Me too would get rid of BBC Three for the same reasons. Plus their endless line-up of Baby programs (Little Angels, House of Tiny Terraways, Baby Borrowers) I stopped watching BBC Three since the 7 O'Clock News was axed. I miss Paddy.
In the PM newsletter, Eddie Mair asks what should the BBC cut in the light of its disappointing licence fee increase.
If they were to cut a whole service, which would you cut? Or would you reorganise?
Personally I'd cut split BBC Two's content between BBC Three and BBC Four and just have three channels rather than four. BBC One would continue as is, BBC Two would be the factual based stuff off the existing BBC Two and BBC Four, and BBC Three would be the comedy/drama stuff off the existing BBC Two and BBC Three.
For years BBC Two was seen as really boring and showing endless snooker.It took them a long time to get on track and it wouldn't be a good idea to undo everything they've built.
I agree with you Hyma. There have been so many comedies and so many cultural shows on BBC Three and Four, and they would have been ideal for BBC Two. BBC Two is an excellent channel, and home to many brilliant comedies, that it would be disgraceful to ditch it. What exactly have BBC Three and Four ever done that have stuck in people's minds? Just think of the iconic idents that BBC Two had. All the comedies they had. I would like to see a lot of BBC channels ditched. BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC Parliament and BBC 2W. I miss the old days when it was just BBC One and Two
OK, lets face it. The Beeb arent going to ditch both of their digital channels, even though they wouldnt be missed, but i think they should combine them into one. The best comedies from THREE and the best dramas from FOUR would be transfered to BBC2, then an all new channel could be created. Not just a 'Best of BBC' channel showing constant repeats but a channel with their own original entertainment programming. Maybe featuring an entertaining news program and factual documentaries. Perhaps call it BBC Mix, a mix of
quality
programming, rather than BBC
lack of
Choice (sorry, i know that pun is a little out of date!)
To be honest I would get rid of BBC 4 put all new content on BBC 1 & 2 and turn BBC 3 into a repeats channel (so there isn't so many on BBC 1 & 2), afterall that works for ITV 3
:-(
A former member
I would get rid of BBC3! and also take most of the stuff and put it on BBC2:
I would also get rid of one of the Kids channels! probably Ceebies and have it context on CBBC between 11am - 3pm ( 9am - 11am would be class TV )
Right! I'd basically do a HELL of a lot of shaking up. First Id I scrap the Licence fee altogether then would ditch a lot of the channels in their current form altogether.
BBC One (Rebranded as BBC1) : Stays as it is, but absorbs 'a little' of BBC Three's old content). Also CBBC Segment totally dropped as all is now covered by BBC3 (discussed below)
BBC TWO (Rebranded as BBC2: Stays as it is, but absorbs 'some' of BBC Three's old content, and some of BBC Four's also)
BBC NEWS 24: No Change
BBC Parliament: No Change but only runs during the day 9-5PM now time shares with new network BBC Gold (discussed further down).
Ditched:
CBBC, Cebeebies, BBC Three, BBC Four
New Networks created
BBC3 (Rebranded with new logo, image to be different from current BBC Three network): Takes on CBBC/Cebebbies during day by showing Kids TV, by night is similar to old BBC Four network but takes on some remaining 'old' BBC Three programming
BBC Gold: (5PM - 9AM), Timesharing with BBC Parliament a network that reruns archive BBC series (and nothing else). Any areas covered over time, soaps, dramas, light entertainment shows, the works.
Leaving BBC with 5 24 hr networks on the digital platform.
BBC1
BBC2
BBC3
BBC News 24
BBC Parliament (9AM-5PM) / BBC Gold (5PM - 9AM)
I would rid of BBC Four as it's programming can easily fit into BBC Two's schedule. I wouldn't axe BBC Three as I, along with many others my age, watch the channel, as it's quite simply aimed at us. BBC Three's programming is prodomently for teenagers and 20 year olds, so it wouldn't fit too well on BBC Two.
I was rather pleased to hear about the reduced licence fee rise - the BBC seem to be out of touch with reality over public opinion of the issue of the never ending above-inflation rises to the licence fee. Whlist I'm sure they had great plans for the extra money, it is becoming more and more unacceptable in the eyes of the public to need to pay what is effectively a tax on top of all the other array of taxes laid at their feet in order to own a TV. If they hope for public service broadcasting via a licence fee to survive, then the operational costs of the BBC need to be brought under control - it cannot go on and on increasing every year. If every whim of extra funding the BBC wants is answered without blocks of this type, then the £200 / year licence fee is not that far off, and that really will push a public allready largely opposed to it over the edge. And when that happens, bye bye BBC.
As much as the beeb are disappointed by the award of a fee increase far below what they wanted, this move might actually have done them more good and preserved their longevity than they realise.
Aswell as this, the other big issue of the TV Licence - the mechanism through which it is enforced - also badly needs addressing. TV Licencing is a horrible, dispicable operation whose practices must border on illegality - and they're getting worse. Most debt collectors run a more respectable operation, and were they a commercial entity I can't imagine that they'd even be allowed to trade.
Their assumption that everyone owns a TV set and subjecting anyone without a licence to a never ending harrassment campaign of ever more strongly worded letters is not on - one of the many I received last year was even made to look like a mock court summons and contained legal advice on what would happen at my apparently inevitable court appearance. Considering that their only basis for this was that I didn't have a TV Licence and they had no proof at all that I needed one, it is beyond belief that this is allowed to happen.
The extortion practices they use are scandalous - such as refusing to recognise a shared house as one property unless the tenants also share a single tenancy agreement. When a single house shared by 5 people with one access point and recognised communal facilities needs to have 5 TV licences to be legal, something is wrong.
Their refusal to move with the times is ridiculous - even in 2007 they still offer the option of a colour licence or a vastly discounted black & white licence, when it is clear that they should now be offering an analogue or a digital licence in order that those who cannot use the BBC's new services don't have to pay for them.
The fact that is is perfectly legal to own a TV without a licence as long as you are not receiving or recording broadcast TV (i.e. if you're only using it to watch DVDs or play games) is purposefully made hard to find on the website and is only confirmed in a very vague statement which implies that you might need a licence anyway cannot be designed as anything other than to deliberately mislead people into buying a licence they don't need.
As an operation TV Licencing is getting worse and worse, and just as with the level of the fee itself, if the people that the BBC entrust to collect it are not brought under control (although I allready feel they've done enough to be completely disposed of and a new collection body appointed) their will be a public breaking point, and again, it will ultimately end with the death of the BBC.
The BBC have to realise that they are possibly the most priveledged broadcasters in the world, having a known budget and operating in a country where the government appears happy to continue to fund a full scale public broadcaster - but this also means that they need to learn to live within their budgets and cannot continue to grow infinately, and if their constant demands for more cash and the gestapo like enforcement which their appointed agents employ are not sorted out soon, they may well find that the government will pull the rug.
Their refusal to move with the times is ridiculous - even in 2007 they still offer the option of a colour licence or a vastly discounted black & white licence, when it is clear that they should now be offering an analogue or a digital licence in order that those who cannot use the BBC's new services don't have to pay for them..
That's not for want of trying by the BBC though, is it not? I seem to recall them going to a lot of effort specifically lobbying for a 'digital' licence a few years back, but the government ultimately turned it down as it would have hurt their digital switchover programme.
Not that I cant agree more about the current enforcement arrangements being a disgrace. I always tell people I'm 100% in support of the licence fee, just totally opposed to the shady to say the least TV Licencing Authority.
