With Netflix and YouTube now overtaking the Corporation, a compulsory tax on television sets looks less like public service and more like an anachronism.
The BBC needs to stand on its own merits. The TV Licence needs to be abolished. I rarely watch it myself as I perceive it to be mainly for Guardian readers.
BBC are a Biased corrupt organisation and have no business treceiving any publi8c funding other than by voluntary subscription. - Level - playing field with everyone else. not biased Political favouritism !
The license fee does seem a ridiculous system, not least because of its ability to irritate and anger potential opponents. The BBC would absolutely be better served by transitioning income generation elsewhere, but I disagree that it should be left entirely out in the market.
Whilst its entertainment offerings could no doubt fetch a respectable subscription fee, I reject the idea that the valuable outputs of the corporation are The Traitors and Planet Earth III. Yes, they are fantastic, and a reminder that British media can be and often is world class. However the BBC can do things that private outfits have little interest in. Local media and reporting, free at the point of use radio, preserving regional languages, free access to major sporting and nationally significant events… That last one is near and dear to my heart – as a football fan I am grateful to be shielded from the high fees that would otherwise accompany major finals like the World Cup and FA Cup. It was disappointing to see this undone for last season’s UCL final.
The other point, which is simultaneously more controversial and more important, is the space the BBC occupies in political reporting. Whilst I am often disappointed by the lack of depth in their analyses, it’s encouraging that they seem to be universally opposed by left and right. Whilst it has a reputation as a cosmopolitan-elite outfit, or catering to a ‘Guardian readers’ base as described in another comment, it certainly knows how to aggravate it’s liberal customers, as evidenced by Israel-Gaza reporting controversies, or the softly softly approach to Farage and co. Any outlet aiming for political neutrality would clearly be doing a terrible job if they were loved by all. Having a central meeting space for political views is even more important today, with social media and private news organisations pulling the left and right further and further apart.
As with many public institutions in this country, there is much to improve – but we need to have more faith in our traditional organisations and work to save them, not take away their funding and leave them to fight clickbait wars with GB News and Novara Media.
The BBC is still one of the biggest news corporation in the world - 467 million people global weekly audience, 45 languages. Letting it shrink and wither away would be yet another step on our journey in managed decline.
“ Its employees, moreover, are vastly happier and better paid than when they worked for the state.”
And more important a vastly improved service to consumers and lower prices. People who complain about the privatised former State-run entities didn’t experience what it was like before.
Imagine having your income, spending, savings, property taxed to be given to a supermarket whose service was so bad, staff were at best mediocre, endless queues to get served, limited range of produce, that you didn’t want to shop there, and had to shop elsewhere.
The argument against compulsory funding for the BBC non-contestable monopoly equal equally funding of the NHS non-contestable monopoly.
An insidious proposal surfaces not infrequently, that the BBC-tax should be replaced by a universal household levy on broadband, utilities and/or council tax. Given the leftward trend of the present government, it seems quite likely that this will find its way into a government white paper in the not to distant future.
The BBC needs to stand on its own merits. The TV Licence needs to be abolished. I rarely watch it myself as I perceive it to be mainly for Guardian readers.
BBC are a Biased corrupt organisation and have no business treceiving any publi8c funding other than by voluntary subscription. - Level - playing field with everyone else. not biased Political favouritism !
The license fee does seem a ridiculous system, not least because of its ability to irritate and anger potential opponents. The BBC would absolutely be better served by transitioning income generation elsewhere, but I disagree that it should be left entirely out in the market.
Whilst its entertainment offerings could no doubt fetch a respectable subscription fee, I reject the idea that the valuable outputs of the corporation are The Traitors and Planet Earth III. Yes, they are fantastic, and a reminder that British media can be and often is world class. However the BBC can do things that private outfits have little interest in. Local media and reporting, free at the point of use radio, preserving regional languages, free access to major sporting and nationally significant events… That last one is near and dear to my heart – as a football fan I am grateful to be shielded from the high fees that would otherwise accompany major finals like the World Cup and FA Cup. It was disappointing to see this undone for last season’s UCL final.
The other point, which is simultaneously more controversial and more important, is the space the BBC occupies in political reporting. Whilst I am often disappointed by the lack of depth in their analyses, it’s encouraging that they seem to be universally opposed by left and right. Whilst it has a reputation as a cosmopolitan-elite outfit, or catering to a ‘Guardian readers’ base as described in another comment, it certainly knows how to aggravate it’s liberal customers, as evidenced by Israel-Gaza reporting controversies, or the softly softly approach to Farage and co. Any outlet aiming for political neutrality would clearly be doing a terrible job if they were loved by all. Having a central meeting space for political views is even more important today, with social media and private news organisations pulling the left and right further and further apart.
As with many public institutions in this country, there is much to improve – but we need to have more faith in our traditional organisations and work to save them, not take away their funding and leave them to fight clickbait wars with GB News and Novara Media.
The BBC is still one of the biggest news corporation in the world - 467 million people global weekly audience, 45 languages. Letting it shrink and wither away would be yet another step on our journey in managed decline.
“ Its employees, moreover, are vastly happier and better paid than when they worked for the state.”
And more important a vastly improved service to consumers and lower prices. People who complain about the privatised former State-run entities didn’t experience what it was like before.
Imagine having your income, spending, savings, property taxed to be given to a supermarket whose service was so bad, staff were at best mediocre, endless queues to get served, limited range of produce, that you didn’t want to shop there, and had to shop elsewhere.
The argument against compulsory funding for the BBC non-contestable monopoly equal equally funding of the NHS non-contestable monopoly.
Just what did the conservative party ever do to decriminalise non payment,absolutely nothing in 14 years,including the Albino Turk ‘s government .
An insidious proposal surfaces not infrequently, that the BBC-tax should be replaced by a universal household levy on broadband, utilities and/or council tax. Given the leftward trend of the present government, it seems quite likely that this will find its way into a government white paper in the not to distant future.