Saturday, September 05, 2009

Thought for the day -The Beeb for Sale


I’m sure its only coincidence but I see the BBC are running a Beatles week that presumably has absolutely nothing to do with a massive marketing campaign which is all about tarting up stale product, that being, the Beatles back catalogue which has been “remastered” to turn it in to fresh and saleable product available from the 9th September.

The BBC have always been snotty about advertising but ever ready to swallow a slick PR campaign and work it to death for nothing. It makes you think about the frequent bleating by recording artists about copyright infringement, without taxpayer funded BBC many would remain undiscovered.

Anyway according to the Guardian’s frontpage today the public still backs the BBC, although speaking for myself on the whole I too support the license fee but feel in some areas they could offer a better service particularly for regional news and not do free advertising.

11 comments:

  1. All Governments of every persuasion claim to be wanting to create a fair and equal society, yet insist on all supporting this anachronistic and essentially unfair tax.
    How in this modern era, do we have a tax levied on every household who have a television, regardless of the income of that household? Old age pensioners and other low income groups all have to pay the same fee as the richest people in the land. How unfair is that?
    Moreover, in this multi-channel digital age, when every other channel outside the BBC is paid for as you view, how do the BBC get away with insisting on levying this fee from every household regardless of whether you watch the output of the BBC or not?
    If I choose not to watch the BBC, I still have to pay this fee and if I don't, the Government will criminalise me and eventually I will end up in jail

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  2. Lol, chose the name Rupert for a reason? Are you one of those mugs that pays a monthly subscription to Sky only to have to pay more for their "premium" content?

    For the sake of about £3 a week I am more than happy, the BBC impacts on peoples lives in many, many ways, and not just here in the UK.

    Long may it continue.

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  3. It's no secret that I gave away my TV rather than pay for something I don't want. That doesn't stop the license fee collection company (who all operate on commission) harassing me every few months. If they'd left me alone I'd have been indifferent now I am sliding in the direction of being very anti BBC.

    That said they do produce reasonable news which is far less crappy than many other outlets. Not perfect but not too bad.

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  4. Anonymous 02:32:00

    Whether you are right on wrong about vaule for money you are missing my point: in a free market economy one should have the right to choose, and not to be forced to pay for something in order to be allowed to watch something else.

    You are just as brain washed as the American that believes he has a god given right to carry a gun!

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  5. I can't really see how the BBC is a public service. I'm quite happy to pay for roads etc but not to be brainwashed by tripe.ITV and the BBC is much the same, they cater for the masses.

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  6. I'm not really sure why we are charged to watch the BBC's one sided, watered down stance on everything. They are the last channel I look to when I switch on the news, not that the others are much better.

    Maybe it's better not to get a TV at all. I saw yesterday that watching TV affects your brain chemistry in a number of ways, and none of them good.

    Then again there's always Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Now that really is worth watching..

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  7. It's surely a question of news: who delivers it and what incentive they have to remain independent. Imagine there was no BBC and our understanding of what goes on around us is dominated by a few individuals. Or like Italy where the prime minister pretty much controls the country's media on his own.

    So long as the BBC remains independent from government it must surely play a very big role in the level of democracy we enjoy.

    It's worth a try for £3 a week.

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  8. Fellow Thanet bloggers, I'm starting a new group called Stop High-Speed 1 Train (S.H.1.T.). Please support us, we don't want these noisy trains in Ramsgate (let Margate suffer for a change!!!).

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  9. I hate adverts I mean hate so BBC FOR M E

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  10. Criticism of content coming from a Murdoch (James) is nothing short of laughable. Everyone I know who has Sky (all 3 of them)moans about the lack of choice and the zillions of ads.
    Bit sour about their million and half subscribers compared to the wonder of miracle broadcasting that is the beeb. Its website is the best in the world. I can't believe people are criticising it for having too much content! Complete rubbish.
    Long live Auntie.

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  11. I agree the website is TERRIFIC I go on it most days

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