What's Going On With The Beeb?

[mogadishu]

Originally posted by billyfridge+10 February 2004 - 07:10--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (billyfridge @ 10 February 2004 - 07:10)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MagicNakor@10 February 2004 - 12:01
I&#39;m fairly certain that the BBC took the fall for the whole thing. They are, after all, governmentally funded.

I don&#39;t know about government funding, every household, with a television has to pay for a licence wether they watch BBC or not. this year i have to pay £116.00
its compulsary. and it goes up every year. [/b][/quote]
well its my homepage and i watch it every night, so thank you for paying your license.

[billyfridge]

Originally posted by mogadishu+10 February 2004 - 13:24--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (mogadishu @ 10 February 2004 - 13:24)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by billyfridge@10 February 2004 - 07:10
<!--QuoteBegin-MagicNakor

@10 February 2004 - 12:01
I&#39;m fairly certain that the BBC took the fall for the whole thing. They are, after all, governmentally funded.

I don&#39;t know about government funding, every household, with a television has to pay for a licence wether they watch BBC or not. this year i have to pay £116.00
its compulsary. and it goes up every year.

well its my homepage and i watch it every night, so thank you for paying your license. [/b][/quote]
Yer welcome.

[j2k4]

Then, considering what I&#39;m reading here, maybe an opinion poll is indicated: "Public or Private funding for the Beeb?"

I noted in another thread I had a hard time believing that a government-funded (that is how I will refer to it, because that is what it is; the government takes your money and spends it for you) media could be considered impartial, or at least "not subject" to influence, government or otherwise.

My opinion only here, but I had spotted the Beeb to suffer from a liberal, anti-government bias much as I see the same circumstance in the U.S. anent NPR and PBS, which are both government/public funded, and, in fact, normally carry a lot of BBC programming.

All of these government/public funded media have had no qualms about marginalizing causes, movements or philosophies that are. shall we say, "other-than-liberal". Again, my opinion only, so I hope we don&#39;t get sidetracked discussing my opinion.

My point is, the BBC has been held up as the unassailable ship of integrity, and either there has been an instance of absolute collapse in this regard (Lord Hutton&#39;s report), or the government has prevailed, via sub rosa plotting and arm-twisting, to have it&#39;s way, resulting in several of the Beeb hierarchy falling on their swords.

If the U.K. public believes this last to be true, then I posit this would call for out-and-out revolt, or at least some mild questioning as to the efficacy of your yearly assessment to support the BBC, yes?

I am not looking to provoke, here, but I was looking for an indication that followers of the BBC would see this event as prompting a bit of a reality-check; ilw seems to be the only one who realizes this.

[billyfridge]

Originally posted by j2k4@10 February 2004 - 16:14
If the U.K. public believes this last to be true, then I posit this would call for out-and-out revolt, or at least some mild questioning as to the efficacy of your yearly assessment to support the BBC, yes?

We have no choice J2, we either pay the licence fee or get a whacking great fine in the courts.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by billyfridge+10 February 2004 - 12:22--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (billyfridge @ 10 February 2004 - 12:22)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-j2k4@10 February 2004 - 16:14
If the U.K. public believes this last to be true, then I posit this would call for out-and-out revolt, or at least some mild questioning as to the efficacy of your yearly assessment to support the BBC, yes?

We have no choice J2, we either pay the licence fee or get a whacking great fine in the courts. [/b][/quote]
Therein lies the problem, billyfridge:

Government auspices=no choice

Say what you like about the American media, but we got a bunch to pick from.

[ilw]

Originally posted by billyfridge+10 February 2004 - 15:22--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (billyfridge @ 10 February 2004 - 15:22)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-j2k4@10 February 2004 - 16:14
If the U.K. public believes this last to be true, then I posit this would call for out-and-out revolt, or at least some mild questioning as to the efficacy of your yearly assessment to support the BBC, yes?

We have no choice J2, we either pay the licence fee or get a whacking great fine in the courts. [/b][/quote]
I really hate having to shell out every year too, but then again i don&#39;t really begrudge the bbc the money. I&#39;d rather have it and pay than not have it. I think the thing that annoys most people is that your paying for services that you don&#39;t use, e.g. a few years ago it was found out that over 1/2 the people visiting the bbc website were from overseas so people feel like they are paying to provide a service to others. Or more recently the poor ratings for the BBC&#39;s digital channels (ie complaining because many people don&#39;t have digital telly yet and also complaining that the channels are crap).

As to government/public funded, I&#39;m under the impression (i really don&#39;t know though) that the BBC automatically gets all the money from the licence fee and is free to choose the method of apportionment, so the government has fairly little control, short of behind the scenes pressure, about the BBC&#39;s funding/expenditure.

[j2k4]

ilw-

I thank you for delving in a bit deeper.

[leftism]

While the BBC certainly made a grave error in trusting Gilligan 100%, I think we really need to take the Hutton report with a mountain of salt.

After hearing that Tony Blair chaired a meeting that formed the strategy of confirming the name of Dr Kelly, we are now expected to accept Huttons conclusion that Tony Blair played no part in this at all.

Bearing this in mind, I think you&#39;d have to be naive in the extreme to fully accept Huttons conclusions. Of course... you could always test this theory out by having a meeting with a hitman, arranging someones murder and then pleading innocent at your trial

The BBC made the mistake of having a knee jerk reaction to Alastair Campbells latest ferocious attack. This was not the first time Mr Campbell launched an assault on the BBC and, in the past, every time he did this it turned out that the BBC was right and Campbell was lying.

However, now that Mr Blair has admitted that the 45 minute claim did not refer to WMD, it appears that the general thrust of Mr Gilligans report was not wrong at all.

There now seems to be a strong consensus among the British public that the BBC has been made a scapegoat and that Huttons report was an obvious white wash.

If anyone really thinks this is a victory for the government and a defeat for the BBC, they should visit the UK, pop down to their nearest local for a pint and spend a couple of hours talking to real people.

[j2k4]

Not quite my point, lefty.

I believe the BBC has been damaged, and it&#39;s heretofore unassailable integrity and credibility has suffered.

Unless you reject Lord Hutton&#39;s report on it&#39;s face and in it&#39;s entirety, then the Beeb&#39;s most valuable stock in trade is marginalized.

Indeed, if you believe that Blair and his cronies have in any way bent the BBC to their wishes, the BBC is likewise just as surely damaged.

It is a lose-lose situation for the Beeb.

[hobbes]

Originally posted by leftism@10 February 2004 - 20:02
If anyone really thinks this is a victory for the government and a defeat for the BBC, they should visit the UK, pop down to their nearest local for a pint and spend a couple of hours talking to real people.

Lefty,

I think I found your problem, you get all your information from drunk people


It&#39;s all true, the BBC is evil.

You are going to love this&#33;

I don&#39;t know exactly what he said because I was a bit distracted by his evangelistic hair, but the lapel reassured me that all would be well.