Re: Digital TV Conversion

["David W. Harris" <dwh@totalnetnh.net>]

Mr. Billings wrote:

> how
> > do you objectively cover politics and public policy when the government
> is
> > your main source of funding?
>
Two folks on this list pointed to the BBC--but the government is not its
main source of funding.  Last I knew, the Foreign Office still foots the
bill for the World Service but domestic operations are mostly funded by
owners of TV receivers.  The Beeb can directly collect these funds,
although that chore is now contracted out to a private firm.  There is
government oversight of the rates, just as is done in this country with
numerous utilities.

In case you're curious, the "radio licence" is a thing of the past;
currently a license for a black&white TV will run you £33.50 and a
"colour" set gets hit for £101 per annum.  A higher rate for digital
TV's is under discussion.

Mr. Billings later wrote of the BBC:

> Right and when the government told them they couldn't air comments from the
> IRA they didn't do it.
>
Right, and I doubt commercial operations like ITN did either, if they
even tried.