayer regularly these days too.

 

Its all excellent

 

Gardener's World - Can't stand Alan Titchmarsh

Question Time - Rigged by Marxist unionised bbc staff

Timewatch - Don't know

Children in need - Uttter sh1te.

Match of the day - Not really bothered as we're not on it.

Doctor Who - Crap.

Top of the Pops - Crap.

Desert Island discs - Crap.

The Archers - Crap.

 

To name but a few outstanding programme

 

Keep you grubby profit making hands off the BBC and off the health service too. ****s

 

That's what I think of these programmes.

[Seaford Saint]

Dune methinks you are a wind up merchant.

 

Some of the best science fiction in the last decade has been in doctor who.....and I could go on

 

Just leave it alone, stick to your Sky....

[dune]

Dune methinks you are a wind up merchant.

 

Some of the best science fiction in the last decade has been in doctor who.....and I could go on

 

Just leave it alone, stick to your Sky....

 

I know Doctor Who is popular, I just don't like it personally. I think Merlin is pretty cool though, but i've always enjoyed reading romances of the middle ages and more modern books like this.

[Seaford Saint]

Dune don't start being nice to me......having a rational conversation and all that

[bridge too far]

Dune, you and your ilk can keep your hands off the BBC.

 

I wake up to Radio 4 and John Humphries, I check the on line Beeb all day (periodically) at work and watch mostly the Beeb in the evenings - I am choosy. I use iplayer regularly these days too.

 

Its all excellent

 

Gardener's World

Question Time

Timewatch

Children in need

Match of the day

Doctor Who

Top of the Pops

Desert Island discs

The Archers

 

To name but a few outstanding programme

 

Keep you grubby profit making hands off the BBC and off the health service too. ****s

 

And, now that I'm retired and able to watch daytime BBC, I would add that currently BBC1 is showing an excellent range of daytime drama.

 

And then there's David Attenborough and a superb range of History programmes at the moment too. Real value for money IMO.

[scotty]

And, now that I'm retired and able to watch daytime BBC, I would add that currently BBC1 is showing an excellent range of daytime drama.

 

And then there's David Attenborough and a superb range of History programmes at the moment too. Real value for money IMO.

 

A history of the world in 100 objects is goodt shlt....

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

And, now that I'm retired and able to watch daytime BBC, I would add that currently BBC1 is showing an excellent range of daytime drama.

 

And then there's David Attenborough and a superb range of History programmes at the moment too. Real value for money IMO.

 

Real vaue for money maybe but the licence fee is a tax. Why should those of us that do not want to pay for the BBC - I have Sky an have no need of the politically biased coverage offered by the BBC.

[bridge too far]

Real vaue for money maybe but the licence fee is a tax. Why should those of us that do not want to pay for the BBC - I have Sky an have no need of the politically biased coverage offered by the BBC.

 

Whereas you'll watch the politically biased coverage of the Murdoch empire?

 

You never, ever watch the BBC at all then, I'm guessing.

[dune]

Whereas you'll watch the politically biased coverage of the Murdoch empire?

 

You never, ever watch the BBC at all then, I'm guessing.

 

I think we should have a choice whether or not we wish to pay a tax to watch the BBC.

[scotty]

Real vaue for money maybe but the licence fee is a tax. Why should those of us that do not want to pay for the BBC - I have Sky an have no need of the politically biased coverage offered by the BBC.

 

Yes, it is a tax, and it pays for a public service that benefits a greater proportion of the population than most other public services. Its a very long time since I went into a library, but I dont begrudge them being funded from taxation. Likewise I dont have any children, but I dont mind being taxed to fund education, child benefit, etc etc. And the licence fee system is transparent; we know exactly how much each of us pays annually towards this particular public service, how many other services can you say that about?

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

Whereas you'll watch the politically biased coverage of the Murdoch empire?

 

You never, ever watch the BBC at all then, I'm guessing.

 

I am guilty of watching the Telly Peer on the Apprentice but generaly I do not watch the BBC. I watch Sky Sports, Sky news and the History Channel.

 

I would argue that the Beeb is more bias than Sky news.

[bridge too far]

I am guilty of watching the Telly Peer on the Apprentice but generaly I do not watch the BBC. I watch Sky Sports, Sky news and the History Channel.

 

I would argue that the Beeb is more bias than Sky news.

 

 

So you do watch it! Then you have no case to make against paying the 'tax' as you so eloquently put it.

 

I have never used the Fire Service or the Police Service but I have no objection to paying for it.

[dune]

So you do watch it! Then you have no case to make against paying the 'tax' as you so eloquently put it.

 

I have never used the Fire Service or the Police Service but I have no objection to paying for it.

 

An emergency service is a bit different.

[Thedelldays]

So you do watch it! Then you have no case to make against paying the 'tax' as you so eloquently put it.

 

I have never used the Fire Service or the Police Service but I have no objection to paying for it.

 

comparing the police to the BBC is daft....expect better from you

[bridge too far]

comparing the police to the BBC is daft....expect better from you

 

No it isn't - it's reinforcing the point that we all pay for public services even though some of us don't use or want to use them.

 

I am pacifist but I still have to pay for you

[franny]

No it isn't - it's reinforcing the point that we all pay for public services even though some of us don't use or want to use them.

 

I am pacifist but I still have to pay for you

 

I think the difference is that the emergency services are for all and deliver their service without favour or question. The BBC however in my view (and yes I have delivered services for them so know how they operate) are bloated, try to do too much with the tax they recieve and demonstrate a clear bias in theor delivery of content so therefore do not deliver a service without favour. However as I have said previoulsy they shoud not be privatised but get back to basics.

[scotty]

I think the difference is that the emergency services are for all and deliver their service without favour or question. The BBC however in my view (and yes I have delivered services for them so know how they operate) are bloated, try to do too much with the tax they recieve and demonstrate a clear bias in theor delivery of content so therefore do not deliver a service without favour. However as I have said previoulsy they shoud not be privatised but get back to basics.

 

This is an accusation that gets levelled at the BBC whichever party is in power. Unbiased political reporting is one of the standards they are required by their charter to provide, and anybody believing that a piece is biased can make a complaint and have it investigated by an external agency. I listen more or less continuously to R4, R5 and the World Service, and I dont accept that the general delivery of political content is biased in either direction. There tends to be more left-wing comedy, but thats because there are more left-wing comedians, and in any case they dont exactly shy away from right-wing comedy, think of the New Statesman and Harry "Loadsamoney" Enfield for example. (And yes, I'm aware that they were intended as left-wingers prodding at the right-wing, but the latter devoured the programmes and adopted the catchphrases.)

[pedg]

This is an accusation that gets levelled at the BBC whichever party is in power. Unbiased political reporting is one of the standards they are required by their charter to provide, and anybody believing that a piece is biased can make a complaint and have it investigated by an external agency. I listen more or less continuously to R4, R5 and the World Service, and I dont accept that the general delivery of political content is biased in either direction. There tends to be more left-wing comedy, but thats because there are more left-wing comedians, and in any case they dont exactly shy away from right-wing comedy, think of the New Statesman and Harry "Loadsamoney" Enfield for example. (And yes, I'm aware that they were intended as left-wingers prodding at the right-wing, but the latter devoured the programmes and adopted the catchphrases.)

 

Agree totally. I think the problem is that those complaining of left wing bias at the BBC as quite far to the right so even unbias reporting is to the left of their position so they find it hard to determine the difference between real left wing reporting and unbias reporting, they just know the direction of it from their position.

[Saint In Exile]

It's true the BBC is currently rather bloated in certain areas but things are starting to change and the organisation is beginning to streamline it's operations and become far more efficient in particular with it's use of technology and the multimedia newsroom, where journalists are expected to be multi-skilled to produce content for all platforms to reduce duplication.

 

Under the new licence fee agreement the BBC is now funding World Service operations including Arabic & Persian TV services rather than these being funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office with no increase to the licence fee.

 

Also, the BBC, through it's commercial arm, does provide commercial channels in other countries, BBC America, BBC Canada, BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle & BBC World News to name a few. It also sells a vast number of programmes to other overseas channels and as a wholey owned subsidiary, all profit is returned to the BBC. Then there's the BBC's 50% stake in UKTV which provides an outlet for BBC content on commercial channels for UK viewers with advertising revenues.

 

And all of this for less than 40p per day... How much does Murdoch TV cost these days?? Oh and of course a lower licence fee for public service broadcasting than Sweden, Germany, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland!!

 

And not a bad place to work!!

Edited 20 November, 2010 by Saint In Exile
Spelling

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

So you do watch it! Then you have no case to make against paying the 'tax' as you so eloquently put it.

 

I have never used the Fire Service or the Police Service but I have no objection to paying for it.

 

I can live without it; you might one day need the fire and police services. The BBC has a significant advantage over other commercial operators and should be seen as neutral. This is not the case with often outrageous incidences of biased reporting. This is reflected in the fact that most job vacancies are advertsied in the Guardian. The strike of journalists highlighted their true colours - what was it Crick said? something about even watching the BBC would be 'breaking the strike'. Now I do not mind paying my licence fee but object to paying it to be preached too. The BBC should be the bastion of impartiality.

[badgerx16]

The strike of journalists highlighted their true colours

Shock horror, a trades union exercising it's legal right to withdraw the labour of it's members.

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

Shock horror, a trades union exercising it's legal right to withdraw the labour of it's members.

 

Overpaid gravel drive socialists feathering their nests.

[rocknrollman no2]

Overpaid gravel drive socialists feathering their nests.

 

How about worried workers fighting for their jobs?

[badgerx16]

How about worried workers fighting for their jobs?

In the current financial climate, there is no need whatsoever for any public sector worker to be concerned for their jobs. Dune will explain it all to you.

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

This is an accusation that gets levelled at the BBC whichever party is in power. Unbiased political reporting is one of the standards they are required by their charter to provide, and anybody believing that a piece is biased can make a complaint and have it investigated by an external agency. I listen more or less continuously to R4, R5 and the World Service, and I dont accept that the general delivery of political content is biased in either direction. There tends to be more left-wing comedy, but thats because there are more left-wing comedians, and in any case they dont exactly shy away from right-wing comedy, think of the New Statesman and Harry "Loadsamoney" Enfield for example. (And yes, I'm aware that they were intended as left-wingers prodding at the right-wing, but the latter devoured the programmes and adopted the catchphrases.)

 

nail, hit, head.

 

I bet Dune et al think that Fox is unbiased.

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

How about worried workers fighting for their jobs?

 

It was about gold plated pensions. I would join the picket line for anybody fighting for their jobs.

[franny]

Agree totally. I think the problem is that those complaining of left wing bias at the BBC as quite far to the right so even unbias reporting is to the left of their position so they find it hard to determine the difference between real left wing reporting and unbias reporting, they just know the direction of it from their position.

 

The issue that infuriates me on some of their reporting is that instead of giving us the facts for us to make our mind up the reporters too often give their view of events and the whys and wherfores or what they think will happen etc. and with their background too often there is a left of centre bias of their view.

[pedg]

The issue that infuriates me on some of their reporting is that instead of giving us the facts for us to make our mind up the reporters too often give their view of events and the whys and wherfores or what they think will happen etc. and with their background too often there is a left of centre bias of their view.

 

Care to share an example of this left of centre bias?

[Thedelldays]

Care to share an example of this left of centre bias?

 

question time...and as much as I despise him..the whole nick griffin going on there was pointless

 

and the way they give a place on the panel every now and then to chami chakrabati (sp) who is the head of a group called liberty or something...which represents something like 8000 members....ffs

Edited 20 November, 2010 by Thedelldays

[RonManager]

I like Midsomer Murders.

 

 

 

Me too.

 

 

You wouldn't want to live there though.

 

Dangerous.

[scotty]

question time...and as much as I despise him..the whole nick griffin going on there was pointless

 

and the way they give a place on the panel every now and then to chami chakrabati (sp) who is the head of a group called liberty or something...which represents something like 8000 members....ffs

 

 

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Griffin is a c*nt imho, but there was precisely no point putting him on the programme in the first place if it was only to be jeered at. I would have liked to hear some kind of response to several things he raised, such as the nazi accusation and his reply about his father fighting them as opposed to Jack Straws father being a CO; that argument would have been particularly interesting given that the "discussion" was being chaired by a Dimbleby, but the track of that was simply stopped.

 

This is one of very few BBC programmes I can remember where the debate was clearly biased.

[bridge too far]

I'm watching an excellent BBC 1 programme right now called 'Country Tracks'. I'm especially interested because it's centred around the Chilterns, an area I know and love.

 

Part of the programme was devoted to Whipsnade Zoo and Esther Rantzen revisiting it and recalling her childhood. She was talking about the difficulties Jewish families faced in WW2 and explained that her father worked for the BBC (as an engineering designer). She said his job was 'exempt' (from call-up I suppose) because of the huge importance of the BBC in broadcasting to both UK citizens but also to the wider world and to counter-balance Nazi propaganda.

 

We shouldn't ever forget the role of the BBC in times of national disaster or celebration. It's the best in the world and should always be kept free from commercialisation and the inevitable dumbing down that that would bring.