BBC License in the balance?

[sinus trouble]

Greetings Necks!

The BBC are finally under scrutiny! If you did not already know, Your TV license covers all broadcasting including radio services! I would like to gather anyones thoughts on the future of the BBC? Will we see an end to domination of the airwaves?

[SD-E1102]

Interestingly I come across this earlier:

https://news.sky.com/story/government-r ... e-11888375

I'm not a fan of the licencee fee and would prefer them to be a subscription based service - however I suspect they would oppose a move like this as it will cost them ££££££.

[wazza]

Be careful what you wish for here - you have heard the state of commercial radio in this country already. If you want more Heart and Capital, then sure, get rid of the beeb.

[wazza]

In any case, the licence fee is not "in the balance". Boris Johnson mumbled something about possibly looking at it as a feeble attempt at winning votes because so many gullible brexit voters are convinced it's biased. There's nothing about in their manifesto.

[sinus trouble]

Interesting opinion Wazza!

Do you feel that there is need for some reform? Should people be forced to pay for BBC services if they do not wish to use them?

[Albert H]

My Whitehall spies tell me that there is already an investigation into the political bias of the BBC and Channel 4. There are plans afoot to decriminalise the non-payment of the Telly Tax. The BBC are going to have to fund free TV Licences for ALL pensioners. This will be seen as "a gesture of good faith", apparently. Boris & Co want rid of the BBC or they want to put it back under the control of the MOD (as it was until the 1980s).

They also want to take steps to break up the big corporate commercial broadcasters and ensure that the illegal overseas ownership of these stations is stopped. There is a discussion paper going around Whitehall about the desperate state of commercial radio (in particular). They point out that the commercial stations were supposed to be locals - city by city and with a few regional and national outlets. The "voice tracked" automated crap from Heart, Capital and the rest wasn't predicted, and they have plans to stamp it out. There will be more jobs for radio presenters!

[sinus trouble]

I am not at all surprised by what is happening Albert!

Dont get me wrong, There is still a place for the BBC! But the whole system is outdated!
With regards to the radio spectrum, I see no reason why there is a need to broadcast the same content
on multiple frequencies? It could be used more wisely!

Just to add, Money and power does not indicate a reliable source of media in todays society!

[bristolpirates]

The bias at the BBC is clearly 99.9% in favor of the tories, this is just the dictatorship finally taking it over and completing it's transition to the tory dictatorship broadcasting tool.

Channel 4 holds everybody to account and seems to still have it's balls, the kind of balls the BBC used to have. Good on it!

If you lose the BBC and Channel 4, you lose any hope of a respectable unbiased news service ever existing in this country ever again.

This kind of thing has happened in other countries, just like everything else that's now happening to us.

[wazza]

Interesting opinion Wazza!

Do you feel that there is need for some reform? Should people be forced to pay for BBC services if they do not wish to use them?

Maybe some reform, yes. It's totally wrong that there are cases of sometimes quite vulnerable/elderly people who've been taken to court for non-payment of licence fees. Wouldn't want to see it disappear, though.

[wazza]

The bias at the BBC is clearly 99.9% in favor of the tories, this is just the dictatorship finally taking it over and completing it's transition to the tory dictatorship broadcasting tool.

Channel 4 holds everybody to account and seems to still have it's balls, the kind of balls the BBC used to have. Good on it!

If you lose the BBC and Channel 4, you lose any hope of a respectable unbiased news service ever existing in this country ever again.

This kind of thing has happened in other countries, just like everything else that's now happening to us.

I'm not sure quite where I sit on the bias thing. I notice bias towards both sides occasionally. The left wing scream 'Tory bias' and the right wing scream 'liberal lefty bias' (see the paranoid ramblings of Albert H for a prime example, likely informed by various pro-right blogs despite his ludicrous claims of having "whitehall spies" above )

Whichever side of the spectrum you sit on, the importance of having a media that is free to hold all parties to account should not be underestimated. Johnson's mumblings about 'looking at' the BBC and Channel 4 are just another one of the measures being plotted by Dominic Cummings to change the system to forever fix things in the tories' favour (see some of the vaguely worded stuff around 'constitutional reform' on p. 48 of their manifesto for more - worrying times ahead).

[sinus trouble]

Great points from both sides

I don't want this to get too political, I do not think we need the BBC or any other Broadcaster to patronize us with their views on what they feel is 'Correctness' They make great TV shows and that's it!!

Anyone who believes the Tories won the election because of what the BBC told us is seriously deluded!
Politicians have repeatedly put their own interests first and the public are sick of it!

Labour are to blame for their own downfall yet still wont admit it!

The BBC suffer from the same problem, Top executives putting themselves above the people that pay their wages! A bit of respect goes a long way!

[Albert H]

I'm not sure quite where I sit on the bias thing. I notice bias towards both sides occasionally. The left wing scream 'Tory bias' and the right wing scream 'liberal lefty bias' (see the paranoid ramblings of Albert H for a prime example, likely informed by various pro-right blogs despite his ludicrous claims of having "whitehall spies" above )

I have two family members working in Whitehall departments.... They're usually very reliable sources of information.

There is a governmental working party that was quietly set up to analyse the quality and bias of the various UK-based broadcasters. It has been at its work for about two years, and part of its remit was to help to decide the future of Public Service Broadcasting in the UK. The findings should make interesting reading when it reports in June next year.

Incidentally, you'll find no "pro-right" bias in me - as far as I'm concerned, all politicians are just the same, regardless of their evinced stance!

• Corbyn co-owns a multi-million pound coffee company with his wife. They have some very questionable business practices!
• Zac Goldsmith has bought himself a peerage. He couldn't get elected, so his pal Boris has ennobled him, so he can still have influence!
• McDonnell was drummed out of the GLC for "fiscal incompetence" and was told that if he didn't resign, he'd be prosecuted over the missing money. This was the man that Corbyn wanted to be chancellor!
• In April 2018, The Daily Telegraph reported that Jeremy Hunt breached anti-money laundering legislation by failing to declare his 50 per cent interest in a property firm! He also bought a number of "luxury flats" at Alexandra Wharf in Southampton at a long way below market rate from a Tory-supporting building company...
• In December 2018 Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was convicted of perverting the course of justice for lying to police to avoid a speeding fine. She refused to stand down as an MP so was the first in 28 years to go to jail whilst a sitting member....
• The Renewable Heat Incentive scandal in Northern Ireland, where Arlene Foster set up a "green energy scheme" but failed to introduce cost controls which eventually led to a £480m bill to the Northern Ireland budget. There were allegations that members of the DUP tried to postpone the closure of the scheme, which caused a huge spike in applications and cost the public purse £M!

They're all as bad as each other!

[Albert H]

Great points from both sides

I don't want this to get too political, I do not think we need the BBC or any other Broadcaster to patronize us with their views on what they feel is 'Correctness' They make great TV shows and that's it!!

Anyone who believes the Tories won the election because of what the BBC told us is seriously deluded!
Politicians have repeatedly put their own interests first and the public are sick of it!

Labour are to blame for their own downfall yet still wont admit it!

The BBC suffer from the same problem, Top executives putting themselves above the people that pay their wages! A bit of respect goes a long way!

One question:

When did the BBC last make a really funny comedy programme?

[bristolpirates]

When did the BBC last make a really funny comedy programme?

When did any UK broadcaster make a really funny comedy programme? Comedy on TV in the UK has been very wobbly since the early 00's.

[bristolpirates]

Johnson's mumblings about 'looking at' the BBC and Channel 4 are just another one of the measures being plotted by Dominic Cummings to change the system to forever fix things in the tories' favour (see some of the vaguely worded stuff around 'constitutional reform' on p. 48 of their manifesto for more - worrying times ahead).

I see a lot of people putting it on Cummings, and he is clearly a massive Mekon headed cunt, but this has probably been going on since around the time of Leveson and before.

And as for Page 48, we are fuuuuuuuucked.

[sinus trouble]

Sadly I have to agree with Albert and Bristolpirate

Comedy from the BBC has been in decline as it becomes subject to correctness conformity!

Shows like 'The Kenny Everett Show' and 'Sickness And In Health' have been completely deleted from BBC history to hide any tainted image!

Even great comedy classics like Some Mothers Do Ave Em, Only Fools And Horses, Young Ones And Blackadder have been heavily edited beyond recognition!!

The BBC have a track record of trying to rectify history and become more diverse! They have totally dismissed the older generation as 'Passed it'

Pretending History did not happen is not transparency! Truth is reality!

[sinus trouble]

In response to Bristolpirate

I have to say that the EU are no better than our Government!! The wellbeing of you and other EU citizens is the bottom of their priority list!!

They are not the lefts answer to freedom!! They are Corporate sympathizers who will do their upmost to please wealthy individuals no matter what it takes!!

[wazza]

Sadly I have to agree with Albert and Bristolpirate

Comedy from the BBC has been in decline as it becomes subject to correctness conformity!

Shows like 'The Kenny Everett Show' and 'Sickness And In Health' have been completely deleted from BBC history to hide any tainted image!

Even great comedy classics like Some Mothers Do Ave Em, Only Fools And Horses, Young Ones And Blackadder have been heavily edited beyond recognition!!

The BBC have a track record of trying to rectify history and become more diverse! They have totally dismissed the older generation as 'Passed it'

Pretending History did not happen is not transparency! Truth is reality!

No, I disagree here, some of the racist stuff from the 70s that you mention should be left in the past where it belongs. I don't think it's the BBC trying to "hide a tainted image", it's just offensive and has no place in today's society.

[bristolpirates]

For historical reasons, if we can't look back and see how bad things were then we could make the same mistakes. Racist artifacts can be presented to people in a controlled manner as educational tools. However, we shouldn't have 'Mind Your Language' on the TV all the time like it was in the 70s.

As for the EU, of course it isn't perfect. However, what was the point of putting us through this horrendous exit from it? None for most people, in fact things are now getting worse for most people, but for some very rich people they are making or simply retaining a lot of money because of it. If the EU is heading towards dictatorship as some think, then what the fuck has trying to leave it done to the UK? Accelerated the process of getting us under a dictatorship.

Back on topic, its not that people believe the BBC and that's the only reason they voted for the con party, there is so much more manipulation going on. It has always been about getting those who haven't got a strong political opinion backed up by morals or belliefs to move in a certain direction - The direction the big business owners want them to move in. Big business owns most of the press, political parties like to get into bed with big business and the press to aid their agenda. You all know the rest...

The BBC will always have a small amount of bias because you cannot have a fully unbiased media. Journalists have bias. What I think is different now is that the bias is greater than before. Yes, you'll still get left wing journalists at the BBC who will push their agenda, but I think Murdoch/the tories and chums are doing exactly what Jupitus said and they have been threatening the BBC with privatisation or destruction for a while now. Savile was a dream for Murdoch and the tories, it gave them the gun to hold to the BBC's head and it eclipsed Leveson.

[sinus trouble]

The more time I spend on this planet, The more complex it becomes! I think discussion and sharing different views is a valuable tool! Ignorance, Lies and deceit only breeds mis-trust!

Infact Wazza, you are correct! I do not think I could stomach watching 'Sickness and in health' now!

Also Bristolpirate The comment you made about bias being inevitable in the media makes sense! It is impossible to be neutral and not cause offence to someone somewhere!

I think the current stance of the BBC to become more open and honest will help their case! Bullshit no longer works! Hopefully Politicians can do the same!