Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

AN information portal that connects people with advisers called Every Investor is warning Brits to get TV Licences after a recent survey showed that:- "54% of Brits admit to not having a TV Licence, despite still watching live TV." According to them, the biggest culprits, by 41% are those who live in apartments, as it is seen as being harder for them to get caught. Also, it has been found that many students in the UK, watch, record live TV, or use BBC iPlayer, without a valid TV licence, and are unaware that if they are living away from home, their parents' TV Licence won't usually cover them.

So why is a TV Licence so important? In the UK, it is not just a minor oversight not to have a TV Licence, it's a legal issue that can result in potential fines for non-compliance. This applies whether you're watching on a TV, laptop, tablet, phone, or any other device. If you're caught watching live TV or using BBC iPlayer without a TV Licence, you could face a fine of up to £1,000, plus legal costs. In some cases, non-payment of this fine can lead to Court action.

Back in 2019 the BBC had a £745 million dilemma that led them to being required to choose between making more over 75s pay for their TV Licences or hugely cutting back its services.

Scrapping the free TV Licence for all over 75s has already started to affect many of our more vulnerable population, according to research by the charity Age UK. But, it is worth pointing out that you can get a free TV Lcence, if you're 75 or older, should you either:- get a Pension Credit or live with your partner who gets a Pension Credit. It is also worth adding that contrary to popular belief, there is no separate TV Licence price or discount specifically for students in the UK! This means any rise in the TV Licence see many more people pushed into relative poverty, or see them risking being fined.

Then in 2022, the UK Government froze the TV Licence fee for 2 years, at £159, due to the rise in the cost of living. It was agreed that it would remain unchanged until April 2024, before rising by inflation for the following 4 years. Today, The Culture Secretary has confirmed how much the BBC TV Licence fee is due to increase in 2024.

So with day to day household costs still rising, should we abolish the Licence fee? That is the big question that is followed by.... Do we need the BBC? The answer is in fact:- "yes..."

Oddly, we do need to strengthen the BBC's political independence and retain it as a publicly-owned, public service broadcaster, as the growing foreign ownership of British television is leading to a very dangerous situation.

A report by The Media Reform Coalition, published in March 2021, highlighted the concentration of media within a few businesses as a growing issue in all of the UK's media, Within report, written by The Media Reform Coalition, which campaigns for increased diversity and accountability of the British media, for readers it raises a worrying question when it said:- "This kind of concentration creates conditions in which wealthy individuals and organisations can amass huge political and economic power and distort the media landscape to suit their interests and personal views."

As it has been pointed out within the UK Parliament, any move to abolish the UK Licence fee would raise questions about the long term financial future, and editorial independence of the public service broadcasting...

Pew Research Center has published the results of a study that raises some very interesting questions. In the report, they said:- "The sense of importance of and trust in the news media varies considerably by country. In general, adults in northern European countries; for example, Sweden and Germany; are more likely to say the news media are very important and that they trust the news media, while people in France and Italy are the least likely to say this. Among British adults, 43% consider the news media very important to society, but only 32% say they trust the news media. This includes just 5% who trust the news media a lot."

With the BBC remaining the most trusted news provider in the UK, this means both the BBC and the UK Government are facing a very difficult choice.

How would you fund the BBC and also protect the UK's public broadcast media, along with the UK's independent news narrative?

Do you think it should be protected?

Post your thoughts below...

Also, please remember with costs rising, we as a news organisation need your help to stay funded. We can only do this via advertising, so please think local if you are a local business owner, and remember we are your local voice that is locally owned. Like the BBC, if we go, remember who will then be in control of the news narrative in the UK!