(2015-06-03, 01:47)exobuzz Wrote: This is of course all intentional by the BBC. The fact they are closing down old services for a new one, yet keeping that one private (They said last year it would be available to 3rd parties by the end of the year), shows their thinking. They have little care to adhere to their charter, and obligations to the BBC tax payer. This is not the first time they have done this, and despite press like http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/03/..._watching/ they don't seem to care. Time to detune the TV, and stop paying em I think.
They have become self serving imho. The quality of their news in recent years correlates with this to me - they tend to be quite supportive of whoever will ensure the status quo in regards to their funding.
Yes, but look at the alternative model this side of the pond. Public television in the US is DIRE - full of adverts (although they aren't allowed to call them adverts - there is American marketing at it's best..)
Or public radio which is essentially replays of BBC World Service, incredibly dull academic interviews and a couple of awful, unfunny panel shows. And adverts. And then every three months, they break off to a fund raiser which cuts 30% of the programmes away asking for public donations. Awful, awful, awful. And the commercial TV is just utter, utter dross. The two public stations here alone cost me more than the entire licence fee - that's one TV, one radio. Then add the satellite crap and I'm getting through upwards of $400/month for stuff that is unwatchable/unlistenable.
Compare that to BBC2, BBC4, Radio 3, Radio 4, etc at a minimum. Then add the other stuff if that floats-your boat - it is astonishing what we get for almost nothing. Seriously; live over here and the diet of low-quality cop shows, endless adverts for matresses and cars, "reality" (i.e.cheap) shows will really, really get to you. And as for news - don't even get me started. The quality is appalling and banal (tends to be eveything-happy or cat-stuck-up-tree) because they can't afford to p*ss off the advertisers or hire decent journalists. Upshot - most Americans have NO idea what is going on across town; let alone in another country which is seriously worrying.
We get more news about what is going on in America from Radio 4 than from any of the local media - for example, not one local TV station has reported on the deaths due to flooding in Mexico which is technically closer to us than Seattle !
Frankly, we don't know how good we've got it with the Beeb. Annoying though they are !
Anyway, get_iplayer HAS found a way around the current problems - if you clone the latest trunk and look in "develop" you'll see it all in there.....
I wish I had time to take a proper look, but after 4 1/2 years of living in the US, I've had enough and I'm coming home, so I'm in the process of packing boxes. And yes, together with the lack of healthcare, a lack of a functioning media is one of the reasons for coming back.....
