[interestednovice]

Good point, this is where you get to the point where the argument about the LF is existential - there’s a legitimate point that you either have to increase it to “properly fund” (whatever that value is exactly) the BBC or rethink the funding entirely. The current situation, with a badly funded BBC, is self-defeating and plays into the hands of the defund the BBC brigade.

There’s no point paying even a relatively small amount if you feel you get nothing of value for it. If you need to watch Sky News to get the news, listen to commercial local radio because BBC Local Radio has been cut back to pan-regional irrelevant programming and 5 Live simulcasts, and hardly use the BBC as a result (but still, legally, have to pay for it regardless) resentment towards the LF will creep in. Many then stop paying as a result. This is becoming a huge problem for the BBC.

It does feel like we are now getting a bad deal, frankly, in news especially. The “new BBC News Channel” is free in the rest of the world at the cost of a few adverts. Meanwhile, we pay for it and simply get the adverts “covered up” by boring “Across the UK” human interest reports, in the style of clips from the One Show. We get less news than everyone else in the mornings as we are forced to endure a cheap webcam Nicky Campbell which is on 5Live anyway. Why?! Honestly, how is this a good deal?