proffessional mugging

[Morag]

Are we the only country who have to pay for t.v license, with all the free advertising the estate agents are getting on their property shows etc. the BBC should pay for itself. All repeats,silly skating, dancing, song contest,eurovision,Jonathan Ross,tennis golf football.the list is endless. Then they go and take most of the racing off,and put darts on. If it was ten quid a year yeah fine.

[louisiana]

It's bad, and worse in summer, to be sure Morag. But in many other countries it's even worse. Italy? Spain? Three hour contest-style shows every bloomin night. No documentaries. Every film dubbed. Programme after programme modelled on Page 3 and Hello. And have you ever watched Venezuelan soap operas?

And there's always the option of opting out completely: you don't have to pay if you don't have equipment that receives broadcast TV. An option I'm seriously considering myself. Though I find a Tivo box goes a long way to finding and recording what I want, meaning I never tune in to live TV.

[jctg]

Believe me, if the BBC disappeared tomorrow you wouldn't half miss it.

[Morag]

Iused to watch Bill Oddie, when he had a show on his own, not with the other gobby presenters, they ruined it. Days gone they used to have craft and DIY, now they think we are all flush and want to buy, houses.Do the estate agents, whose houses they are parading, pay for this big hour long programme.,and if they do ,surely that is advertising,so why are we paying,or if not, why are they showing all their properties free.One of my poor old pals, has just been fined for this questionable law. I want value form money. I dont want to plough through every house in the country, I dont want cordon bleau dinners,do you.I just wish they would abolish the licence,And Jonathan ROSS he is so cringeworthy and so unfunny, someone said they wouldnt sack him because he was a mason!

[louisiana]

BBC 4 is a nice place to hang out.

[jctg]

Morag Wrote:

I just wish they would abolish the licence

And then just watch the BBC turn into the equivalent of whatever the main television station in Colombia is called.

[Asset]

It's not just the telly tho' is it. It's the jolly old world service and Rs 1 2 3 4 5 too.

Frankly I cannot stand the shreiking adverts on the telly or the radio, they make me want to gouge my eyes out and stick them in my ears so I am thankful for the few services that don't have them.

[Morag]

At least we would not have to pay. The BBC is overated at this moment in time, Robin Hood for instance, the way that has been distorted,the timing of programmes running over Its very unprofessional. They worked a lot better when they had less money offof us, They only excel in their period dramas, except the joke that is Robin Hood of course,theres still all the other channels for rubbish, like that, what we dont have to pay.

[louisiana]

I too cannot tolerate adverts Asset. I couldn't listen to commercial radio at all. I#d rather listen to a pneumatic drill.

[jctg]

Morag Wrote:

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> At least we would not have to pay. theres still all the other channels for

> rubbish, like that, what we dont have to pay.

You don't seem to understand that if the license fee was abolished the BBC would turn into all those other rubbish channels.

[louisiana]

While I don't believe in God, I do bless the lord for Radio 4. Some bits I can take or leave, such as the farming programme (though I do listen to that on occasion), but there's so much good stuff on there. There is some good public service radio elsewhere in the world, but unusual to find so much good, meaty stuff on a advert-free national channel.

[skidmarks]

I?m happy to pay 12 quid a month for a few channels and especially the radio stations.

Now to pay 42 quid a month for Sky with its recycled American TV and extra long adverts every 10mins ? now that is professional mugging!

[HonaloochieB]

louisiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> While I don't believe in God, I do bless the lord

> for Radio 4. Some bits I can take or leave, such

> as the farming programme (though I do listen to

> that on occasion),

You're missing out there Louisiana, the ongoing story of the BBC beehives has me enthralled, it's what I set my alarm early for.

That and the shipping forecast, which I find sets me up good and proper for the day ahead.

Once I was going to find out what it all actually meant, but decided not to as I thought it would lose its magic then.

[louisiana]

Oh yes, when I said I did listen sometimes, I had been listening to that. (I've been learning how to keep bees myself over the last year (with London Beekeepers) and have been planning to get some hives of my own.)

The shipping forecast I've been listening to for many years.

[louisiana]

Dogger, Fisher, German Bight...

It took me some years to figure out that North Utsire and South Utsire referred to North and South Uist respectively.

Did you mourn the passing of Finisterre? The end of the world.

[Nero]

Oh yeah, it's really bad value. Look at all those radio stations, investment in DAB and iPlayer, the outreach work, the drama, the language courses, the GCSE study aids, the world-quality production values....Really is a rip off. Why not spend your money on a Caramac six-pack, some Cresta and relax on your snooker-mogul recliner while you watch Dave TV+1?

[HonaloochieB]

louisiana Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dogger, Fisher, German Bight...

>

> It took me some years to figure out that North

> Utsire and South Utsire referred to North and

> South Uist respectively.

>

> Did you mourn the passing of Finisterre? The end

> of the world.

Don't Loisiana, the end of the world as i knew it.

[louisiana]

Nero, you're forgetting the commissioning of new radio drama... and of course services to public information about farming, health etc. (The Archers), knowledge sharing with related professionals in relevant sectors, training and education (including online resources), the reinvigoration of the entire Salford economy...