UK Television Broadcasting Receiving License

... from 1976 (1975?) I had never seen one though you'd think they would be very common!

18 Pounds is today's equivalent of 165 Pounds. Wow!

I'm not sure that £165 per year is that much. People pay that much per month now for cable or satellite in the US, to say nothing for what taxpayers pay to support PBS and the FCC.

I pay $160/month for DirecTV but have hundreds of channels and internet. How many channels did GB have in 76"?

In 1976 it would have been three channels. ITV, BBC1 and BBC2. Another point if you have two tv's in 1976 you would need two licenses. They would have a truck with an external aerial tour each town to identify TV's in use.

The licence is currently £159. It also ensures that the BBC is free from advertising.

I never realized the BBC did not have commercial advertising. Three channels is about what I recall in the US at least in the 1960's. Of course, TV was "free" to use if you could afford the equipment. We were fortunate to have a motorized rooftop antenna to improve reception. Kids these days have no idea of how primitive life was back then.

I can remember my old man climbing to the top of the roof to attach the BBC2 aerial (which used to be required in addition to the existing aerials capable of receiving BBC1 and ITV) to the chimney.

Not to mention the remote control was one of us kids having to get up and change the channel.

Linn's just recently had an article on British television license fee stamps in the January 16, 2023 issue.

"18 Pounds is today's equivalent of 165 Pounds. Wow!" Geesh, for what?? Like peeps said, look at how few stations there were!

As far as the BBC, I also didn't know they don't have commercials. Just how connected to the UK government IS the BBC anyway? Are they like our PBS? Because if they are, wouldn't a tax to watch television be a double-tax? Pay a tax to have a television, and pay for the BBC with your income tax?

"Linn's just recently had an article on British television license fee stamps in the January 16, 2023 issue." I haven't subscribed in a long time :-(

"Not to mention the remote control was one of us kids having to get up and change the channel." HAHHAA!!!

The BBC is entirely funded through the licence fee, not general taxation (aside from some Foreign Office funding towards the World Service). That creates an arms-length relationship to government, albeit imperfectly, because the government sets the licence fee and appoints the chairman. The last arrangement is the subject of a current furore, as the chairman's relationship to our disgraced ex-Prime Minister has come under scrutiny. Many right-wing politicians are keen on getting rid of the licence fee and moving to a subscription model, as well as wishing to privatise another station, Channel 4, which is funded via advertising.

"The BBC is entirely funded through the licence fee, not general taxation"
AHA, well there we go then! ;-)

I don't think that the BBC is comparable to PBS, as I understand the latter. It has a much wider remit and international presence, which is why, oddly, it's popular in the US.

I do not know how it works in England, but growing up in Holland we had radio- and tv-stations.
The technical side of these stations ( transmitters etc } were provided basically by the government and paid for by the radio or TV license fees.
The programming was provided through paid membership in one of the ( many ) broadcast companies that leased the transmitting time from the government.
In the 50's and 60's there were no commercials.
I am not sure how it works now because when I was visiting in Holland in the 90's there were commercial "blocks" at certain times although they did not usually interrupt the programming


Peter

The Dutch TV licence has been abolished. The cost of the infrastructure is covered by income tax. Most of the broadcasting associations have merged into larger ones. Peter may have grown up with KRO, NCRV, AVRO, etc. The former two, now, are KRONCRV and AVRO merged with a relative newcomer into AVROTROS. There are a lot of smaller ones that cater for specific groups.

In essence, not much has changed. But there are commercials and membership has become less important for funding the programming.

There are commercial stations as well. Officially, they are not allowed to advertise during TV shows. But when you see a lifestyle programme with easy meals that are all 'IGLO' ('Birdseye' in the UK) frozen garbage, you know it is easy to find a way around it.

The government has no say in the programming. But there are rules. One newcomer has shown itself to be transmitting mostly untruths. The (independent) network coordinator has asked the government to revoke its license because they do not comply with the journalistic ethical code. The question is whether the government will refer the case to the courts.

Edit: the commercial blocks on public networks still do not interrupt a programme, unless that is a sports programme that lasts for a long time, like ice speed skating championships, a football match, or a hockey match. Commercials blocks run at half time or when ice is prepared in the case of skating events.