Has The Bbc Got To The End Of The Line?

[bothwell_buyer]

Consistently creating shambles surrounding phone-ins and public votes, has the BBC now served its purpose and lost its ability to be top class?

The strictly come dancing is more like a 'leisurely waste yer money' lightweight fiasco that belittles TV Licence Fee payers. Is it not about time the beeb becomes self-sufficient and we can all save £140+ a year - which would go a long way to paying road fund tax - ???

Replies on a postcard to "Royal Mail Pensioner"

Back when premium rate phone calls were getting introduced, and i worked for BT as a Consultant selling the concept of these lines, I used to get 7% of the call cost as a bonus - and the customer (eg the beeb) could get anything up to 70% back as a bonus for advertising the number.

I also know a bit about how much traffic (phone calls) can be handled by the phone network on these peak shows and I reckon these phone votes are not up to the traffic generated... proof? How often do you get number engaged.... now is it yer number that you dialled to vote thats engaged or is it that that whole service to place yer vote is engaged??

I can guess the answer, and it tells me that the Beeb should be made to become self-financing.

Thankyou,

yours,

bitterandtwisted !!!

[Boro Sera]

I've been saying this for years mate !

They make all these programmes with our money, then sell them all over the world without paying the shareholders ( us ) a dividend?

Eastenders and the like are a virtual shop window of product placement anyway - yet with all the income they generate, we're still obliged to pay into the State enforced protection racket that is the TV licence.

In this ever competitive world where even banks can go under, surely it's time they learned to stand on their own 2 feet or fall by the wayside.

Failing that, anyone with a satellite/cable subscription should get a huge discount on the licence fee as the BBC clearly aren't providing that specific customers televisual requirements.

Overstaffed, politically biased, rife with nepotism - and morally and ethically 'questionable'. I don't want to fund this sort of organisation !

[bothwell_buyer]

totally all there!

I wrote to my beloved MP - Jimmy Hood 4 weeks ago about this and I got a reply listing next years public meetings he's attending!!

Nufs enuf! I pay Virgin for the privilege of receiving TV, as you point out, then need a licence as well???? :wacko:

[GIDDLEPIN]

If they dared to convert to pay per view the BBC would be bankrupt in a very short time.

Fortunately I don't have to pay the TV tax ;)

[GT4 BOOSTER]

i have resorted to painting 1 wall and grabbing a cosy chair and a tin of beer , then sit and watch it dry .

[GIDDLEPIN]

i have resorted to painting 1 wall and grabbing a cosy chair and a tin of beer , then sit and watch it dry .

[GT4 BOOSTER]

awesome les.

[Plutus]

The news agenda irritates me. It's all so left wing biased in a subtle way. Or about someone not getting their "rights".

I tend to watch sky news now as it seems to be more in touch with this country.

Time it was sorted out.

I agree with Bothy about the phone-ins. My daughter tried to get through last night but was permanently engaged.

[Bizarra]

It is exactly the same, here, with RTE

I have to pay my licence fee each year & never watch it. Thank God for Sky

[Demonic Angel]

I disagree... yes the Beeb has got some things majorly wrong... the phone votes scandals, Manuel-gate, the amount it pays its "stars"

But I believe it commissions some top class entertainment and drama - much better than the absolute sh*te ITV show.

I mean you have some amazing period dramas:

Lark Rise to Candleford

Pride & Prejudice

Little Dorrit

Jane Eyre

Sense & Sensibility

The Tudors (funded by the Yanks I know but still quality!)

Then prime time, you have things like Spooks, Judge John Deed, Casualty, Holby City, not to mention Eastenders

Sat night entertainment like Strictly, Robin Hood, Dr Who, Merlin. (I think the main issue with Strictly this year wasn't so much the decisions made, but the self-important attitude of some viewers who felt that 15p for a phone vote was somehow a heinous issue, regardless of the fact they carried the votes over; had they just let Tom be voted out, which he would have been, there would have been issues because of that too. Strictly has always been excellent Saturday night entertainment, that's not to say the BBC weren't at fault for not realising there would be an issue with a two way tie in the semis, but they made the best decision they could - and the fairest and IMO the best couple won on the night last night, the ladies were way over-marked and that's not just my opinion)

Comedy shows like Outnumbered (highly underrated!), My Family (which has its off-days) and some of the marvellous stuff coming from BBC Three, like Gavin & Stacey.

So to be fair, I think quality-wise the Beeb does a decent job. There are more good programmes on than stinkers, unlike some other channels.

And lets not forget Top Gear - well worth the licence fee in its own right. ;)

And digital channels, so if you have a digi-box you get something like 7 channels, all included in the licence fee, plus BBC Radio stations AND i-player - sounds to me like a frickin bargain!

To be perfectly honest if the BBC scrapped the licence fee and they started advertising for revenue I'd be mightily put off. That's the main thing I love about watching something on the BBC - no adverts! And especially at a time like this when kids are so influenced by the ads, I think its a wonderful thing to have a channel without ads. That in itself is worth it IMO.

There is not a company in the world who doesn't get it wrong sometimes. But all in all, it does ok. There are more evil things in the world than the BBC.

You may respond to

em@bbc.co.uk :lol:

[Boro Sera]

All valid points Em, but all sadly MISSING THE POINT !!!

The TV licence was originally introduced for the following purpose. - So that the BBC could produce the sort of shows it was renowned for without having to worry about popularity ( hence Little Dorit probably ).

They could produce the shows that they were expected to, rather than the lowest common denominator stuff to get ratings.

Yet they constantly bang on about Eastenders beating Corrie in the ratings, Strictly v X factor Ratings etc etc.

If the ratings have become an important issue to the BBC then the whole licencing system should be scrapped.

They demand money with menace from us - they rip people off with rigged phone voting, then when they get fined by the regulators it's us who pays the fine from our licence fees. Can you not see the problem here?

When that Icelandic bank went bust and lots of local councils lost pots of money, we had a guy from one of the Councils near me on the radio saying that they had lost X million pounds and would probably have to increase the council tax next year to compensate for this...............it's the same basic situation and the same huge injustice.

Yes, they make Top Gear etc - but do you honestly think that no other channel would take ion the shows should the BBC suddenly disappear up it's own bloated backside?

[Demonic Angel]

So the BBC should make unpopular shows that no-one watches? Since when does that make sense for a broadcaster?

It's not the BBC that goes on about ratings - try the Daily Mail/Mirror/Sun headlines

"CORRIE BEATS 'ENDERS IN RATINGS SHOCKA!"

Yet another case of excellent journalism by our fine media establishment. This is the same media that portrays Size 6 models as being "normal" lets not forget. The whole media system in this country is warped, but thats by the by...

Yes the phone voting is stupid and not something I personally partake in, but its popular. Its the sort of thing the public wants. Hence the reality shows such as "I'm a nobody get me on the tv" - if there wasn't a public demand there wouldn't be any reality shows - and to be fair the other channels milk the reality shows for all they're worth - all the Beeb has is Strictly, which is one of the more upmarket "reality" shows anyway and a few others which raise money for charity.

I think the BBC is right to go with the times and give the viewers the sort of things they want to see. Yes it may not be to everyone's taste, but not a lot of people would want to see period dramas all day every day - unlike myself. I'm watching Lark Rise to Candleford as we speak!

There are far bigger piles of manure on other channels - and yes, we pay for that too!

This post was sponsored by Sainsco's, we advertise on your TV so you can buy our stuff and then our executives can die billionaires - god bless advertising - hurrah!

[Boro Sera]

While I appreciate that we will never agree on this point, and without dismissing your opinions I must say that you are doing a sterling job of defending the indefensible.

The High Street changed and Woolies didn't - Now it's gone.

Times move on, hanging on to dinosaurs out of some misguided sense of tradition isn't the right thing to do.!

While you're pondering your next gambit, think of it this way.

Even if you don't ever watch the BBC you're still legally obliged to fund them through the licence if you have a TV. This is like driving at 30 in a 30 zone but still getting a speeding fine on the basis that your car is capable of going more than 30MPH.

[bothwell_buyer]

Duh

how come I can watch Top Gear on dave then? Do the BBC sell the episodes to Dave for free? And where does the money go? Cos it aint free.

Glad to hear that BBC in England is so good - cos its absolutely dire up here. Biased, lightweight, and theres a catalogue of politically incorrect utterances from them going back years from many of their shows.

When ITV do the National TV Awards in October, as they have for 14 years, they accept votes by post, phone, internet etc. They try to involve as many of the public as possible, and offer as many ways to vote as possible. I was involved in the planning for this show back in the early 90s, and went to the first years show - a well put together show all round.

I'm afraid I don't do Shakespeare or any other literary production based on books and novels. I rarely watch films as I have sleep apnea and fall asleep - and the stuff BBC shunt out is a sure fire guarantee to get me to sleep. Naw - I can't go along with the BBC being falsely supported any longer.

[PaulT]

The BBC is generally regarded as one of the best TV and radio content creators in the world. It's funny that people bash one of the few things that we are actually good at!

F1 on BBC next year, so some of you people are going to have to stop watching :o

Paul.

[Plutus]

The BBC is generally regarded as one of the best TV and radio content creators in the world. It's funny that people bash one of the few things that we are actually good at!

Paul.

Yes the Beeb does do some things well - situaton comedy and Robert Peston to name a couple.

However, we all HAVE to pay and they get nasty if we don't. This should not be the case.

As for politically incorrect, I'd say no one is more "on message" for New Labour than Nick Robinson - have you read his blog?

[+Steve]

we have lived with adverts from other channels, it has become a way of life and if i can save 140 a year then i could live with adverts.

[bothwell_buyer]

The BBC is generally regarded as one of the best TV and radio content creators in the world. It's funny that people bash one of the few things that we are actually good at!

F1 on BBC next year, so some of you people are going to have to stop watching :o

Paul.

Dunno who regards the BBC as best - maybe it used to be in the times when black and white telly was the norm.

As far as F1 - will it still exist?? And even if it does, we can watch it on another channel half an hour later :lol:

And, uh, how many programmes does the BBC now make itself anyway? The news? The presenters seem better at song and dance routines and raising money for charity.

Weather? Thats bought in isn't it?

Drama? Casualtys become a casualty with more high profile actors leaving

Factual programmes? These must be good as they are repeated often enough.

Question-time? Wow - a really carefully screened show of bland questions.

The programmes highlighted in the 'best' category always seem to go back to the days of Morecambe & Wise, or Only Fools and Horses...or even Dads Army. Yes, I agree, 30 years ago the Beeb was the best...when we had 3 channels !!!

[GIDDLEPIN]

My weeks viewing of BBC 1-2

Top gear, Heroes........................................THE END

[Norfolk n Chance]

My BBC viewing last week........................ THE END

Only really watch Top Gear but that can be "borrowed" from the internet shortly after it's aired (and i don't mean iPlayer! :P )

To say the BBC doesn't have adverts it does a bloody good job of advertising the drivel it classes as "entertainment"

Scrap the fee, introduce adverts

[Demonic Angel]

The BBC is generally regarded as one of the best TV and radio content creators in the world. It's funny that people bash one of the few things that we are actually good at!

F1 on BBC next year, so some of you people are going to have to stop watching :o

Paul.

Dunno who regards the BBC as best - maybe it used to be in the times when black and white telly was the norm.

Ok lets look at the evidence

ITV1 - load of tosh, usually hosted by Ant & Dec. When was the last time they produced a good quality family show that we could all sit down and watch... where is their "Merlin" or "Dr Who" type programme. All the times they've tried (ie that crappy one about dinosaurs) it's been absolute codswallop, terribly acted and directed - oh I know, lets have another reality show hosted by Ant & Dec instead - that'll make people watch

Ch4 - I grant you does have some excellent programmes and they excel with comedy, but also has some tosh as well (Big Brother, for example)

Ch5 - American tosh & Aussie soaps

The BBC produces far better quality of shows than the other terrestrial broadcasters do...

I'd be happy with just BBC1, BBC2 & Channel 4 - the others do not show anything remotely interesting to me.

To those who claim to want to "save" £140 a year - fair dos, however as I said before, you are still paying for the other channels anyway. There is no such thing as "free"

[Norfolk n Chance]

however as I said before, you are still paying for the other channels anyway. There is no such thing as "free"

The difference there is that people have a choice on whether or not they buy the advertised products.

You don't get a choice with the BBC ;)

[Boro Sera]

loving the way Em fawns over everything the Beeb does like a lovesick schoolgirl. I bet she misses the Empire :P

They are no better or worse than other channels - all of which ( BBC included ) produce some quality and some !Removed!.

However, as has been said before, the whole TV market has changed substantially since the licence was launched.

After 40+ years of being spoon fed surely it's time that the BBC learned to stand on its own 2 feet. As a company it is more than capable of generating substantial revenue if it could really be bothered - but why should it when we are legally obliged to throw our money at them on demand.

[bothwell_buyer]

course the cost of collecting the fee doesn't really get a mention - ok I know its jobs but maybe the same people could be retrained to create something? Like Strictly Come dancing - I'm sure they could do a better job!!

[Demonic Angel]

loving the way Em fawns over everything the Beeb does like a lovesick schoolgirl. I bet she misses the Empire :P

I know - a woman having an opinion.... shocking isn't it! :P I bet if I agreed with the masses I'd be heralded....