Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 08:15 29 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
- Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
07:20 Reading to Gatwick Airport
08:13 Newbury to Bedwyn
08:46 Bedwyn to Newbury
09:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading
09:54 Bedwyn to Newbury
10:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
Short Run
04:54 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:23 Hereford to London Paddington
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
07:24 Exmouth to Paignton
07:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
08:41 Westbury to Bristol Temple Meads
09:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 08:33:57 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[77] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[72] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[70] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[63] Return of the BRUTE?
[56] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[44] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 2 [3]
  Print  
Author Topic: TV Licensing  (Read 22562 times)
devon_metro
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5175



View Profile
« Reply #30 on: May 16, 2010, 20:17:49 »

Personally, the one thing that makes the beeb stand out from the crowd is the lack of annoying adverts.

It won't be long before ITV (or another commercial operator) has adverts sponsored by a company, as almost all of their shows are sponsored  Huh
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #31 on: May 16, 2010, 20:19:34 »

Imagine how much of the license fee would be wasted on postage if the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) replied to every 'reasoned argument'.  Wink Tongue Grin
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #32 on: May 16, 2010, 21:17:36 »

I'm gonna defend the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) now. I am happy to pay around ^12 a month for the range of services that the BBC provides. 8 national television channels (9 if you've got HD), 10 national radio stations and countless regional ones, bbc.co.uk, BBC iPlayer. And all free of commercial advertising. Intra-corporation advertising is a little annoying however.

Outside of the license fee it provides excellent educational services to learners of all ages, The World Service, professional concert orchestras and a diverse range of magazines.

What I am not happy about however is how Capita Group go about TV license enforcement.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
John R
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4416


View Profile
« Reply #33 on: May 16, 2010, 21:32:47 »

I agree, even if their Election Night boat party was awful. But I figured it gave the studio a few minutes breathing space every few minutes to avoid the spectacle of Dimbleby tucking into a bacon sandwich, which happened on a previous occasion. And 20k is a drop in the ocean (or should that be the Thames) in terms of the budget for the night's broadcast. I suspect the only effect it had was that it was the trigger for weary viewers to decide that maybe now was a good time to switch off and get some sleep.

The coverage didn't get off to a good start either, as they ditched the dramatic music that had been used for Election Nights since 1979 in place of a piece that I'd forgotten even before it had finished. 
Logged
devon_metro
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5175



View Profile
« Reply #34 on: May 16, 2010, 21:52:01 »



The coverage didn't get off to a good start either, as they ditched the dramatic music that had been used for Election Nights since 1979 in place of a piece that I'd forgotten even before it had finished. 

Not to mention one of the big TV screens breaking!
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #35 on: May 16, 2010, 22:26:39 »

There was one scoop that Brillo got on the boat - the interview with Tory party donor and non-dom Lord Ashcroft.

One thing that really annoyed me about the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)'s Election Night coverage was Dimbleby talking over sucessful candidates' acceptence speeches. Couldn't the statistical breakdown of the results waited a few minutes so we could here what our new elected representatives had to say? I had to constantly switch to Sky News to hear winning candidates speak.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
moonrakerz
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 536



View Profile
« Reply #36 on: May 16, 2010, 22:37:18 »

I wouldn't really consider it a tax (as such) and therefore wouldn't replace it with a tax but rather make the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) get their own income.

One of the things that I discovered in my reasearch when engaged in my battle with TVL is that the Licence is classified as a tax. This was done so that the revenue raised by the Licence would count as part of GDP. Damn' clever what ?
Logged
A V Lowe
Jr. Member
**
Posts: 25


View Profile
« Reply #37 on: July 16, 2010, 13:46:51 »

Dipped into this - if you read the licence it is for the use of equipment which is capable of receiving (broadcast) television signals - I had for many years had VCR's and CRT(resolve)/monitors which did not received TV signals and happily ignored TVL until the mother in law's complaints that she could not see Dead Enders and Consternation Street had me caving in fro domestic peace. 
Logged
Chris from Nailsea
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 17865


I am not railway staff


View Profile Email
« Reply #38 on: February 27, 2017, 20:35:17 »

From the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Quote
BBC investigating TV licence fee collectors

The BBC has ordered an investigation into reports TV licence fee collectors targeted vulnerable people, spurred on by an aggressive incentive scheme.

An investigation by the Daily Mail said bosses at Capita, which collects the fee, promised bonuses of up to £15,000 a year to catch 28 evaders a week.

Capita said those statements "do not reflect the high standards we expect".

BBC Director General Tony Hall said Capita had "fallen short" of standards it expected on behalf of the UK (United Kingdom) public.

The government said it would talk to the BBC about the company's conduct.

The Daily Mail sent a reporter to interview for a job at Capita, and allegedly found staff being pushed to gather evidence to take as many people to court as possible.

One interviewer was recorded saying: "We will drive you as hard as we can to get as much as we can out of you because we're greedy."

According to the paper, the company's 330 field officers are told they must hit a target number of evaders, known as the "magic 28", and for each person they catch over that, they can be paid an extra £20 to £25.

The BBC's director general, Tony Hall, said he wanted "urgent confirmation" that the interview questions were not "standard practice", vulnerable people were not being targeted, and that Capita was taking "appropriate action" over the incident.

In a letter to Capita's CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Andy Parker, he said: "Public trust is the cornerstone of the licence fee system. It is clear that, in this instance, Capita has fallen short of the standards the BBC has a right to expect on behalf of the British public."

The BBC added that it expected licence fee officers to "behave in a courteous, professional manner and abide by a published code of conduct".

Capita said its incentive scheme only applied to sales of licence fees and it only prosecuted as a last resort.

A spokesman added: "Capita is required by the BBC to ensure households are not breaking the law. Officers are expected to act in a professional manner. We strongly refute any allegation that officers are instructed to act outside of these requirements. Where we find employees have not acted as they should we act appropriately."

Downing Street said ministers would be raising the conduct of the enforcement officers with the BBC. "Clearly, these are concerning reports," a No 10 spokesman said. "The licence fee does need to be collected in a fair and reasonable manner. I see the BBC has quite rightly ordered an urgent investigation into these reports."

Damian Collins, Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) and chairman of the Commons culture committee, told the Daily Mail: "It's very concerning. This is being done in the BBC's name. The BBC needs to make sure changes are made to the way this contract is being run or that it's taken away from Capita and given to someone else."

Labour MP Chris Matheson, who also sits on the committee, called for Capita bosses to be summoned to Parliament.

In 2015, 166,000 people were fined for licence fee evasion. The maximum penalty for watching BBC channels or iPlayer without a licence is £1,000.

In January, new sentencing guidelines were introduced meaning magistrates can impose a non-financial penalty, known as a conditional discharge, so the person will not be sentenced unless they commit another offence.

This will only be used in cases where people have made significant efforts to pay the fee.


Logged

William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
Fourbee
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 672


View Profile
« Reply #39 on: February 28, 2017, 10:43:18 »

From the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):
Quote
Damian Collins, Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) and chairman of the Commons culture committee, told the Daily Mail: "It's very concerning. This is being done in the BBC's name. The BBC needs to make sure changes are made to the way this contract is being run or that it's taken away from Capita and given to someone else."

Except, it's not been done in the BBC's name though, is it? Perhaps that is a small part of the problem.
Logged
Western Pathfinder
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1528



View Profile
« Reply #40 on: February 28, 2017, 11:10:14 »

In the old days TV licensing used to be run from an office next to Bristol Bus Station before it was put out to tender .
Logged
Sixty3Closure
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 501


View Profile
« Reply #41 on: April 22, 2017, 11:58:46 »

Not sure the problem is specifically with the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) but rather out sourcing and tendering itself. The BBC was encouraged/forced by legislation to put the collection out to tender (as with so many public sector services) so its probably not surprising that the companies running these can get er...creative to maximise profits.

Also anyone who's run an out sourced service will no that that you don't get involved in the detail as that's the whole point of the contract.

I think as a general point though its whether you want public services paid for in ways like the licence fee or not - bit like the trains really. I'm sure many car drivers feel equally strongly about rail subsidies.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 2 [3]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page