Ok to start this off I'm going to be completely open with you all. I love the BBC.
I believe that the BBC is something to be truly proud of as a nation.
I've studied and worked in the media and have always looked at the BBC as a beacon of quality, public service and a level above all other media groups.
Ok, we have to pay a licence fee, but so what?
The licence fee costs £155 a year or £2.97 per week, less than one Starbucks coffee. And what do you get back for that small contribution as a consumer?
Just consider the services you get from the BBC:
TV
BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Three
BBC Four
CBBC
CBeebies
BBC News Channel
BBC Parliament
Regional programming
RADIO
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1xtra
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 Extra
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC Asian Network
BBC local radio services
DIGITAL
BBC.co.uk
BBC iPlayer
BBC Sounds
BBC News
BBC Sport
BBC Bitesize
BBC Weather
CBBC & CBeebies online
OTHER SERVICES
BBC Scotland
BBC One Scotland
BBC One Wales
BBC One Northern Ireland
BBC Two Wales
BBC Two Northern Ireland
BBC Alba
Radio Scotland
Radio Nan Gaidheal
BBC Radio Wales
Radio Cymru
Radio Cymru 2
Radio Ulster
Radio Foyle
BBC Education
BBC World Service
BBC World News
Access for all comes by providing subtitles on all programme content broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two (including national and regional variants), BBC Four, BBC News, CBBC and CBeebies and on BBC Three long-form programming. Audio description is available on 20% of their programmes on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, CBBC and CBeebies and long-form programmes on BBC Three. In-vision signing is provided on 5% of their channel output.
Part of the fee also contributes towards Freeview and Freesat, and towards the UK broadband rollout, funding local TV channels and S4C.
Don't forget that the organisation also has a commercial arm to it with the likes of BBC Studios, BBC Studioworks, BBC magazine licences and BBC Global News.
A OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults in 2018 found that respondents watched around 27 hours’ worth of television in a typical week. In 2018, 80% of UK adults watched BBC Television each week during that 12-month period. That same year, 64% of UK adults listened to BBC Radio each week. 74% of UK adults use BBC Online each month.
A basic Sky subscription costs from £300 per year, a basic Virgin Media package costs from £360 per year, BT costs from £120 per year. For the newer kids on the block, Netflix costs from £72 per year and launched just this year Disney+ costs £60. But, with all of these you need to consider installation and broadband costs to use each of these services and any extra bolt-ons you may want. With the licence fee, it's all in.
BBC Chairman Sir David Clementi has recently warned that replacing the licence fee with a subscription service could potentially spell the end for CBeebies and CBBC and wipe out its regional coverage. These are some of the crown jewels for the service. Whilst they don't have the volume of some of the other channels that would be needed in a subscription model, the services they provide are vital to those who consume them. He went on to state
"No other brand resonates around the world like the BBC. No other national asset has the potential to serve Britain so powerfully – uniting us as one nation at home, and representing global Britain abroad. The BBC is a great national asset; a diminished BBC is a weakened United Kingdom."
We have a young child. As a result, I consume a lot of kids TV and media now. I have nothing but praise for the content that comes from Media City in Salford for kids. There is often a mini battle in the mornings between CBeebies and C5's Milkshake and good grief I would rather watch CBeebies every day over the imported tripe on C5. It's clear that most programmes imported from Canada and America have all been created with merchandising opportunities attached. there is limited focus on learning and development, there is no focus in trying to serve different groups whereas the BBC ticks all of these boxes with ease.
Where else in the world would you find children's programmes with content like Pablo, Something Special, My World Kitchen, Where in the World, Go Jetters, Hey Duggee and more. These are all programmes that wouldn't see the light of day if it was a purely commercial decision. Only the BBC could produce these shows and that is to their credit and should be applauded.
Look, I'm in my 40's now. I admit that I consume media in a different way to how a member of Generation-Z would. However, I recognise the value, quality and variety that the BBC offers. Is it all for me? No. But, it's not supposed to all be for me, that's the point.
To quote the BBC themselves, it's "For all of us."
Consume the bits you're interested in. If you don't like it don't consume it then you don't have to pay the licence fee. But, my word, you'd miss out on so much for such a small cost:
The BBC is a huge media beast. It delivers on its public charter and whilst it isn't perfect what big organisation is? Without the BBC and it's unique funding structure the UK would be at risk of a US-style media where sensationalism and commercialism rule the roost and variety, experimentation and impartiality hardly exist.
Please support and protect YOUR British Broadcasting Corporation.
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