Saturday, March 06, 2004
A majority of the country want a change in the way the BBC is funded according to a Panorama poll. This is because a majority of the people in this country are fucking morons. 36% favour a paid subscription for BBC services. This would not work. Because the only channels that have any success with paid subscription are narrow remit stations, like Nickelodeon or MTV. Or look at Sky with it's sci-fi and sleaze doubleteam. And as far as I can tell, every single hour of programming today is a repeat. A subscription channel will just turn the BBC into an entertainment service that is a shadow of Sky. Which would probably make Rupert Murdoch very happy.
31% want funding through advertising. They really want more ITV? With dull shows that everyone complains about like When Z-List Celebrities Attack Naughtiest Television Blunders On the Beach 17 which are also repeats? Which have to rely on the vagaries of the advertising market which until the middle of last year were moving away from television advertising?
The BBC is not blameless, a lot of it's primetime programming is rubbish and it deserves a kick-up the Chairmanship. But I pay my license fee like I pay the taxes that go towards funding the NHS. I don't watch Casualty or Eastenders, I don't listen to Radio 2 or 1Xtra, but I pay for them so I get the shows that I do like or which interest me, the odd art program, The Battle for Britain's Soul, The History of Britain With Simon Schama, their filming of Copenhagen from a few years back, or the Wannassee thing with Kenneth Branagh. And if I recall correctly, they showed the first two series of 24 before Sky took an interest. Newsnight's coverage of the Hutton Inquiry was amazing considering that they were part of one of the involved parties. I pay my money to the NHS because I believe this country should have a National Health Service that helps everyone. I don't begrudge the fact that up until now, I've needed it less than others. And I feel similarly about the TV License. You might question why you should pay it if you don't ever want to watch the BBC? Because it's good for the country.
So I think most of the people that voted for any other option than the License fee did so because they thought the BBC would go on much the same as it ever did, just without them having to pay. This is not the case. People are idiots.
31% want funding through advertising. They really want more ITV? With dull shows that everyone complains about like When Z-List Celebrities Attack Naughtiest Television Blunders On the Beach 17 which are also repeats? Which have to rely on the vagaries of the advertising market which until the middle of last year were moving away from television advertising?
The BBC is not blameless, a lot of it's primetime programming is rubbish and it deserves a kick-up the Chairmanship. But I pay my license fee like I pay the taxes that go towards funding the NHS. I don't watch Casualty or Eastenders, I don't listen to Radio 2 or 1Xtra, but I pay for them so I get the shows that I do like or which interest me, the odd art program, The Battle for Britain's Soul, The History of Britain With Simon Schama, their filming of Copenhagen from a few years back, or the Wannassee thing with Kenneth Branagh. And if I recall correctly, they showed the first two series of 24 before Sky took an interest. Newsnight's coverage of the Hutton Inquiry was amazing considering that they were part of one of the involved parties. I pay my money to the NHS because I believe this country should have a National Health Service that helps everyone. I don't begrudge the fact that up until now, I've needed it less than others. And I feel similarly about the TV License. You might question why you should pay it if you don't ever want to watch the BBC? Because it's good for the country.
So I think most of the people that voted for any other option than the License fee did so because they thought the BBC would go on much the same as it ever did, just without them having to pay. This is not the case. People are idiots.
