Post by Teddy Bear on Feb 3, 2014 18:12:10 GMT
Ex BBC 'Crimewatch' host recommends ending the licence fee and making it a subscription service to prevent the BBC 'falling off a cliff'.
Clearly he's been following the way that more and more people negatively regard the BBC today, and he's making his suggestion in order to save it.
Works for me.
Clearly he's been following the way that more and more people negatively regard the BBC today, and he's making his suggestion in order to save it.
Works for me.
Scrap the TV licence or public support for the BBC will 'fall off a cliff', warns ex-Crimewatch host Nick Ross
By Matt Chorley
The BBC licence fee should be scrapped and replaced with a voluntary subscription service, TV presenter Nick Ross has claimed.
The former host of Crimewatch warned support for the BBC would ‘fall off a cliff’ if the mandatory charge for all owners of a television set is not axed.
But the Corporation hit back saying the change would mean fewer people paying much more each year to maintain a quality service.
Viewers must buy a TV licence £145.50 licence if they want to watch live broadcasts.
But they can legally avoid paying by waiting until their favourite show is available on BBC iPlayer instead.
The rise of rival subscription services including Sky, Virgin Media, BT and Netflix has also raised questions about the viability of a compulsory charge for the BBC.
Wrangling over the future of the licence fee is expected to build in the run up to the renewal of the BBC royal charter in 2017.
Ross argues that the flat fee for every home should be replaced with a pay-per-view or subscroiption charge, which he claims could raise more than the current £3.6billion.
Ross told the Sunday Times: ‘I'm one of the few people calling for the abolition of the licence fee who are doing this because they treasure the BBC.
‘The experience of BSkyB is that people will voluntarily pay far more than they will under criminal sanction, and easily enough to promote and subsidise the encrypted radio-receiver technology that would need to be phased in.
‘People who support the BBC now could change their minds; this would be pretty dangerous for the BBC,’ he added.
However a BBC spokesman warned: ‘Subscription would lead to more expensive fees paid for by fewer people.’
Ross is only the latest senior figure with links to the BBC calling for an overhaul of the licenece fee.
Question Time host David Dimblbely last year called on the director-general Tony Hall to hand out the licence fee to its commercial rivals to create ‘more variety’ in TV and radio output.
It came after former head of TV news Roger Mosey admitted the BBC was too big and too left wing, and also suggested the licence fee should be shared with rivals and the number of TV channels reduced.
- Licence fee 'should be replaced with pay-per-view or subscription'
- Warns people who support the BBC now could change their minds
- But BBC insists fewer people would pay much more under subscription
By Matt Chorley
The BBC licence fee should be scrapped and replaced with a voluntary subscription service, TV presenter Nick Ross has claimed.
The former host of Crimewatch warned support for the BBC would ‘fall off a cliff’ if the mandatory charge for all owners of a television set is not axed.
But the Corporation hit back saying the change would mean fewer people paying much more each year to maintain a quality service.
Viewers must buy a TV licence £145.50 licence if they want to watch live broadcasts.
But they can legally avoid paying by waiting until their favourite show is available on BBC iPlayer instead.
The rise of rival subscription services including Sky, Virgin Media, BT and Netflix has also raised questions about the viability of a compulsory charge for the BBC.
Wrangling over the future of the licence fee is expected to build in the run up to the renewal of the BBC royal charter in 2017.
Ross argues that the flat fee for every home should be replaced with a pay-per-view or subscroiption charge, which he claims could raise more than the current £3.6billion.
Ross told the Sunday Times: ‘I'm one of the few people calling for the abolition of the licence fee who are doing this because they treasure the BBC.
‘The experience of BSkyB is that people will voluntarily pay far more than they will under criminal sanction, and easily enough to promote and subsidise the encrypted radio-receiver technology that would need to be phased in.
‘People who support the BBC now could change their minds; this would be pretty dangerous for the BBC,’ he added.
However a BBC spokesman warned: ‘Subscription would lead to more expensive fees paid for by fewer people.’
Ross is only the latest senior figure with links to the BBC calling for an overhaul of the licenece fee.
Question Time host David Dimblbely last year called on the director-general Tony Hall to hand out the licence fee to its commercial rivals to create ‘more variety’ in TV and radio output.
It came after former head of TV news Roger Mosey admitted the BBC was too big and too left wing, and also suggested the licence fee should be shared with rivals and the number of TV channels reduced.