BBC plans to increase license fee

[Marble]

Not interested in Spooks does not look like my type of show, i watched the latest episode of torchwood at my fathers i don't really like dumbed down kids stuff in programs that are meant to be taken seriously.

Okay, fair enough.

And in response to the BBC mandate does that mean if i set up a company with a mandate to provide a service to the few people in some village that i deserve to be paid annually from every resident in the country, even those that do not use my service?.

I don't think that's really an apt comparison. The BBC's mandate is ostensibly for the entire country and no one can say their output is unpopular. They could do more to reach out to the regions, sure, but they provide more variety than any other television company on Earth. Their commission is reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they don't seriously fall off the wagon.

Also further the me shaped hole is filled by other channels.

So which contemporary British programmes do you actually like? The options seem pretty bleak to me if you discount the BBC.

The community does not benefit from television what nonsense it is to think otherwise.
Television programs are not required and their is always alternatives such as DVD's and digital downloads to avoid the BBC tax. They will not get another penny, nor will i support any business that can not stand on its own feet.

Do you really believe that the UK would be better off without the BBC? They almost singlehandedly support the arts in this country. (And supply the majority of digital downloads.) Losing talent to the 'States is already a problem, but without the clout and the resources of the Beeb, it would be pandemic. If DVDs were really the primary method of entertainment, where would the country's money go? Hollywood.

Right now, Britain hits way above its weight when it comes to cultural output. You even export IP to the 'States. In my opinion, without a publicly funded BBC, Britain would lose one of its few remaining economic advantages, and its entire international image. Americans mainly think of the British as a sophisticated people - why is that? Because the BBC is a fantastic ambassador.

 

[weckart]

The community does not benefit from television what nonsense it is to think otherwise.

Disingenuous and manifestly false. If this were true, nobody in the community would waste money on television and the BBC and others would be history.

 

[AppleMatt]

The community does not benefit from television what nonsense it is to think otherwise.

I think you're letting your argument run away with itself here. For example, accessible dissemination of information; benefits community, done via TV.

AppleMatt

 

[miniConvert]

I believe the BBC provides the best quality television, radio, and online services in the UK, and is an institution we should continue to invest in. Increments in the licence fee are regrettable but necessary.

 

[Cabbit]

I believe the BBC provides the best quality television, radio, and online services in the UK, and is an institution we should continue to invest in. Increments in the licence fee are regrettable but necessary.

I wonder how this opinion differs by region. It may be hard to find any BBC supporters in Scotland or even Wales but as you get further south to the target market of the EBC i assume that the support grows for having a company take money from everyone to fund your television programs.

And i happen to think that if we must have a TV licence then Channel 4, ITV, and Channel 5(shudder) at the least should get a percentage of this fee as they often provide equal quality of programming. They provide the same news coverage, same quality of soaps, more regular movie spots and yet they do this without imposing a licence fee on everyone regardless of viewing preference.


Perhaps a little lost on some people is it should not be the case that those whom choose not to watch the BBC should still be forced to subsidise it for everyone else.
The attitude that i should want to watch the programs is just as arrogant and ridiculous as the licence fee itself. Do you truly believe every single person must like what you like, or pay for the things you like.

The truth is the BBC Sci Fi is dumbed down nonsense with way to much silliness to appeal to the masses that can't follow a plot past 2 episodes.
To use doctor who for an example the very first episode the graphics looked like they were rendered right out of a game, the creature design in further episodes is worse than even those used in Star Trek TNG which i will had has a good decade on Doctor Who.
This Touchwood which was advertised as a "Adult" Doctor Who is just a dreadful and has uninteresting and childish plot lines with poor effects and costume design.
Both suffer from having the set almost always be London for a time traveller the Doctor does not go very far, and for such alien invasions the UK would most certainly not be the target as it is far more likely to be a area of a large population.

If this is what i should be watching to be with the in crowd these days then i choose to stick to buying the occasional DVD, i will not pay for drivel.

 

[mooblie]

......This Touchwood....... suffer from having the set almost always be London.....

Just a couple of points of information:
i) it's Torchwood (not "Touchwood") - it's an anagram of Doctor Who
ii) and it's set almost exclusively in Cardiff. Cardiff, Wales, that is.

Have you actually watched this stuff that you're attacking? I suppose your answer reasonably enough might be "no, of course not"!

 

[Cabbit]

Just a couple of points of information:
i) it's Torchwood (not "Touchwood") - it's an anagram of Doctor Who
ii) and it's set almost exclusively in Cardiff. Cardiff, Wales, that is.

Have you actually watched this stuff that you're attacking? I suppose your answer reasonably enough might be "no, of course not"!

I am referring to Doctor Who try quoting the full sentence and not the bits you like. And of course thank you for correcting the name of the program it makes such a difference to my argument if the name of the program is spelt correctly or not.
And of course i have watched it i would not be able to make any claim to the quality of the program without having done so, i have seen the first 2 episodes and a further recent one last week at my fathers. On all three occasions the script and acting was sub par(perhaps due to a poor script) and they where based in London to my eye though the name of the city was not mentioned the architecture looked English.

 

[Marble]

Anyway, I agree with you about Doctor Who and Torchwood (and would add the abominable Merlin and Robin Hood), also that the BBC don't really take SF or fantasy (Big Idea) TV seriously at this time. Still, I think they are an invaluable service that contributes tremendously to the public good. Entertainment is another form of education and is quite necessary to life. Even discounting the BBC's myriad other public services, the Corporation does a fairly good job keeping that in mind.

 

[weckart]

Perhaps a little lost on some people is it should not be the case that those whom choose not to watch the BBC should still be forced to subsidise it for everyone else.

This point is not lost on anyone. On the contrary, you seem to be struggling with the concept of community funded broadcasting as distinct from for profit televisual entertainment.

The BBC enjoys its privileged funding precisely because it has obligations as laid out in its charter. All of its surpluses are ploughed back into programming. There are no shareholders to buy off. None of its competitors, with the exception of Channel 4, is similarly hampered. Channel 4 also has a duty to provide an element of community (read unpopular to the masses) television, for which it received a cut of the licence to subsidise its broadcasting overheads. This was to continue until Channel 4 was established enough to survive on its own merits, after which it became liable for contributions to the broadcasting pot.

The position of the BBC is not unique. After all, Royal Mail has existed under a similar privileged charter for longer, although it has any number of competitors. Those South of England inhabitants you deem overly blessed pay more than strictly necessary for local postal deliveries precisely so that those in remoter areas of Scotland can benefit from the same services at no extra cost. I hear no great clamour for dismantling this institution, although postal costs in larger urban areas might fall as a result.

 

[The Phazer]

The community does not benefit from television what nonsense it is to think otherwise.

The British public spends infinately more of their lives watching television - and thus learning about the world - than they do in schools.

To think that it isn't important to the community and thus shouldn't be left to the whims of the market is very foolish indeed.

Phazer

 

[The Phazer]

On all three occasions the script and acting was sub par(perhaps due to a poor script) and they where based in London to my eye though the name of the city was not mentioned the architecture looked English.

What a stupid thing to say given that it's explicitly stated on dozens of occassions to be set in Cardiff in the show, and is very obviously shot there! Heck, Torchwood headquarters is in Ronald Dahl Plass, probably the most famous street in Wales!

Phazer