h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

azahar, I see Kaz and Peet have convinced you - the UK tv licence pays for 8 TV channels and 10 radio networks, over 50 local services, interactive television *and* bbc.co.uk. I could never possibly forget that the site is paid for by the licence fee paying public, as I constantly reminded by them. "I pay your wages" is heard at least once a day when I'm dealing with complaints.

I should add that you only need a tv licence for tv - the rest is thrown in as a job-lot.

Does anyone else remember the Not The Nine O'Clock News spoof about the TV licence?

It was the one where Gryff Rhys Jones (I think) was reading out viewers comments about the cost of the TV licence, and they were saying that it was way to cheap, culminating in the immortal line that, "I would gladly sell my house and all its contents just to pay for the licence."

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And presumably the licence fee wasn't put up when h2g2 etc were added as extra services?

az

h2g2 didn't turn up until three years after bbc.co.uk started:

"In 1998, following the largest public consultation of its kind, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) agreed that the BBC should offer online services paid for by the licence fee and www.bbc.co.uk was created."

We're now in the middle of a review of online services. http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/online_review.shtml

I'm intrigued by the setup you describe. I live in the US and the problem we are having here is that there is so much consolidated of services (TV, radio, newspapers) under large mega-media companies. If you thought Americans were ignorant about the rest of the world before.....

The FCC (forget what the initials stand for, but FCC regulates the airwaves here) struck down a ruling which stated that one "entity" could not own more than 23% of the media in their area. There are companies like Clear Channel Communications which now have holdings exceeding 39% in some major cities. This may not sound like a huge problem, but they can SO outcompete for readership/listeners against the little guys, independent "local" stations and small newspapers. The internet would be the only chance to find out something the biggies did not want you to know...

SC

Last week I bought a new TV.

I was FORCED to fill in a form for TV Licence.

The TV was a 14" (thats 34metric thingis)/ It says on the box portable TV.

I said to the numpty in the shop "its a portable, a second TV" But it is "NOW THE LAW AND YOU MUST fill in the form." Numpty was close to having the TV placed where the sun don't shine - back on the self!

As far as I'm concerned it has sod all to do with a shop if I have a TV licence or not, or indeed if I wish to use the TV as a 'monitor' and never use an ariel with it.

What about LCD screens that have VGA input, and just happen to have a seperate tuner box pagaged. It just happened to be a cheaper way to buy an LCD monitor than a 'PC' one.

Is it "THE LAW" or are the just collecting a name and address for junk mail listings?

Yep, 'tis the LAW

The 1967 Wireless Telegraphy Act to be precise.

Only applies to new TVs bought through a retail outlet, though... Chances are that anyone not buying a TV licence because they're short of cash will be buying a second-hand TV anyhow.

Yea the law to have 'a' licence if you have a TV, this includes a second TV that may be used 'off site' from time to time.

As Peet says though, its daft as would anybody trying to hide they have a TV could, paying for it with a cashcasr with name and bank info on, is not hiding.

But since when did we have to fill in forms?(!) Any TV bought before, including 'large screen' never have I had to fill in anything.

So worried about having a correct licence for everything, I still even now was thinking about Radio licences, even though they have beed ditched, in favour for a one licence covers all. - This I see in the backlog was also in the mind of others.

I've never had to fill in a form either, but the last new TV I bought was around 4 years ago. When I upgrade I'll be sure to take my TV licence with me!

It won't help; the shop is obliged to return the form anyway. The shop is supposed to fill it in. though, so the people who've been handed forms were just victims of lazy shop assistants.

Well if form filling gets your goat, you could always use the old default address...

Richard Bird
The Nest
Upper Greentree

>> Kaz- "you need a licence to own a TV" isn't strictly accurate- you need the licence if the TV can pick up broadcast television.<<

So since we can't pick up TV without paying through the nose for a satellite system does that mean we don't have to have a licence?

Do you *have* the satellite system? Are you capable, in your current arrangements, of receiving any broadcast television be it terrestrial, satellite, cable or digital?

If yoyu are, you're capable of picking up Broadcast television. "Braoadcast televisioN" doesn't mean "terrestrial television".

Oh yes, of course . Thank you.

Wish we'd known that during the time we didn't have satellite. We just assumed that having 4 TV sets meant we had to have a licence.

Do students still not have to have a licence in their student accommodation if they live at home outside termtime?

Apparently we can have the charges reduced -- although my memory on this point is vague, since I'm not presently in the situation of needing to know.

Students need a licence. The only exception is for portable TV sets running on battery only, i.e. without a mains adapter, in which case they are covered under the licence at the parental home, assuming *they* have one.

On the point of having the charges reduced, I think the situation is that you buy a full-price licence at the start of term, and when you move back home at the end of term you can get the unused months refunded pro-rata...

http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1543&showComments=true