Is the BBC too big?

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  • Steve™Steve™ Posts: 7,286
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    Is the BBC too big? :confused:

    This list of BBC services could easily be reduced.

    BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, BBC HD, BBC Alba, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC One HD, BBC America, BBC Canada, BBC Kids, BBC Prime, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Knowledge, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 1Xtra, BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 7, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, BBC Radio Shetland, BBC Radio Orkney, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle, BBC Essex, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Northampton, BBC Radio Suffolk, BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Leicester, BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC London 94.9, BBC Tees, BBC Radio Cumbria, BBC Newcastle, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Berkshire, BBC Oxford, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Kent, BBC Surrey, BBC Sussex, BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Guernsey, BBC Jersey, Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Wiltshire, BBC Somerset, BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Humberside, BBC Lincolnshire, BBC WM, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio Stoke.



    Thats the nature of state television - to be everywhere covering all areas and all ages.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
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    We do:

    you do?

    that's very sweet of you.

    Iain :)
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
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    Charnham wrote: »
    which is an interesting point, the Roman Emprie, was very forward looking, and made advancements in society as well as miltary. The world would be much more advanced if the Roman Empire was still standing.

    So yes the BBC is exactly like the Roman Empire ;)
    Yeah, but what have the Romans ever done for us?
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
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    Why do you write your name after every single post? :confused:
    Why does it seem to bother you? And why is it a broadcasting issue?

    mossy2103
  • mikwmikw Posts: 48,713
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    loz wrote: »
    Then it is doomed to be gradually eroded, and die a death by a thousand cuts. With reduced budgets and output, leading to a decline in viewers, and in popularity, leading to even fewer in favour of the licence fee, which even more think represents poor vfm.

    It needn't be that way, if Murdoch and co just concentrated on their own strengths.

    Erode the BBC, and watching TV will be more expensive for those who cannot afford to subscribe to pay-TV.

    You'll also get less British TV and Radio being created, and less in the way of diverse content.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
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    We do:

    apologies if my earlier post appeared flippant.

    but just out of interest, on a scale of 1 - 100, how much do you care?

    and how interested in our little side discussion do you think other people reading are in any of this?

    Iain :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 240
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    Why are 35 radio stations required for England? Why are there stations for tiny communities like Shetland and Orkney? It seems a very odd set up that all of Scotland gets BBC Radio Weegie yet a lot of smaller communities get their own stations.

    BBC Alba - never seen it, probably never will. Only worth watching for the football.

    BBC3 could be punted.

    Asian network? Why?

    What on Earth is BBC Lifestyle?!
  • NilremNilrem Posts: 6,938
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    charcope wrote: »
    Why are 35 radio stations required for England? Why are there stations for tiny communities like Shetland and Orkney? It seems a very odd set up that all of Scotland gets BBC Radio Weegie yet a lot of smaller communities get their own stations.
    !

    I'm going to make a wild arsed guess as to why Shetland and Orkney get their own stations.
    Probably something to do with the transmitters having to be setup locally for them to get any sort of reliable radio/tv service.
    I'm also going to make a second WAG, and suggest that they may not be "full" stations, but rather have some local content, but not be fully staffed like a larger area would be (IE they might have mainly part time/voluntary staff, some of whom would likely be required simply to help maintain the transmitter/if there is a problem).

    IIRC the "regional" stations tend to be linked to the transmitter network, and allow the BBC to have local reporters stationed across the country to provide local and national input into the news.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 367
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    Pencil wrote: »
    BBC One is all we really need.

    Why should the tax-payer/TV owners be forced to fund an ENORMOUS business costing billions, when the same privately-funded services exist? I could understand it 50 years ago, but not today.

    I would rather the government minimised the licence fee, raised taxes and put the money to greater causes, such as health, higher education and defence.

    Sorry, but the same privately funded services do not exist. BBC regional and local radio stations offer content and services that the commercial sector doesn't provide - and there's no annoying repetitious adverts every 10 minutes either.
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
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    charcope wrote: »
    Why are 35 radio stations required for England?
    Because they are local radio stations, covering a local area, and providing programming, news and features of local interest?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 259
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    It's only three letters long.

    Do you want it to be called just B or something? Sticking the C's on eBay?
  • Lee MorrisLee Morris Posts: 2,824
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    Hi! All
    I am glad I have come across this as I was going to start a discussion regarding the BBC recently asking for oppinions of where to make cuts, but I will comment here instead.

    Now in some ways I do think it is too big as I feel that some of the managers and presenters are complacent, I mean take the situation since the Iraq War Enquirery in which Greg Dyke lost his job.

    I feel the BBC had in in for Labour ever since then and I know that Labour had situations which came about which made even myself think oh no not again, but under Labour people never had it so good in The Winter Fuel Allowence, Child Trust Funds, Sure Start, Free Milk For Schools, The Minimum Wage.

    Sorry to get political but on the Daily Politics Show even when Gordon Brown answered the questions on PMQs, the BBC and presenter Andrew Neil went out of their way week in, week out to back David Cameron up in picking out the emails sent in by Tory voters commenting on Gordon Brown not answering the question.

    So not only did I feel that the bbc play a part in Labour loosing the election but even the other day an interviewer on BBC News even after the Labour minister saying about introducing a graduate tax, said I still can not see what Labour would do and I thought that maybe they do not understand the part of graduation tax.

    Also the situation with Johnathon Ross and Russell Brand, well just looking at Russell Brand you know from some of his humor that he is not the sort of comediane who deserves to be employed by anyone as he is a so called comediane, where as I am just amazed Johnathon Ross let himself stoop so lo.

    And the same goes for Chris Moyles as well as some content such as on his record breaking breakfast show to the newsreader[I like ladies boobs], it would not have happened in my day of listening to Radios 1 and 2.

    As for the music on Radio 1 and some of it is the most inane music and just lawless music, but people at the BBC and Radio 1 are not only picking it but are probably having a good laugh while listening.

    Not only can I not imagine a chart from the current day being played on Pick of the Pops but surely the BBC and the type of music it plays in the way of pop should not be playing to the disbehaved youth of today but is also not fit to be aired.

    Alright I know not all of todays pop music is like it but quite alot of it is and something needs doing about it, the relationship between the amount of crime and type of music a station plays needs to be looked into.

    The you go to the BBC person who was payed[I do not know why] to come up with a rewritten Humpty Dumpty Rhyme, as well as a certain CBeebies advert mentioning the word poo.

    And as for Watchdog and Dan the motorcycle rider, I mean the inane chat with him and Matt Alright makes what should be a straight forward consumer programme embarressing to watch. Yet will the BBC get rid of Dan and the inane chatter and keep experienced broadcasters such as Johnnie Walker and Bob Harris?.

    I fear sometimes so yes in someways the BBC needs to have a good look at itself and think where it can save money, but instead of getting rid of the likes of Johnnie Walker and Bob Harris, get rid of Dan from Watchdog and that will be a big start in saving money.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
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    i'd really love to know what you mean by 'lawless music'?

    are you sure its not just because you're a bit older than the intended audience?

    back when you were younger, did people the age you are now not think similar things about the music you listened to?

    Iain
  • Dan's DadDan's Dad Posts: 9,880
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    Lee Morris wrote: »
    Hi! All.....

    And as for Watchdog and Dan the motorcycle rider, .....
    Yet will the BBC get rid of Dan .....?
    ...... get rid of Dan from Watchdog and that will be a big start in saving money.
    How much is he paid then?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 240
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    mossy2103 wrote: »
    Because they are local radio stations, covering a local area, and providing programming, news and features of local interest?

    Presumably all these areas already have local/community stations though? If we're going for a local BBC station in every area then were is BBC Radio Edinburgh, BBC Radio Fife, BBC Radio Newport?

    I mean could there not just be BBC Radio North instead of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield?
  • mikwmikw Posts: 48,713
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    charcope wrote: »
    Presumably all these areas already have local/community stations though?

    You do know where the community stations get their news/travel/weather from?

    Usually from the local sections of the BBC website, or recording them from BBC local radio!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 240
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    So every local radio station in ALL of Scotland gets its news from BBC Radio Scotland?! LOL. 5m people and a large geographic area getting its news from some chump in Pacific Quay. That is classic.
  • mikwmikw Posts: 48,713
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    charcope wrote: »
    So every local radio station in ALL of Scotland gets its news from BBC Radio Scotland?! LOL. 5m people and a large geographic area getting its news from some chump in Pacific Quay. That is classic.

    Never said that, did i??!!! :

    I said this :
    You do know where the community stations get their news/travel/weather from?

    Usually from the local sections of the BBC website, or recording them from BBC local radio!

    Comprehend?
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
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    charcope wrote: »
    Presumably all these areas already have local/community stations though?
    Nope.


    Some might have regional commercial stations, some might have syndicated pseudo-regional commercial stations, but few will have commercial stations reporting on and featuring the local areas and local issues that matter to those areas. Even fewer have community stations .
    If we're going for a local BBC station in every area then were is BBC Radio Edinburgh, BBC Radio Fife, BBC Radio Newport?
    Dunno, I thought that we were talking about what should go,...... maybe the BBC needs more money to open those suggested stations.


    I mean could there not just be BBC Radio North instead of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield?
    Then fhey become regional stations covering regional areas. Larger coverage areas means less localised coverage, meaning that local areas get ignored. Issues, and items of interest for those in Manchester will be of little relevance to those in Sheffield, so will not be serving those local communities (which is part of their mission).
  • mersey70mersey70 Posts: 5,049
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    I think it is staggering that cities (for example) like Edinburgh and Glasgow do not have their own local BBC radio service when licence fee payers from 2014 will be paying for the World Service which this year has a budget of over £260 millions.

    They said the budget will be reduced but I suggest this is one area where huge savings can and should be made.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 240
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    BBC is too late for the Scottish areas. Bauer pretty much covers everything the BBC would be doing.

    If all of Scotland can survive with just the one "local" station then I'm sure other areas could be merged to save some money. Does BBC Radio Oxford actually have all its own programming? Surely it's only the news that is different?!
  • CharnhamCharnham Posts: 61,060
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    not normally one to get involved in England vs Sctoland stuff, but if Peterbgorough a any kind of BBC Radio station, it does seem odd that the whole of Scotland is covered by only one station.

    However having looked on wikipedia that is NOT all the radio the BBC offers Sctoland, there is also, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal which broadcasts in Scottish and BBC Radio Shetland and BBC Radio Orkney as opt-outs of BBC Scotland.

    Also English stations are not specfic citys, even those named after a city also cover the wider area.

    of course it goes without saying that getting rid of local radio and TV, would save the BBC some money, but goes against the spirit of the BBCs, public service remit.
  • mersey70mersey70 Posts: 5,049
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    Charnham wrote: »
    not normally one to get involved in England vs Sctoland stuff, but if Peterbgorough a any kind of BBC Radio station, it does seem odd that the whole of Scotland is covered by only one station.

    However having looked on wikipedia that is NOT all the radio the BBC offers Sctoland, there is also, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal which broadcasts in Scottish and BBC Radio Shetland and BBC Radio Orkney as opt-outs of BBC Scotland.

    Also English stations are not specfic citys, even those named after a city also cover the wider area.

    of course it goes without saying that getting rid of local radio and TV, would save the BBC some money, but goes against the spirit of the BBCs, public service remit.

    Indeed, BBC Radio Merseyside covers North Cheshire and West Lancashire too.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 240
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    I wouldn't call it Scotland Vs England. It just seems quite wasteful to have so many local BBC stations.

    BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is pretty much irrelevant to 99% of the people in Scotland and should be punted as well. The only time it's of any use is for football coverage! ;)

    Same applies to BBC Alba. Another pointless waste of money.
  • tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    charcope wrote: »
    BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is pretty much irrelevant to 99% of the people in Scotland and should be punted as well. The only time it's of any use is for football coverage! ;)

    Same applies to BBC Alba. Another pointless waste of money.
    I think the Scottish Gaelic licence fee payers would disagree. You are aware the BBC is supposed to offer programming and services to minorities who would never be catered for by the commercial sector? If you just want the BBC to become a populist service where ratings are the only rationale for the BBC to provide it, we may as well turn it into a commercial company and have it over and done with. However, such a move would be a utter disaster for public service broadcasting and society.
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