If BBC was subscription only...

I'm happy enough to pay the licence fee even though there's an awful lot of content that I avoid. I don't watch any news or political programmes on the BBC but even so it's worth the fee.

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I posted this on another thread about the BBC. It is still my view:

'I agree with David Mitchell and would hate to think we could lose the BBC. Some people think it's too left of centre whilst others think it's too right wing. To my mind, that probably means they've got it about right overall.

Worldwide it has a reputation that's second to none.

For Heaven's sake let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater!'

I would add that I like some others on here, absolutely loathe adverts. Begone!

Vickysponge

Absolutely not. Far too left wing biased, box ticking, virtue signaling and woke. Not to mention repeats. Still showing Dads Army?

I’d love some examples of all this left wing “woke” programming. What do you mean by woke anyway?

So what do you watch ?

some misunderstanding about the current licence.
there is no licence required for listening to radio, inc BBC radio.
over 75 year olds no longer get a free licence; only those in receipt of pension credit can claim it.
obviously, you do not need a licence if you simply possess tv receiving equipment, eg computer, laptop, mobile phone.
you only need a licence if you watch any live broadcast tv, or bbc tv whether live or later.

the suggestion that bbc should be funded out of general taxation, like nhs or schools; wouldn't that mean that it would in effect be a mouthpiece of the govt.

I very rarely watch BBC 1 and 2 - BBC4 used to have some interesting programmes but now they're all repeats. The news is very biased and too political. So I would be reluctant to pay for the service.

Finding nothing of interest on BBC I sometimes dip in to Talking Pictures which seems very popular - old films where I can follow the story, often in black & white format.

Whoops ! Did I say black and white !!!

All media is biased in favour of preserving the status quo, from The Guardian (which is only seen as being "on the left" because there is no genuinely leftist media) to the most reactionary which is probably The Daily Mail. The BBC is in there too, trying to represent the centre but obviously leaning towards the right. So I don't expect the left to be fairly represented on its news and current affairs. In fact, I would be stunned if it happened.

However, I don't judge the BBC by those programmes. We watch iplayer a lot, browsing through the dramas, films, documentaries and cookery programmes. Neither of us like soaps, quizzes or talent competitions regardless of whether people are singing, sewing, dancing, baking or whatever. However, there's plenty of other stuff and the standard of drama in particular is very high. Their historical programmes are very good too.

You have to have a licence to watch iplayer, so I suppose we would pay a subscription.

Forgot to mention, I have up on BBC radio in the mid-1980s, so I would definitely only be prepared to pay for a drama package, NO news, NO sport etc.

I never watch the BBC and haven't for a few years now. Got sick of Eastenders (The Glums). Apart from the occassional good drama, which are few and far between, the majority of programmes are repeats. Why pay every year to watch the same old stuff. The news nowadays only gives limited information of an article and are much too woke for my liking.

I have Nowtv and Netflicks, which I much prefer to terrestrial tv, and no adverts and catch up with the news on line.

Right now, if you watch ANY live tv or use BBC iplayer you have to have a tv licence, the feesrevenue from which goes to the BBC.

Personally, I watch EVERYTHING either recorded or on catch-up although very little comes from the BBC (Line of Duty, Killing Eve etc).

I would love to see the back of the licence fee and maybe a subscription service such as Britbox take its place but with a variety of options, for example the monthly option and others such as paying for a specific number of hours or programmes, similar to pay per view football, that would suit me down to the ground with only a couple of series being watched each year!

I've always thought the BBC should be run and funded as a public service - in the same way as education, highways or the NHS. It ought to be funded by a goverment grant paid out of general taxation. Parliament - and ultimately the electorate would then have control over what is broadcast.
The whole idea of the licence fee is ridiculous. Radio and TV are available on smartphones, i-pads, laptops, computers and umpteen other devices. It makes no sense to pay for it by a licence fee based on a dwelling.

The beeb have come in for a lot of criticism lately - deserved in my view. No, I wouldn’t pay a subscription to watch it.

I absolutely would pay - Gardeners World, nature programs, documentaries,BBC 4 which is my favourite channel, Radio 4 , some of the drama, the things they do outside the obvious...
On average I would be happier with just the BBC than with just any of the other of options my family have brought into my life!

Yes I would. Love the radio dramas and amazing radio like History of the World in 100 Objects. They must be funded from the licence fee, they don’t get made for free.

Love the Sounds app and iPlayer and have never had a problem with them.

Love the drama and nature programmes, yes I know some good ones on Netflix & Sky too but Sky is way more expensive!

Also agree with the PPs who have said about education programmes, and what about the really good children’s dramas, Worst Witch, Mallory Towers anyone? Their standards for anyone making children’s programmes are very high, not like some of the cheap American cartoon c**p on other channels.

Also, as previously mentioned, the proms and I’d add the Shakespeare plays, the programmes like Great British Sewing Bee, Antiques Roadshow, Midwives, Poldark, War and Peace, Les Mis et al. And Strictly of course!
Do you really want to chance losing the variety and richness of all that?

Absolutely not. Far too left wing biased, box ticking, virtue signaling and woke. Not to mention repeats. Still showing Dads Army?

The BBC is far more than News Programmes. The standard of drama on the BBC is exceptional (Line of Duty, Missing, Happy Valley) and many of its documentaries (e.g. Blue Planet) are world renowned. Light entertainment regularly attracts huge audiences and offerings such as the Sewing Bee and Pottery Throwdown have explored whole new niche markets and brought them into the mainstream.

I rarely watch TV live and in fact don't watch much at all, but I think to lose the BBC, simply because of the poor quality of its news programming would be would be very sad indeed.

Yes, I would but I am not allowed to pay at the moment even though I pay UK taxes. Just because of the Bashir program ‘the baby should not be thrown out with the bath water’.
I have lived in situations when I wanted to know if there was another view point, different from the government where I was living. Eg. BBC radio, regarding the Chernobyl Nuclear explosion, here the government was saying the fallout was stopping at thé borders (really!) and the French people believed it. The BBC was very informative, needless to say the locals didn’t believe me when I told them.
Also, I missed it when I lived in China, the figures on the earthquake or the floods were so low.
BBC radio 4 is very informative as is the BBC World Service, (it’s incredible what I learn during sleepless nights) and I enjoy watching BBC tv now, including among all the usual popular programs the anti BBC news ‘Have I got news for you’.

I wouldn’t subscribe to BBC the good dramas are few and far between and far to many repeats

I would have to think long and hard about it but probably would pay for it. DH watches far more on the BBC than I do, so I wouldn't like to deprive him of it.

I agree Katy but I also agree with David Mitchell's outburst last night. So I'll continue to avoid the news but will still watch the programmes I like esp on BBC4

Yes definitely I'm getting more and more angry with the BBC it seems to be hell bent on stirring up trouble its very woke and Im sick of the news presenters and the so call editors giving their opinions rather than the facts

Not in a million years!
The only thing I watch on BBC is University Challenge and, of course, that isn't on over the summer. I couldn't imagine having to pay for just one program so NO I wouldn't do it. They are far too biased and wokey for me. I don't see why the GB population should have to pay for the rest of the world to get the BBC either, if they want it, let them pay! Nobody ever leaves either as they are such a good meal ticket....

Yes I’d pay for the BBC. So useful for school during lockdown, along all the resources I had to set up and deliver. I like the dramas and documentaries and several other programs.
Thanks for the information about the other things the license funds, GrammarGrandma. I hadn’t thought of that.

I think I would have to as I love the 9pm dramas, Three Families was so good a couple of weeks ago. Also love Line of Duty', Strictly, garden shows, etc. I only have Freeview, I don't subscribe to anything else, so BBC would have to get my subscription, the greedy sods have been taking my license money for years anyway, but they can stick their news channel.

And yes I would pay for it without a doubt. I’ve not been to a country with a better tv channel.