Does anyone in the UK have a TV licence?

@Perry4444: We know it's a load of crap but some people are intimidated by their bully-boy tactics.

@suzie1960: I know. Those bullies boy tactics dont wash with me. And im glad ur the same.

@JKerouac: I've ignored them for a lot longer than that - more like 15 years. Thinking about it, they did visit once a few years ago when I was out. They just left a card saying they'd been, they never returned.

@suzie1960: I will continue to ignore them

@JKerouac: I will too. I'd advise all their victims to do the same.

@MartinII:

Privatising the BBC would destroy it. Entire tax-funding would risk making it a plaything of politicians who love to run services they don't understand.

@Perry4444: Not just for the BBC. You need a licence if you watch any broadcast TV and if you use iPlayer

@suzie1960: I know. But the BBC are the ones responsible for the licence initially. I dont watch thier crap anyway.

@JKerouac: I know.

@BondGirl84: If they visit over three and a half million homes each year, as they claim to, how many letters do you think they send out?

@suzie1960: its their problem if they send out letters - what's it to u?!

@BondGirl84: I just find it amusing. I suppose it keeps the postman in a job. :)

@suzie1960

If you have no television as such, but use a computer of some sort I don't see how they can prove it unless they trace your equipment's traffic records.

You used to have to have a lower-cost licence for radio alone, so in effect I am obtaining my services for free; but I am conscious of the fact this means those with a TV licence are subsidising those of us who do not - whether the latter are legitimate or not.

I do not agree with wilful licence-dodging, any more than I agree with shop-lifting, tax fraud and fare-dodging, because I value the services all these pay for; and the TV Licence is remarkably cheap, very good value, for what it gains.

@ArishMell I believe the radio licence was abolished in 1971. Website can access the IP of computers connecting to the site so it would be possible to for them to see who was watching live broadcasts (or iPlayer) online but they'd probably need a court order to get UK based ISPs to match the IP address to a person.

The licence only pays for the BBC, all the other channels are funded by advertising or subscription.

@suzie1960

Thank you. I could not remember the date but remembered it being in late-60s, early-70s. I suppose the authorities thought that the growth in TV ownership was sufficient to render the more modest radio-only licence no longer economical. The last time I read the statistic, about 2% of British households have no TV; but that does not account for watching via the Internet.

The BBC also gains from selling programmes abroad, both TV and radio, though their own on-line repeat service means anyone can listen to most major radio programmes for free, anywhere, anyway.

Thank you.

The BBC is held at arm's length from the government, though there are plenty of moaning-minnies who reckon it's politically biased. Whilst some individuals on it certainly are, especially the satirists on comedy shows, when you consider the complaints it's clear that most of the critics are really objecting to it daring to allow views not their own; and this applies to both sides of the arguments!

Then there are others who moan about the styles and contents of programmes, which usually means from conversations I've had over the years, admitting not watching or listening selectively, and often not knowing even half of what the Corporation broadcasts. After all, it has 2 (or 3? I'm not sure of Channel 4's status) primary TV and 5 Radio channels, plus some extras. Unfortunately most published listings largely ignore radio services, or list only times and titles, thus deterring discriminatory exploration.

Some even merely rubbish the lot [i]en masse[/i] - but that's just lazy; confusing taste with quality. It's like me saying music is "rubbish" because I don't understand Schubert's [i]lieder[/i] (romantic German songs) or enjoy rap; or denigrating sports because I don't follow football.

That does sound a lot like our ABC. The ABC even uses a lot of BBC programming...

@walabby

The BBC trades many programmes internationally, not just on its World Service (which is funded separately, via the Foreign & Commonwealth Office).

It also attracts a big Internet audience too, but I don't know if this includes TV programmes. It runs many of its radio programmes on a short-term Internet "catch-up" system that means you don't have to record programmes you'd otherwise miss, and of course avoids international time-differences.

As you may know, the BBC is the founder-member of the European Broadcasting Union, 50 years old this year, an international exchange scheme mainly for live musical performances. It started around Europe but now extends far beyond.

Among these are an annual international Christmas carol service with each carol live from a participating church in turn; and a season of live operas from New York's Metropolitan Opera House.

It also buys programmes from abroad; but as I recall, most were American films, TV formula-drama series and children's cartoons. (The Hannah-Barbara versions were far inferior artistically to the MGM editions, of [i]Tom & Jerry[/i]!)

I think it was the BBC that broadcast [i]Neighbours[/i] in the UK - causing the pre-"like" nation's youth to pronounce every statement as if a question - but on the other side, I once chanced to see a sub-titled episode of the Mersey TV / Channel 4, British soap-opera [i]Brookside[/i], on a cafe TV - in Norway!

@Goralski: It wouldn't change anything. I'd still get the letters and they don't visit me anyway.

@suzie1960:hey... how much does it cost??

@Goralski: £147 per year.

@TheBlueWay: I don't operate equipment to receive TV broadcasts nor do I use iPlayer.

@suzie1960: I hate the BBC. Are you from the UK?

@pianoplayingsteve: Yes, I'm from England.

@suzie1960: Ah. So you see every day how manipulative they are. I was listening to this BBC podcast on immigration. It was on the infamous "drowning baby" scene. The host had been particularly rude to one guest critical of immigration, and people were calling in asking for an apology. And he'd just say "so, you don't care about drowning children"? At some points he'd just say "drowning children" and almost seemed to be hiding a laugh.