Just A Minute

Interesting idea Julian.  I'm sure it's been suggested many times before.

Let me propose a counter argument.

Leaving aside the single right that paying the license fee gives one, I and millions of other license fee payers could have the view that we have "invested" our money over the years to finance the productions of BBC programmes.  In line with investors who put their money into other businesses, we might also have the view that we should get a "return" on our investment.

That "return" could take the form of:

1. A lower license fee (no, I'm not complaining about the fee!)
2. More money in the BBC's coffers to help pay for new productions
3. More money in the BBC's coffers putting it in a stronger position to bid for certain programmes such as Live Test Cricket, Mad Men etc.

Of course the BBC does get a return of many millions from the selling or licensing programmes to other broadcasters, but let's enter the realm of fantasy for a moment.

Apart from the cost of the electricity powering my laptop, watching that video clip of Kenneth Williams on Parkinson cost me nothing. The clip lasts ca 14.5 minutes, so based on a fee of £1 per hour, watching that clip could have cost me 25p. Why £1 per hour? Well, the average price of a cinema ticket in the UK is at least £5, the same goes for the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For that minimum of £5, the individual gets ca 2 hours of entertainment. Therefore sitting in my lounge, I can enjoy that youtube entertainment at the cost of less than 40% of what it would cost me to watch a film in the cinema. There have been more than 15,000 views of the KW clip, hence the income generated could have been close to £4000, if all viewers had paid the 25p. For one clip!

I wonder how of us here and beyond will listen to at least one episode of JAM today, without specifically paying any money to do so? I will, but I always have a niggling doubt as to whether it is right or not.

 You compare the old programmes to historical documents, but they're more than that surely. They're still products just as all of the output from companies such as Coca-Cola, Rolls Royce, Samsung e.t.c are products.

Just because they're old doesn't mean they have no value.

The best place to see many items of no or very little value is the car boot sale.  It would be interesting to go to one of these sales and try to persuade a stall holder that what is on offer has no absolutely no value and should be free.