|
The BBC is not perfect but it does provide a wide range and of output and some of it is of a very high quality. For anyone who doesn’t know it provides eight national TV stations, special services for Scotland, Ireland and Wales, regional TV news and current affairs services in England, 8 national radio networks, 40 local radio stations, a large and highly rated website + on demand access in the UK to most of it’s radio and TV output over the previous 7 days via the internet and cable TV. All of this is commercial free but costs around 57 US cents a day for each household (not per person).
If you use any of these services on a regular basis – and most people in the UK consumer a lot of BBC news and entertainment output, I reckon it is terrific value.
The American system also produces some great stuff. I reckon we probably see some of the best of it over here. Having watched TV in the US it seems to me that you pay a higher price to see good programming. You either have to pay for premium channels or watch endless repeats of often mindless commercials. I thought the UK’s commercial networks were bad enough! PBS has some good stuff but the appeals for donations and sponsorship messages get in the way. I think that US citizens should get some kind of international endurance award for being able to see and hear the same message over and over again without turning off.
Neither the American or the British system is truly independent from the government. The good thing about the BBC is that it doesn’t have so many of the commercial pressures that the US networks have to cope with so it can say things and try things that the US networks don’t. Whatever you think of the BBC’s bias, it gives everyone access to intelligent information and some quality programming. I reckon anyone who can’t find some good stuff on the BBC hasn’t looked very hard.
By-the-way, as you may know, outside the UK the BBC also provides commercially funded international news and entertainment TV channels and non commercial overseas radio services in many languages (the radio services are funded directly by the government).
I am a great fan of American TV, radio and technology. I just think we get a better deal in the UK. I only hope the BBC can hold it together in an increasingly competitive market. Most UK citizens will miss it if it disappears. It’s a tough task to try and justify a license fee system if a lot of the population stop using the BBC’s services.
I am not sure why some people find it so outrageous that the BBC is paid for by a tax on each household. British and American citizens all pay taxes for services they may never use such as the state education system or even libraries. I guess it depends on your view on keeping people informed, educated and sometimes entertained.
|