Oolite Bulletins

Rona Fairhead, BBC Trust Chairman wrote:

It is clear that the long-term future of broadcasting is online and the BBC needs to find new and exciting ways to help audiences make that transition.....

Emphasis added by me, but I just found this interesting for some reason. I suppose we already know that, but I didn't realise that they know it as well. I don't know why I find that so surprising.

'... new and exciting ways to help audiences make that transition.' Yeah... like the introduction of a monthly internet tax?

<chuckles - Smivs loves cynicism>
I know what you mean - the Licence is becoming ever more irrelevant and anachronistic. Auntie will have to be funded differently in the future.
The quote was actually plucked from an item on BBC3 (the 'youth' TV channel) possibly becoming on-line only as a cost-saving measure.

Smivs quoting BBC wrote:

BBC3 possibly becoming on-line only as a cost-saving measure

It's interesting to consider that (the generic) they imply transmission of a signal via aerial is more expensive than through wire or optic fibre buried in the ground.

SteveKing wrote:

Smivs quoting BBC wrote:

BBC3 possibly becoming on-line only as a cost-saving measure

It's interesting to consider that (the generic) they imply transmission of a signal via aerial is more expensive than through wire or optic fibre buried in the ground.

Broadcasting is obviously cheaper overall than point-to-point transmission, but online delivery allows content presenters to push plant ("infrastructure") costs out to the telcos, and if the NBN doesn't come by your house, well too bad, it's not the content presenters' responsibility.

Is it worth noting that in Australia the government separated the National Transmission Network (the aerials) from the ABC & SBS years ago, so the national broadcasters' responsibilities end at the presentation stage and they don't actually do any broadcasting?

Hmm, according to wikipedia, like so many other national assets in Australia, the NTN is now under the (indirect) control of the government of Canada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_ ... ion_Agency. Let's hope Australia never goes to war with Canada.

Hmm hmm, speaking of the NBN, I see it reported today that the next roll out in WA will be Margaret River. Good to know that millionaires' holiday homes only occupied for a few weeks per year take priority over the million-odd residents of the eastern suburbs of Perth. Ain't democracy grand?

The BBC is to cut 1,000 jobs because of a £150m budget gap in its licence fee income. An unexpected increase in the number of households saying they do not watch live TV so do not pay for a licence has been blamed for the shortfall.

That internet tax can't be far off, methinks. <spits>

Cody wrote:

The BBC is to cut 1,000 jobs because of a £150m budget gap in its licence fee income. An unexpected increase in the number of households saying they do not watch live TV so do not pay for a licence has been blamed for the shortfall.

That internet tax can't be far off, methinks. <spits>

Across the little pond, we've simply done away with the whole licensing idea, saving on the bureacracy involved in that,and simply pay Public Broadcasting out of the Public Purse.

Mazur wrote:

Across the little pond, we've simply done away with the whole licensing idea, saving on the bureacracy involved in that,and simply pay Public Broadcasting out of the Public Purse.

The problem here in the UK is that we have a government ideologically opposed to public broadcasting (despite its many flaws the BBC produces far more, and far better, material, at a much lower cost, than the private sector, which drives neoliberal free-marketeers nuts - or more nuts). We also have a private media owned by a handful of billionaires who are opposed to public broadcasting on their own personal economic grounds, i.e. they don't like having to compete with something that sets high standards for a fraction of the money (BBC license fee: £12 per month; monthly subscription to e.g. Sky: anywhere between £20 and £70 per month), and see rich pickings for themselves if and when the Beeb is sent to slaughter.

Smivs wrote:

<chuckles - Smivs loves cynicism>
I know what you mean - the Licence is becoming ever more irrelevant and anachronistic. Auntie will have to be funded differently in the future.

We did away with the TV Licence fee here in NZ years ago - the fund for local broadcasting (New Zealand on Air) is paid out of general taxation. Which saves money on all that tedious mucking about with licensing compliance...

Ranthe wrote:

We did away with the TV Licence fee here in NZ years ago - the fund for local broadcasting (New Zealand on Air) is paid out of general taxation. Which saves money on all that tedious mucking about with licensing compliance...

Yes, it sounds innocuous enough. Until you find yourselves with a $1,100,000,000 per year beast like the ABC that goes rogue and just transmits 24/7 propaganda for #openBorders and #marriageEquality, and a parliament of cowed politicians too afraid to #defundABC for fear it will turn its massive resources against them. I urge UKians never to fall into the trap of this apparently good idea. Keep the TV licence fee, as irksome as it is.

Wildeblood wrote:

Ranthe wrote:

We did away with the TV Licence fee here in NZ years ago - the fund for local broadcasting (New Zealand on Air) is paid out of general taxation. Which saves money on all that tedious mucking about with licensing compliance...

Yes, it sounds innocuous enough. Until you find yourselves with a $1,100,000,000 per year beast like the ABC that goes rogue and just transmits 24/7 propaganda for #openBorders and #marriageEquality, and a parliament of cowed politicians too afraid to #defundABC for fear it will turn its massive resources against them.

Ummmm... okay.

Ranthe wrote:

Ummmm... okay.

What, you think it couldn't happen to the BBC? Any organization in the world can be captured by the watermelons, fabians, satanic illuminati, CIA, scientology, hillsong or any number of other groups who operate surreptitiously. And once they capture a media organization, they won't give it up without a fight.

What's happened to Smivs?

Wildeblood wrote:

What's happened to Smivs?

Still here
I think I had a rebound from my previously omnipresent state and became a single point in time and space. I have started to expand again, so I'll be back to normal soon hopefully.

Wildeblood wrote:

Ranthe wrote:

Ummmm... okay.

What, you think it couldn't happen to the BBC? Any organization in the world can be captured by the watermelons, fabians, satanic illuminati, CIA, scientology, hillsong or any number of other groups who operate surreptitiously. And once they capture a media organization, they won't give it up without a fight.

Or even, god forbid, the capitalists..

Diziet Sma wrote:

Wildeblood wrote:

What, you think it couldn't happen to the BBC? Any organization in the world can be captured by the watermelons, fabians, satanic illuminati, CIA, scientology, hillsong or any number of other groups who operate surreptitiously. And once they capture a media organization, they won't give it up without a fight.

Or even, god forbid, the capitalists..

They don't operate surreptitiously. Citizen Murdoch makes no secret he'd like the ABC & BBC sold off so he could buy the useful bits.