I had no idea it cost so much

[no1_vern]

British TV liscense fees are way, way to high IMO.

I wouldnt have a TV if it cost $182.00 more per YEAR than it does now. I had no idea that England charges for each TV per year.

With what is showing now, I watch TV as little as 3 hours a week(friends, Leno monologue + headlines and Jaywalking), and news.

Vern

[alondra]

we may get a post from the UK but I think these fees finance the broadcasting and they dont have loads of commercials to do it.
I sometimes think it would be worth it to be rid of the commercials. except one of my grand sons would be out of work, he makes them.

[sharder8]

Hmmmm --

"Jean-Jacques Marmont" --Now there's a REAL English sounding name!! Complaining "the fee breaches his rights to freedom of expression under the European Convention of Human Rights."

I can see the fallout now!

1st -- England vs. France over Iraq war
2nd -- English violation of European Convention of Human Rights by an alleged Englishman, with a French name
3rd -- European Union Court meets to resolve, but pass it on to the U.N.
4th -- The BBC raises the license fee



Harder

[Skywalker[TSG]]

The License fee goes to the puplic service channels
these have no commercials but often suck !

I'm forced to pay $220 every year for 2 worthless swedish channels and one FINNISH channel ! I dont speak a word of finnish

WTF!

[Epidemic]

Cable provides the 100 channels of crap for 30 bucks a month.

[Jonty]

There are plans afoot that the licence fee may be abolished in a few years time, let's hope so.

Everyone with a TV has to have one, even if they only watch commercial TV (ie with adverts), or even if they just have a cable connection.

British TV used to be the best in the world but these days most of it is pap. There are so many pay channels now the content has just been diluted. As it is the BBC has digital channels etc etc, some of which get not even 1000 viewers per day and the licence few is funding all this. Most people still have analogue TV's and the date for shutting down the analogue transmitters was 2006, but now it is 'sometime in the future'.

I watch about three hours per week now, which is a favourite soap and a bit of news.

The BBC still do the occasional good programme but mainly it is left-wing biased rubbish. On all channels the mainstay is 'makeover' programmes. People renovating houses, cookery, gardening ad infinitum. Oh, and fifteen minutes of fame type of programmes too.

We have a TV at work but this is just used for training videos, and the set has had to be officially doctored so that it cannot recieve any transmitted programmes so we don't have to pay the licence!

[skuz]

I had no idea there was a TV fee anywhere.

[Jonty]

Originally posted by skuz
I had no idea there was a TV fee anywhere.

I think there are still a few countries. Netherlands maybe??

[Graham]

Just in cas Jonty didn't make it clear, the licence fee pays only for BBC television and radio stations (both national and local) with no advertising. None of it goes towards the commercial stations, but everyone must have a licence, and they even check if you buy a VCR or DVD !

And I agree with Jonty as to the content and bias.

G

[skuz]

pay a license for no commercials ?
Good idea. I'd rather pay than check out 20 mins of ads for a 1 hour program. A few ones between programs could be allowed.