United Kingdom VII: Taking Pride in Your Success

[Dogg Thang]

That's not viable though, because that creates a service like Sky. A "history documentary" channel where everything is about Nazis, bull**** conspiracy theories of ancient aliens and SHARK WEEK.

But it's going to happen; I've made my peace with it.

Yep. Sorry, I'm late to this discussion but as someone who deals regularly with both commercial broadcasters and public broadcasters, it is not a solution to suggest public become commercial. That is is not how to continue any form of the BBC. That is how to kill any possible value it has. How these two types of broadcasters work is entirely different and, as weird as the BBC feels sometimes in terms of its news skew, bringing commercial interests into it would taint it instantly. You may well not watch it but public broadcasters can do so many things that commercial broadcasters can't justify and many of those things are wonderful for a society.

[Neon Ignition]

It comes around to the issue of the fee itself, younger generations of viewers will be getting older and the number of people who's viewing falls within the criteria of not requiring to pay for the fee will increase. There's a definite limit to how long dealing with the fee can be delayed and the BBC should be deep into chasing an alternative regardless of government intent.

[MartyG]

That is is not how to continue any form of the BBC. That is how to kill any possible value it has.

This exactly - any unique programming the BBC creates currently, afforded by not having to chase commercial markets, will disappear as it means it will become an organisation outputing lowest common denominator programming, just like all the rest in order to maximise its audience, where currently it's able to cover niche interests that are loss making.

Ending the licence fee essentially means the end of what makes the BBC the BBC - and just like with Brexit, there will be consequences that can't be undone.



And no, it's a drawing of Simon Templar.

[wakka]

Roger, we're going to cut to a key question. In an imaginary fight between Roger Moore James Bond and Roger Moore Simon Templar The Saint, who wins?

Roger?

ROGER?

ROOOOGEEEEEERRRR??

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/scotland%20news/breaking-alex-salmond-launches-new-political-party-to-fight-scottish-parliament-election/ar-BB1eZZwu?ocid=spartanntp

Alex Salmond is to launch his own party to challenge the SNP in the May Scottish elections presumably overplaying his hand and lining up for disappointment

[CMcK]

The idea behind the Alba party isn’t to challenge the SNP but to only stand on the regional lists. The SNP are on track to win a majority of the normal seats. Last election the SNP had nearly a million votes on the regional list but because of the way it works they had already won the normal seat in so many areas those votes were wasted and it only bought them four additional seats. There’s potential that between the SNP and Alba parties there could be a larger pro independence majority in the next Scottish Parliment.
Also Salmond didn’t launch the Alba party but is now the public face of the party.

[Lebowski]

The bbc is already at the bottom we hold it up as some great purveyor of quality tv but look at its daily output its most popular shows are cheap home improvement, fly on the wall documentary's and antique shows.

10 AM Homes under the hammer, Inept local slumlord buys house at auction for far to much and ends up going over budget on renovating a house too to high a standard for the area.

11 am Rip Off Britain, ex Burglar and con man Dom Littelwood tells you how to avoid people like him scamming you.

12 pm Bargain Hunt, idiots go to a flea market and spend other peoples money on things that they then later fail to sell for a profit at auction despite having a so called expert on hand to advise them what to buy.

1 PM Escape to the country, Steve an equity discovery manager and partner Vanessa have a budget of £1.2 million after selling their one bedroom flat in central London to buy a property in the country, despite being shown a Mansions with 4 tennis courts a swimming pool and its own gym, a property with its own medieval woodland with wild boar and its own lake, and a 12 century Tudor cottage that was once home to William Shakespeare nothing is good enough.

2pm some terrible quiz

3-5pm tvs black hole shows so poorly made you instantly forget what they are when they finish i have some vauge recollection of cooking, antiques and Reality tv shows.

6pm News National propaganda followed by local issues so boring you drift off into a coma


7 pm The one show, Tonight's show features popular TV Hard man Tommy Knuckles promoting his new BBC show underground Dinner lady's a look into the seedy underworld of UK's hardest dinner lady's and how they keep order in Britain's roughest playgrounds, joining him on the sofa is, one half of 80s pop sensation right said Fred and ex Conservative politician Lord Giles Goldennob

Eastenders Cockneys living in misery since 1982 TM

[MartyG]

You know the BBC produces more than just the above, right?

What you will lose is the local services, news, factual, documentary and comedy stuff - the BBC produces far more of this than rival channels (its content is about 60% in this area compared to 30% ITV), but rarely is it cost neutral. Currently soap and entertainment makes up 25% of BBC output compared to ITV's 45%

Documentary and local content in particular is likely to disappear, there would be far more soaps and entertainment, it's cheaper to make and has a wider audience.

It costs you £3 a week per household - people spend more a day on sandwiches and crisps and Fortnite skins - the value it represents is massive for the content it produces which others don't (and likely never will).

[Dogg Thang]

Yep. And Cbeebies and CBBC. Absolute world leaders - I'm Irish, I have no vested interest in saying it but by a long margin the BBC's kids output is head and shoulders above everywhere else. And doing things no commercial broadcaster would. What those channels offer children is amazing. And as a bonus (and this applies to presumably most arms of the BBC), what it does for the people working in kids TV and all the surrounding businesses, of which there are many, is incredible. Again, much more than you get from a commercial broadcaster.

[Cassius_Smoke]

It's true. I know I suggested making the BBC like Netflix, but it'd go the way of Cadbury. Cadbury might make chocolate, but the heart and soul has been torn from it.

Plus Cbeebies is brilliant for the kids

[Brad]

The value of the bbc, how great their children’s tv is, their local news coverage etc. is irrelevant IMO. The issue is that I have to pay the bbc to be allowed to watch itv. Separate those things and I might even buy a tv license but the current system is so wrong it’s ridiculous.

[Lebowski]

I disagree 99% of what they produce for their premier channel bbc one is garbage. for every amazing David Attenborough documentary we have to put up with 400 episodes of strictly come dancing. Why can’t the bbc monetise itself during its lowest common denominator shows to fund a non advertising news doc and kids channel.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, fundamentally it comes down to how the BBC might be responsible for far more than other broadcasters but an immense amount of that is stuff the few care about or would miss if it were gone. Whilst there's tons of debate to be had about the ins and outs of that and its loss in general to the individual in most cases it just doesn't matter and that's why the axe will fall one day. The BBC might be well liked but schools or the NHS it isn't, either it'll be forced to drop the fee in time or forced to make it more palatable by drastically cutting 'low demand' services and content anyway.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I'd even say David Attenborough wildlife docs have gone down the toilet. Theyve become more about the jeopardy and drama of an animals life rather than actually telling us about the animals.
Also the 10 mins at the end were they show how they filmed it is just a circlejerk.

[Brad]

Imagine having to pay Ed Sheeran in
order to legally attend an AC/DC concert