Endless Repeats

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

I like YouTube but ads are getting a PITA.

Tony

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by duncan webster on 26/12/2021 14:37:55:

To be honest the last time I was at work and attended a meeting with food provided I had no idea that I was in fact at a party.

I never managed to attend a work meeting held in the garden with my wife and dog in attendance and free wine

Living above your workplace will do that, and you obviously missed out on the team building jollies.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Bazyle on 26/12/2021 15:23:32:

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I thought MG's title for the thread and original content was rather clever.

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Thank you, Bazyle

MichaelG.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

On the subject of repeats, programme content, and impartiality, we find ourselves, increasingly watching other channels, 5 and 11 in particular.

Maybe the BBC transmissions are powered by a generator connected to Lord Reith, as he spins in his grave?

Howard

Since we seem to be Beeb bashing; did anyone see the Repair Shop where the "experts" were searching for a suitable replacement thread on a "suck it and see" basis rather than measuring what looked to be a 1/4 BSW?

Edited By Howard Lewis on 26/12/2021 17:42:23

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Michael;

Tried finding the programs in the "over here" Netflix, and nothing. I googled for "netflix mandelbrot" which returned some great-sounding programmes, which were not available to me here in good ole' Canada.

Making a generalization, but I think in general the Brits are more into reality than North Americans; we here in Canada get lumped in with the USA because we have 10% of their population, maybe 1% of their total wealth.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

And, my current reading is "A History of Canada in 10 maps" by Adam Shoalts; fascinating book; in school history was always about "1066 and all that". Recommended to read about what was happening "over there". Better anyway than yet another Hollywood shootem-up on Netflix!

JohnS.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Sorry, John … I hadn’t realised that Netflix was regional

These are the two programmes that I was enthusing about:

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MichaelG.

[Simon CollierParticipant @simoncollier74340]

We used to have television licences when I was a kid but they were abolished in the 60s or early 70s.
the ABC here has become ever bolder in its Left wing activism/ social engineering. The news is censored and the “diversity” casting and promotion have become a joke. I can imagine meetings at the ABC where executives try to out politically correct each other with their suggestions. The BBC is as bad or worse.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

The BBC is moaned at from both Left and Right for being biased towards the other lot, so that's a pretty good way of showing it must be pretty well neutral; and I think its recently-appointed Director General is determined so it shall be.

What does skew things is when the opposite side of some contentious matter or subject of accusation, refuses to accept the invitation to state their case. They hide behind lazy things like "No was available for comment", bland "issued statements" as useless as a 1980s company "mission statement", and similar cowardice. So you hear the grievance but not the explanation, apology or whatever we expect. That's not the BBC's (or ITV's) fault, but the fault of the absent potential interviewee.

We used to have a Wireless "Licence" too, or eventually as part of, the TV "Licence"; but the power-that-be let its value slip so low it was no longer economical.

Really they'd do well to re-name it as what it really is, the "Subscription".

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 26/12/2021 11:03:43:

Posted by Pete. on 26/12/2021 00:47:28:

… the BBC's days are numbered, generation netflix isn't paying 150 quid to watch repeats of tv shows made 30 years ago and period dramas.

Be careful what you wish for! Two reasons why doing away with the licence fee is bad: one is the disadvantage of losing the only impartial broadcaster with a public service ethic, the other is it will hasten the end of easy to use telly.

If you dislike change, pay the licence fee! It because it helps pay for the terrestrial broadcasting network on which the commercial providers also depend – their throats get cut too! The future of terrestrial broadcasting as we know it is bleak: might have less than 10 years. In the long run, anyone who expects to to plug an ordinary telly into an aerial is on a loser. When the money runs out, terrestrial telly as we know it is gone. It's because broadcasting is losing customers to internet providers in huge numbers. The under 50s are far more likely to get their entertainment from Internet streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, Sky, Mubi and others. A high proportion of the best new programming is made by on-demand providers rather than broadcasters. No need on the internet for a licence unless BBC programmes are watched, but online entertainment isn't free!!! You pay for a fast Broadband connection and whatever group of subscriptions best suits your viewing interests. The good thing is choice and being able to watch programmes on demand rather than waiting for them to be scheduled by a broadcaster. On the downside, customers face quite a lot of admin, a bit of techy setting up, and rather complicated screen menus (because so much is available!) It's easy to spend far more than the licence fee on internet telly if you want the best of everything.

Terrestrial TV is showing signs of strain. When people move to on-line services the BBC lose the license fee and the commercial channels lose advertising revenue. Repeats are one way broadcasters can cover the financial gap, but repeats have limited appeal and make it harder for viewers to find the good stuff. A vicious circle – advertising and the licence fee can't cover the cost of making expensive new programmes so people jump ship and even less money is available for good programmes…

The BBC's Charter calls for it to 'to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain'. Other providers have no such constraints, leaving their audiences prey to propaganda, extremist opinion, and get-rich-quick schemes. I suggest it's bad for democracy to only have broadcasters who reflect the opinions of their owners, advertisers, or the government of the day. Essential in my opinion for all politicians to be tested and held accountable by an informed electorate. No letting idiots off the hook just because I happen to be a fan-boy!

Dave

I won't write a long winded political reply, because I don't feel this is the forum to do so, but the comments above mine suggesting people on a fixed income remove a few of life little luxuries to pay for something they don't want is absurd.

All they need do is put their content behind a paywall like every other service producing television, and let the market decide if their product is worth paying for.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Posted by Pete. on 26/12/2021 23:28:49:

I won't write a long winded political reply, because I don't feel this is the forum to do so, but the comments above mine suggesting people on a fixed income remove a few of life little luxuries to pay for something they don't want is absurd.

All they need do is put their content behind a paywall like every other service producing television, and let the market decide if their product is worth paying for.

+1

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, the arguments about a TV license have been aired for as long as I can remember, but nothing is really free which ever way you cut it, as there is always some kind of cost. With independent TV this cost is normally by being bombarded by advertising (which I personally dislike) which might be trivial to some, but if you add up the time of advertising, it can be nearly the same amount or maybe even more of time you are watching the things that interest you. There is very little in this world that is perfect for everyone, but costs have to be covered by some means, but there are legitimate ways of watching TV programs for free, but they still have a cost, albeit not paying for a license. This TV Licensing gives you information in the various sub titles.

Regards Nick.

[Alan JacksonParticipant @alanjackson47790]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/12/2021 16:26:13:

Posted by Bazyle on 26/12/2021 15:23:32:

.

I thought MG's title for the thread and original content was rather clever.

.

Thank you, Bazyle

MichaelG.

Plus one from Me

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

If you spend much time watching some of the 'Freeview' channels (all us poor folk can afford) youu soon revert to appreciating the BBC as some channels are virtually unwatchable. We recently watched some repeats of 'Dr Foster' (the wifes choice, not mine I would add) on the Drama channel. It was scheduled to run from 9.00 to 10.20 pm. Originally we thought they were combining episodes to fill the slot but soon became apparent they weren't. As an exercise we put a stopwatch on the actual drama sections and discounted the adverts + coming attractions trailers.

49 Minutes! Over 1/2 hr of ****. Now I'm not naive, and realise programming has to be paid for one way or the other but this sort of percentage is a joke – and pointless, as you just mentally switch off (usually switching the sound off at the same time). Anything we specifically want to watch is recorded and adverts skipped during viewing – so what are the advertisers achieving?

OK the BBC licence tax is irritating as it is imposed on us, rather than a matter of choice – which if it was, I think I wold still pay it. The quality of their output is normally high (for example have just started watching 'Around the world in 80 days' which is IMHO is excellent so far) plus radio (listen a lot to R4 & R4extra in the workshop)

Have a happy New Year. Fingers crossed for a better one!

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Newspapers have Reporters, BBC has "News Correspondents."

Humph!

I think that they are biased, but that's MY opinion!

Remember a schoolteacher in a current affairs lesson saying that if you really want an idea of what actually happened, buy and read a minimum of 3 papers on the same subject.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Dave Halford on 26/12/2021 16:08:29:

Posted by duncan webster on 26/12/2021 14:37:55:

To be honest the last time I was at work and attended a meeting with food provided I had no idea that I was in fact at a party.

I never managed to attend a work meeting held in the garden with my wife and dog in attendance and free wine

Living above your workplace will do that, and you obviously missed out on the team building jollies.

I went on plenty of jollies, that's what they were, jollies, not work meetings. They never invited my wife and dog. I bet very few in private industry had jollies during lockdown, but rules for mere mortals don't seem to apply to politicians

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

It isn't just the terrestrial channels that have endless repeats – despite my best efforts, I gott signed up for an Amazon Prime "trail" while buying a book. The auto-renew bit was cancelled immediately, but the 1 month "!trial" once activated seemingly cannot be terminated, so we are trying out the Prime TV offerings at the moment while they are available.

So far I have not seen much to tempt me to pay Amazon £8 a month on the basis of what is available to stream when the "trial" expires – a couple of films that will doubtless be coming to terrestrial TV at some point, a "box" set sci-fi series that was OK & passed a couple of evenings and the big budget post-BBC Top Gear remake (The Grand Tour ) – not to everyone's taste but I found it amusing. At least the Prime streaming service is not infested with adverts – programs / films stream without interuptions

We rarely watch anything on commercial terrestrial TV live due to the intrusive adverts – either put the channel on the Virgin box, wait 20 minutes or so after the program has started then rewind the live program back to the start to be able to fast-forward the ads, or record the program & do likewise later. Half hour programs padded out to an hour with adverts & "recaps" seem to be the norm on Channels 4 & 5 & make thir stuff largely unwatchable live.

Nigel B.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

We rarely if ever watch live TV, best to record it and then cut out all the dross, which is a lot. If I do get caught watching live the mute button is used when the ads come on.

Tony

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

Exactly so.

John

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

How should the BBC be funded interesting survey link

H

[Jim GuthrieParticipant @jimguthrie82658]

Posted by Harry Wilkes on 27/12/2021 18:37:01:

How should the BBC be funded interesting survey link

 

Interesting to note that the largest proportion is in favour of the BBC using advertising to raise revenue. This question about BBC funding has been around for many years and I do remember similar discussions at the end of the last century. The major objectors to the BBC using advertising to raise revenue were the ITV companies. There is a finite amount of money available from advertising and if the BBC started using that as a source of revenue then there would be be less all round for all of the broadcasters.

I believe that the funding of the BBC by the licence fee was set up to provide a source of revenue that was free from government influence, although several governments have attempted influence by other means.

 

Jim.

Edited By Jim Guthrie on 28/12/2021 09:19:40

[RMAParticipant @rma]

In truth the BBC IS a commercial broadcaster operating under the guise of being the impartial national broadcasting service!

In 2006 the license fee, as it use to be called, was changed to a tax on receiving live broadcast TV in the UK. The BBC now makes millions selling programmes, something the original set up did not do, it was simply a service. It now pays certain individuals enormous salaries with the excuse that if you want the best, you have to pay for them. Who says they are the best anyway. Interestingly the government has conveniently now stepped back from overseeing its activities!

IMO the BBC should own up to being commercial; abolish the tax and compete with the rest of them. It lost sight of its original objectives many years ago!

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Accusations of BBC bias remind me of the Devil's Dictionary definition of Impiety: 'Your irreverence to my deity.'

Dave

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

BBC not advertising? Regularly watch their flagship evening magazine program 'The one show', every time a 'guest' appears the wife and I look at each other and simultaneously say " Written a book " , which surprise, surprise they then spend 5 minutes spouting on about.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

What seems nonsensical to me is that assuming I only want to watch one channel, say ITV, I then have to pay the BBC in order to do it? Why? What would you say if, in order to use a Nissan motorcar, you then had to pay a fee to Ford? Or perhaps to use a Dyson vacuum cleaner you had to pay Hoover for the privelege? Silly, I know, but that's what is happening, and I object strongly to it.

Why can't the licence fee be renamed as something like a "transmission" fee, and the proceeds be used to pay solely for the costs of operating the transmitters and associated equipment? The BBC can then, or perhaps should be, left to survive on whatever money it can scrounge elsewhere, be it adverts, subscriptions, whatever. When all said and done, this idea of separating content from the transmission medium has already been done with, eg BT, whereby Openreach now provides the transmission medium (the so-called last mile, or copper) whilst other companies, Talk-Talk, or even BT itself, provide the interconnection means, ie the exchanges

Another problem that I foresee concerns the use of DVR's to skip over the adverts. Way back when VCR's ruled the roost, there were shouts of dismay from content producers about people recording their programmes and skipping over the ads with the ultimate result that CD/DVD players now relinquish control of the skip-over function to the content providers. Just try buying a commercial CD/DVD and then skipping over the illegal copying warning – you cannot unless you modify the player to stop that function. So, how long will it be before DVR's incorporate the ability for content producers to prevent ad skipping?

On a similar vein, I have tried using at least one of the catch-up services, Ch.5 I think it may have been, and guess what – I could not fast forward over the ads! I no longer bother with catch-up, but in fairness, it's also the complete rigmarole of logging on, providing a post code, and giving my maiden grandmother's inside leg measurement that is the real turn off. Really, I've better things to do than go through all the above.

Sorry folks, rant over.

Peter G. Shaw

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Given that the license fee is basically a screen TAX and that the British B******t company have self determination where the "Fees" are spent, bit like the PPC investigating the Police, I wonder how long it will be before they decide that it will be a SCREEN tax with regards to Laptops etc.? It used to be that you didn't need a license to watch non live transmissions but the new "Authorities" have closed that loophole, so given that with streaming facilities, computers are "CAPABLE" of displaying live TV when is that bombshell going to hit?

No doubt some Jackal in the archives is working on that one. Still we should smile sweetly when £5,000,000 is being paid to one presenter.

My lathe/miller is CAPABLE of manufacturing armaments, BUT I don't do it.

Regards Ian.

Nearly forgot, it is possible to watch commercial TV recordings without the  ads BUT, there's a fee involved.

Edited By Circlip on 28/12/2021 11:20:02

Edited By Circlip on 28/12/2021 11:20:36

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