BBC TV Licensing - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

Personally, the one thing that makes the beeb stand out from the crowd is the lack of annoying adverts.

It won't be long before ITV (or another commercial operator) has adverts sponsored by a company, as almost all of their shows are sponsored 

[JayMac]

Imagine how much of the license fee would be wasted on postage if the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) replied to every 'reasoned argument'.  

[JayMac]

I'm gonna defend the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) now. I am happy to pay around ^12 a month for the range of services that the BBC provides. 8 national television channels (9 if you've got HD), 10 national radio stations and countless regional ones, bbc.co.uk, BBC iPlayer. And all free of commercial advertising. Intra-corporation advertising is a little annoying however.

Outside of the license fee it provides excellent educational services to learners of all ages, The World Service, professional concert orchestras and a diverse range of magazines.

What I am not happy about however is how Capita Group go about TV^▸ (Thames Valley) license enforcement.

[John R]

I agree, even if their Election Night boat party was awful. But I figured it gave the studio a few minutes breathing space every few minutes to avoid the spectacle of Dimbleby tucking into a bacon sandwich, which happened on a previous occasion. And 20k is a drop in the ocean (or should that be the Thames) in terms of the budget for the night's broadcast. I suspect the only effect it had was that it was the trigger for weary viewers to decide that maybe now was a good time to switch off and get some sleep.

The coverage didn't get off to a good start either, as they ditched the dramatic music that had been used for Election Nights since 1979 in place of a piece that I'd forgotten even before it had finished. 

[devon_metro]

The coverage didn't get off to a good start either, as they ditched the dramatic music that had been used for Election Nights since 1979 in place of a piece that I'd forgotten even before it had finished. 

Not to mention one of the big TV^▸ (Thames Valley) screens breaking!

[JayMac]

There was one scoop that Brillo got on the boat - the interview with Tory party donor and non-dom Lord Ashcroft.

One thing that really annoyed me about the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s Election Night coverage was Dimbleby talking over sucessful candidates' acceptence speeches. Couldn't the statistical breakdown of the results waited a few minutes so we could here what our new elected representatives had to say? I had to constantly switch to Sky News to hear winning candidates speak.

[moonrakerz]

I wouldn't really consider it a tax (as such) and therefore wouldn't replace it with a tax but rather make the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) get their own income.

One of the things that I discovered in my reasearch when engaged in my battle with TVL is that the Licence is classified as a tax. This was done so that the revenue raised by the Licence would count as part of GDP. Damn' clever what ?

[A V Lowe]

Dipped into this - if you read the licence it is for the use of equipment which is capable of receiving (broadcast) television signals - I had for many years had VCR's and CRT^▸ (Canal & River Trust, Critical Rail Temperature or Cathode Ray Tube, depending on context)/monitors which did not received TV^▸ (Thames Valley) signals and happily ignored TVL until the mother in law's complaints that she could not see Dead Enders and Consternation Street had me caving in fro domestic peace. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BBC investigating TV^▸ (Thames Valley) licence fee collectors

The BBC has ordered an investigation into reports TV licence fee collectors targeted vulnerable people, spurred on by an aggressive incentive scheme.

An investigation by the Daily Mail said bosses at Capita, which collects the fee, promised bonuses of up to £15,000 a year to catch 28 evaders a week.

Capita said those statements "do not reflect the high standards we expect".

BBC Director General Tony Hall said Capita had "fallen short" of standards it expected on behalf of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) public.

The government said it would talk to the BBC about the company's conduct.

The Daily Mail sent a reporter to interview for a job at Capita, and allegedly found staff being pushed to gather evidence to take as many people to court as possible.

One interviewer was recorded saying: "We will drive you as hard as we can to get as much as we can out of you because we're greedy."

According to the paper, the company's 330 field officers are told they must hit a target number of evaders, known as the "magic 28", and for each person they catch over that, they can be paid an extra £20 to £25.

The BBC's director general, Tony Hall, said he wanted "urgent confirmation" that the interview questions were not "standard practice", vulnerable people were not being targeted, and that Capita was taking "appropriate action" over the incident.

In a letter to Capita's CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer), Andy Parker, he said: "Public trust is the cornerstone of the licence fee system. It is clear that, in this instance, Capita has fallen short of the standards the BBC has a right to expect on behalf of the British public."

The BBC added that it expected licence fee officers to "behave in a courteous, professional manner and abide by a published code of conduct".

Capita said its incentive scheme only applied to sales of licence fees and it only prosecuted as a last resort.

A spokesman added: "Capita is required by the BBC to ensure households are not breaking the law. Officers are expected to act in a professional manner. We strongly refute any allegation that officers are instructed to act outside of these requirements. Where we find employees have not acted as they should we act appropriately."

Downing Street said ministers would be raising the conduct of the enforcement officers with the BBC. "Clearly, these are concerning reports," a No 10 spokesman said. "The licence fee does need to be collected in a fair and reasonable manner. I see the BBC has quite rightly ordered an urgent investigation into these reports."

Damian Collins, Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) and chairman of the Commons culture committee, told the Daily Mail: "It's very concerning. This is being done in the BBC's name. The BBC needs to make sure changes are made to the way this contract is being run or that it's taken away from Capita and given to someone else."

Labour MP Chris Matheson, who also sits on the committee, called for Capita bosses to be summoned to Parliament.

In 2015, 166,000 people were fined for licence fee evasion. The maximum penalty for watching BBC channels or iPlayer without a licence is £1,000.

In January, new sentencing guidelines were introduced meaning magistrates can impose a non-financial penalty, known as a conditional discharge, so the person will not be sentenced unless they commit another offence.

This will only be used in cases where people have made significant efforts to pay the fee.

[Fourbee]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Damian Collins, Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) and chairman of the Commons culture committee, told the Daily Mail: "It's very concerning. This is being done in the BBC's name. The BBC needs to make sure changes are made to the way this contract is being run or that it's taken away from Capita and given to someone else."

Except, it's not been done in the BBC's name though, is it? Perhaps that is a small part of the problem.

[Western Pathfinder]

In the old days TV^▸ (Thames Valley) licensing used to be run from an office next to Bristol Bus Station before it was put out to tender .

[Sixty3Closure]

Not sure the problem is specifically with the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) but rather out sourcing and tendering itself. The BBC was encouraged/forced by legislation to put the collection out to tender (as with so many public sector services) so its probably not surprising that the companies running these can get er...creative to maximise profits.

Also anyone who's run an out sourced service will no that that you don't get involved in the detail as that's the whole point of the contract.

I think as a general point though its whether you want public services paid for in ways like the licence fee or not - bit like the trains really. I'm sure many car drivers feel equally strongly about rail subsidies.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

BBC licence fee 'unenforceable', says culture secretary


Lisa Nandy has previously said the licence fee was "deeply regressive"

The culture secretary has said the BBC's licence fee is "unenforceable" and insisted "no options are off the table" when the government begins a review into the corporation's current funding model later this year.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Lisa Nandy said there were "problems" with the annual charge, with "fewer and fewer people" paying the £174.50 fee.

The charter, which expires in 2027 and is under review, is an agreement between the BBC and the government that sets out the terms and purposes of the corporation - including the existence of the licence fee.

A BBC spokeswoman said the broadcaster looks forward to engaging with the government and securing the long-term future of the BBC.

Nandy has already started negotiations with the BBC about the corporation's funding. It currently gets most of its income from the licence fee - in the last financial year, the BBC received £3.7bn, or about two-thirds of its total income, from it.

"We're open to a different system," she told the Telegraph, but admitted no preferred options had been put forward yet. She added the government wanted the public's input in shaping the new model to create "a fairer, more sustainable system".

According to the BBC, 80% of households currently pay the licence fee.

Nandy also said she had been "very concerned" about the way the fee had been enforced in the past as it had been found to disproportionately target women. Two BBC reviews found the gender disparity had been due to societal factors.

The review in 2017 detailed a gender skew towards women-only households, a greater likelihood of women answering the door to TV^▸ (Thames Valley) Licensing Enquiry Officers and a higher chance of them engaging positively with an officer.

In 2023, the BBC set out plans to reduce the high proportion of women being prosecuted for licence fee evasion, after figures showed that they made up 76% of the 52,376 people convicted over it in 2020.

Nandy has previously said the charge was "deeply regressive" and that she was thinking "quite radically and creatively" about alternatives. But the minister has ruled out using general taxation to fund the BBC. She did, however, keep open the possibility of a subscription model.

Last month in a Sunday Times interview, the corporation's chairman suggested wealthier households could be charged more.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "The public cares about the BBC and we have launched our biggest ever public engagement exercise, so audiences can help drive and shape what they want from a universal and independent BBC in the future. We want to continue to reform and evolve and look forward to engaging with government on the next Charter and securing the long-term future of the BBC."

[GBM]

Happy to pay for a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) licence.

[Oxonhutch]

Happy to pay for a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) licence.

Having lived and worked around the world with generally chaotic TV^▸ (Thames Valley) (Australia was by far the worst), I will gladly keep paying the licence fee if that keeps the mind-killing commercials off the screen.