On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:15:25 -0000, "Owain"
wrote:

"T i m" wrote
| Anyway, though all this debate and talking to a mate today *I*
| came to the conclusion the BBC should scramble their
| transmissions and let us pay for it if we want it?

Quite possible, and not that unlikely in the longer term, with digital.

I was thinking that as I wrote it ..

| (Personally I think I'd go without .. )

There lies the crux of the matter. The BBC only works as it does because it
gets £whatever from 99% of households. If it were scrambled the argument
would be to make it a subscription service in competition with other
subscription services i.e. you could subscribe to $ky and *not* BBC if you
so choose.

That was what I was thinking (rather than this blanket "you use a TV
therefore you pay *US*"?

To provide the same level of programming (?) with, say, 1/3rd of
households subscribing would triple the subscription cost.

If your guesstimate is right then wouldn't that reflect the perceived
'value' of their output and demonstrate why lots of people feel the
licence is expensive (as do I but still got one). We don't
'subscribe' to any services via our Cable box / no Sky etc.

There is also the
dilemma of how services such as radio would be funded. At the moment
everyone with a TV licence pays for radio, and as almost everyone has a TV
and almost everyone listens to radio at some time or another, there is no
great unfairness.

Again, I have spent what little time I actually listen to the radio
(normally only in the car / bathroom) with Capital Radio' but now
sometimes find myself with (as I get older g I'm 47) Radio1
(especially when out of range of Capital).

However the theoretical 1/3rd of households subscribing to
BBCTV might be less willing to pay for radio -- or BBC management might be
less willing to divert funds from subscription TV to a lower profile
activity. And much BBC radio really is a jewel in the corporation's crown.

Possibly. Maybe I just don't buy into this 'BBC Club' thing. I have no
doubt that they 'make good TV' but it's rarely anything that interests
me?

I suppose because I don't generally watch TV (in the real WATCH sense,
it's often on for 'company' and to mask my Tinnitus) I think I would
prefer to keep the cash (or choose another pay service to watch) more
than I would miss the few programes I may loose? Not sure how 'she'
could live without Corry or Enders (or whatever is on BBC) .. loosing
both would be reason enough for me NOT to buy the licence!

All the best ..

T i m