I am really surprised at the criticism of the BBC, for many people living abroad, it is till regarded as the best unbiased source of news available, as I have seen several times during my life. I also think it has a wonderful array of quality drama. Without doubt worth the license fee.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Not surprising at all, I don't think BBC News is particularly high in quality, I switched to Channel 4 News for the evening bulletin a year ago and their wider view of the world and being more robust with corrupt politicians is refreshing. But of course this conversation was about their gardening and natural world output and I have to agree most of their output is mediocre and often too careful with the truth and scant on detail.
Also it's horrid how they have created these regional desks to harvest local news for the main BBC website which means it will totally kill and local news media still limping along, most of it bought wholesale by Reach. Local news in the UK is dead and that's terrible for all of us that think it can have an important role in society and can lead to small but practical change at the micro level.
I was not criticising the BBC so much as saying what an opportunity it is wasting these days.
I am old enough to remember such programmes as Play for Today (introducing us to such memorable episodes as Abigail’s Party), Face the Music (hosted by Joseph Cooper and helped by the witty and knowledgeable Robin Ray which even my musically trained colleagues struggled to answer successfully at times) and What’s My Line ( a guessing game designed to make the viewer think).
Programmes used to give the viewer a chance to exercise “the little grey cells” to quote M Poirot. What does Love Island and its brood offer in the way of mental stimulation?
for many people living abroad, it is till regarded as the best unbiased source of news available, as I have seen several times during my life. I also think it has a wonderful array of quality drama. Without doubt worth the license fee.
For sure. And I valued it for all its educational content, back in the day - most of which seems now to be gone. I do feel sad about it. They used to do a lot in partnership with the Open University. The potentiality is huge and the really good content relatively small, in my book. But yes, in world terms doing well.
I suppose @Stulti people like to laugh at people more stupid than themselves. What Big Brother taught us first time round. Entertainment output can coexist nicely with educational strands but it needs to be robust and differentiated. Old formats of the pre-digital age probably wouldn't work as well anymore but you have to wonder where is the innovation in encouraging learning in the current output.
Personally I find plenty to exercise the old grey cells on the BBC and I'm always learning something new (but probably can't remember it the next day!). I'm guessing the reason the BBC has 'dumbed down' in recent years is because it now exists in a very competitive environment where they have to appeal to the masses or they'll tune in somewhere else. If they gave us predominantly educational content, that's exactly what they would do.
Most people don't realise that you can stream on-demand material without paying a license fee. You only need the latter if you stream or record live programmes or use BBC iPlayer ..... so a very competitive environment for sure.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I just don’t understand why people don’t want to accumulate knowledge across a wide spectrum of subjects or rather find having knowledge an embarrassment. Why are the words nerd, geek and swot a source of amusement and pity? Why the snobbery about being sure to be seen as one who is not a nerd, a geek or a swot?
However, it is what it is. Forums such as this rely on those with knowledge repeating it to those who could not be bothered remembering what those with knowledge tried to tell them the first time round.
I think that this topic has run its course now. Adieu.
Posts
I also think it has a wonderful array of quality drama.
Without doubt worth the license fee.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Also it's horrid how they have created these regional desks to harvest local news for the main BBC website which means it will totally kill and local news media still limping along, most of it bought wholesale by Reach. Local news in the UK is dead and that's terrible for all of us that think it can have an important role in society and can lead to small but practical change at the micro level.
I am old enough to remember such programmes as Play for Today (introducing us to such memorable episodes as Abigail’s Party), Face the Music (hosted by Joseph Cooper and helped by the witty and knowledgeable Robin Ray which even my musically trained colleagues struggled to answer successfully at times) and What’s My Line ( a guessing game designed to make the viewer think).
Programmes used to give the viewer a chance to exercise “the little grey cells” to quote M Poirot. What does Love Island and its brood offer in the way of mental stimulation?
I am glad that my time is almost up.
Most people don't realise that you can stream on-demand material without paying a license fee. You only need the latter if you stream or record live programmes or use BBC iPlayer ..... so a very competitive environment for sure.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I just don’t understand why people don’t want to accumulate knowledge across a wide spectrum of subjects or rather find having knowledge an embarrassment. Why are the words nerd, geek and swot a source of amusement and pity? Why the snobbery about being sure to be seen as one who is not a nerd, a geek or a swot?
However, it is what it is. Forums such as this rely on those with knowledge repeating it to those who could not be bothered remembering what those with knowledge tried to tell them the first time round.
I think that this topic has run its course now. Adieu.