Setting aside your appaulingly bigoted mindset for a moment, don't "blacks and gays" pay their licence fee too? White bread all round is it? Shame on you Wellington.
The trouble is, Gavin, is that although “blacks and gays” do indeed pay their license fee, I feel the BBC is guilty of peddling currently politically correct causes and issues.
Sure, we’ve got a radio stations for black music, but what about a music station for Indian music, or Pakistani music, or music from the Asian region generally?
If the BBC are going to start offering services for one “minority” group, why not start offering services for every minority group? It's only fair... This was the point I was trying to make – we don’t live in a world of jus brown and white bread, do we?
It needs to be bigger, if anything! No version of BBCi, not even the Digital Satellite version, has the BackChat, ChatterBox, and The Vibe pages on. Nor can you navigate pages at the same rate as Ceefax's NewsReel. And I'm sure some other pages are msiing as well - though less than before now that most of Ceefax's kids section has gone.
I do agree with rationalisation of the BBC. I would get rid of BBC3, BBC4, Asian Network, 1Xtra, BBC7, CBBC Channel (keep Cbeebies since it does seem to be popular) and all the other little addons they've launched in recent years which no one uses. I realise they have to cater for everyone, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. Catering for minority interests means giving them a programme strand on one of their mainstream services, it doesn't mean investing millions of pounds of public money into launching new services for the benefit of a few thousand people.
That said, I disagree with nearly all of the claptrap that IDS came out with. Get rid of the website? Make them strictly public service only?
Turning them into a souped up PBS is not something I'd want to see happen.
There should however be more accountability. All their viewing figures should be published, all their accounts should be published. We should be able to see exactly where every penny they get is being spent, how many highly paid but do nothing executive positions they have on their staff, how many people use all these new services which they assure us are necessary. Not in the form of any self written report, but the bare figures should be available to allow the public to draw their own conclusions.
What others did you have in mind? The Japanese? The disabled?
Why not? All these minority groups pay their license fee.... It's not just the blacks and asians. Surely there is enough room in the BBC budget to have a radio station for the Japanese and the disabled. Perhaps they could really push the boat out and have a radio station for the Disabled Japanese?
I will however be very suprised if the BBC's collection of radio stations for blacks and gays do indeed pull more than a few thousand listeners a day. Very supised if the number is more than 4000.
You missed one critical issue, though....
Should the BBC be prevented from buying imports and instead invest in homegrown original programming and films etc?
My answer to this is a resounding YES. All the most popular imports, such as The Simpsons and 24 etc would be snapped up other commercial channels anyway, so this is an example of the BBC being very populist at incredible expense.
This is an example of License payers money being spent very badly, since the tab could very easily be picked up by a commercial broadcaster.
Do you not agree?
I would agree there should be strict limits rather than a total ban ... yes, you're right there.
But I still maintain you will be surprised at the numbers listening to the Asian Network in particular ... 1xtra will get a decent amount ... 6 Music will by far and away get the most.
But until we know, there's not really much point conjecturing ... it's just my word against yours!
Setting aside your appaulingly bigoted mindset for a moment, don't "blacks and gays" pay their licence fee too? White bread all round is it? Shame on you Wellington.
The trouble is, Gavin, is that although “blacks and gays” do indeed pay their license fee, I feel the BBC is guilty of peddling currently politically correct causes and issues.
Sure, we’ve got a radio stations for black music, but what about a music station for Indian music, or Pakistani music, or music from the Asian region generally?
If the BBC are going to start offering services for one “minority” group, why not start offering services for every minority group? It's only fair... This was the point I was trying to make – we don’t live in a world of jus brown and white bread, do we?
Forgive me if I'm misrepresenting you, but I suggest thats not at all what you meant. You cant simply say its 'political correctness gone mad' and then suggest its unfair for all creeds not to be represented. Those two opinions are at odds with each other.
I think you were saying, in a derisory way, that NONE of the above deserve their music or culture to be represented at YOUR expense.
Surely a case of changing the goalposts of your argument when it suits?
Zero ratings methinks! Anyway, Japan is in Asia, and the disabled already have SeeHear.