Why TV License?

[mrchapel]

You know a few years ago my dad called up BBC and complained about the lack of programs for men. They told him to get sky.
Its extortion , pay for our shite whether you watch it or not or you go to jail

[eroticartist]

Dan,

The only way you will be able to change the law is refuse to pay. Refuse to pay for a TV license because you have not got a TV. They will fine you. Refuse to pay and you will go to prison. In the meantime you will become a hero. !cool!

Mike Freeman.

[eroticartist]

Right on Fraser! Give Angel my regards.
Mike.

[eroticartist]

Eric,
Don't forget to write when you are in prison. I know what it is like
Mike.

[eroticartist]

Simon,
Sorry I didn't know how licence was spelt because I don't have one!
Mike

[eroticartist]

It is who you know not how good you are. And the old squares know so much about the predilections of the powerful ...!wink!
Mike.

[Bob Singleton]

mrchapel wrote:

> Because if BBC were subscription based like sky no one would
> pay for the shite they show.


Sky show A LOT of shite, but people pay their subscriptions!!!

If you've ever spent time watching "free" TV abroad you would soon realise what we get from the BBC licence fee is actually a pretty good deal.

The free to air chanels in the USA are pretty awful and crammed with ads. If you can go more than about 5 minutes without an ad break or "a message from our sponsors" you're doing well. France is even worse. You can sometimes get up to 10 minutes of ads in between programmes.

Of course I'd like to see the back of people like Davina McCall, Graham Norton et al, but I'll put up with paying my ?131.50/year licence fee for such jems as their wildlife and drama programmes, programmes without ad breaks and Radio 4, because the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Sky don't actually produce any programmes, unlike the BBC. You may not like all, if any, of these, but I doubt without a publicly funded BBC many of the following would have been made:

The Virgin Queen, Bleak House, North & South, Silent Witness, Charles II, Spooks, Sorted, Dr Who, Life on Mars and many others... and that doesn't include co-productions like Rome.

The BBC also produce a lot of educational programmes shown in schools and colleges, as well as content for the very young.

I bet you watch far more BBC content than you'll admit to.

[DanG]

Bob Singleton wrote:

>Sky don't actually produce any programmes, unlike the BBC.



That's flat out untrue Bob. Dream Team, Mile High, Hex, Big Ron Manager, Conspiracies, Football Icon, Braniac:Science Abuse, plus many, many more.
Some of these programmes are utter shit, but then so are most of the ones on the BBC, ITV, C4, and C5 too.


Personally, I think Bravo, for example, pisses on the 'Big Five' domestic channels. But that's just me!

[mrchapel]

I watch Dr who and life on mars, thats about it. I spend more time online or playing the 360 or watching dvds.
Either way though if BBC were subscription based you`d at least have a choice. As it is the beeb are laughing . Put out another shite show with some shit overpriced twat, call it entertainment and theres fuck all you can do about it. I could do without the bbc. Easily

[Bob Singleton]

DanG wrote:

> Bob Singleton wrote:
>
> >Sky don't actually produce any programmes, unlike the BBC.
>
>
>
> That's flat out untrue Bob. Dream Team, Mile High, Hex, Big
> Ron Manager, Conspiracies, Football Icon, Braniac:Science
> Abuse, plus many, many more.
> Some of these programmes are utter shit, but then so are most
> of the ones on the BBC, ITV, C4, and C5 too.
>
>
> Personally, I think Bravo, for example, pisses on the 'Big
> Five' domestic channels. But that's just me!
>
>


Braniac is produced by Granada, not Sky.
Mile High was produced by Hewland International, not Sky.
Hex was produced by Sony Pictures, not Sky

Can Dream Team, Big Ron Manager etc., actually be considered as "produced" when compared to Life on Earth, Bleak House etc. After all, it's just a couple of guys with a camera following others around and then being voiced-over. Hardly much of a "production".

I subscribe to Sky (well, via Ntl) but the ?131.50 I pay the BBC is far better value for money than the ?500+ I pay for Sky, UKTV, Living, Bravo etc.