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

One possible consequence of the Labour win IMHO is the virtual gaurentee of the Licence fee being renewed.

Aside from and of the myriad good/bad arguments surrounding the Licence fee I think it can only be resolutly *fantastic* news for h2g2. Our community being provided for free is only going to happen insofar as the Beeb is publically funded and it now looks increasingly like the charter will be renewed for another 10 years.



Whilst I think it is inevitable that Murdoch will eventually win his propaganda campaign to get the Licence abolished eventually I am glad that this decision seems to have been put off for a while.

Great.

Any thoughts?

If Murdoch does win, it won't be anytime soon. Despite the fact that the idea of a publicly funded, public service body like the BBC is so unfashionable at the moment as to be almost quaint, the BBC is frankly vital to this country, and a lot of others too. Although Murdoch shamelessly puts down the BBC in his News International titles for his own ends, and despite there being various recent polls stating that people don't like the license fee, (well DUR!) I think the British public wouldn't let it disappear. It is one of the few quintessentially British institutions that remains, and it would take more than Murdoch to get rid of it.

I dont know, I speak to people all the itme who want rid of it.

Often when I extol the virtues of a publically funded braodcaster they are occasionally convinced, but normally they say "Oi dont even watch the Beeb, I only watch sky" .

I am a massive proponant of the BBC and I hope it stays for a long time. I would however like to think it oculd be a little less reliant on "reality" TV.

More Dr Who please.

Here here!

It would be a disaster if the licence fee was scrapped. Think Sky - 10 minutes of programme followed by 10 minutes of advertising. Lack of advertising alone would encourage me to pay the fee.

Sky is actually pretty dire. The ultimate triumph of quantity over quality. With the exception of the sport events they've snapped up the rights to, any time there's something worth watching it's usually a repeat of something which was shown years ago on network TV - often produced by the BBC and paid for by the licence fee.

It's amazing how often there is damn all on the 200 or whatever Sky channels, yet the two channels of the BBC manage to have something worth watching.