Comments on: An Ofcom of the nations and regions http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/ Incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today's issues and tomorrow's problems Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:05:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: alan jutson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10495 alan jutson Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:30:24 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10495 Thank you for the information. I have in fact already taken the stance you have suggested for the past 6 months, and I have simply ignored all requests for information, as I have given them all of the information they need for the present. I have no idea if anyone has called to try and inspect and really do not care. There is no TV in the house as it is being refurbished, so as you say, I am bomb proof. If anyone calls round when I am present working on it, then I will be delighted to show them an empty house. But what a complete waste of Money the cost of administration, posting, etc every few weeks. Once again it is assumed you are guilty until you prove your innocence, but then they do not belive you when you communicate. Thank you for the information.

I have in fact already taken the stance you have suggested for the past 6 months, and I have simply ignored all requests for information, as I have given them all of the information they need for the present.

I have no idea if anyone has called to try and inspect and really do not care. There is no TV in the house as it is being refurbished, so as you say, I am bomb proof.

If anyone calls round when I am present working on it, then I will be delighted to show them an empty house.

But what a complete waste of Money the cost of administration, posting, etc every few weeks.

Once again it is assumed you are guilty until you prove your innocence, but then they do not belive you when you communicate.

]]> By: GHS http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10494 GHS Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:58:55 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10494 Scotland already has it's own news services and has had them for 40 plus years. Ironically a lot of the talking heads who appear on the news are English who live and work in Scotland. It perhaps made more sense for Scotland and Wales as they already had strong national identities (separate rugby and football temas for instance). The English regions, however, appear to be totally artificial. Celtic and Ranngers did try to join the English league but were rejected. Scotland already has it’s own news services and has had them for 40 plus years. Ironically a lot of the talking heads who appear on the news are English who live and work in Scotland. It perhaps made more sense for Scotland and Wales as they already had strong national identities (separate rugby and football temas for instance). The English regions, however, appear to be totally artificial.
Celtic and Ranngers did try to join the English league but were rejected.

]]> By: Martin Belam http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10493 Martin Belam Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:12:13 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10493 One thing that strikes me as interesting in the debate about advertising funding is that there is a real structural problem for our industry here. Online ad revenue now accounts for a market of about £3bn - but estimates suggest that £2bn of that goes straight out of the British economy and into the pockets of American Internet corporations like Google. They have got an effective monopoly on search engines and search engine advertising in the UK, but seem beyond the reproach and reach of our regulatory framework, which would never have allowed a similar situation to develop on television, radio or on mobile phone networks. One thing that strikes me as interesting in the debate about advertising funding is that there is a real structural problem for our industry here. Online ad revenue now accounts for a market of about £3bn – but estimates suggest that £2bn of that goes straight out of the British economy and into the pockets of American Internet corporations like Google. They have got an effective monopoly on search engines and search engine advertising in the UK, but seem beyond the reproach and reach of our regulatory framework, which would never have allowed a similar situation to develop on television, radio or on mobile phone networks.

]]> By: some bloke http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10492 some bloke Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:44:03 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10492 mikestallard 5:52 pm, while agreeing with what you say it is untrue that France is not regionalised. It was only dragged into being as a single nation state by Napoleon, just 200 years ago; they have regional loyalties far stronger than any we in England may be supposed to have. Incidentally, I recall Europe Pays Bas ( Europe Of The Regions ) being promoted to me while at school in the 1970's by a series of EEC glossy pamphlets in stout folders showing the same boundaries that we see today. I did not think about it much because I recognised 'my region' as the good old GLC and was not concerned that the rest of England was carved up in a random way since I did not live there. mikestallard 5:52 pm, while agreeing with what you say it is untrue that France is not regionalised.
It was only dragged into being as a single nation state by Napoleon, just 200 years ago; they have regional loyalties far stronger than any we in England may be supposed to have.

Incidentally, I recall Europe Pays Bas ( Europe Of The Regions ) being promoted to me while at school in the 1970′s by a series of EEC glossy pamphlets in stout folders showing the same boundaries that we see today. I did not think about it much because I recognised ‘my region’ as the good old GLC and was not concerned that the rest of England was carved up in a random way since I did not live there.

]]> By: Idle Pen Pusher http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10491 Idle Pen Pusher Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:31:20 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10491 Very impressed with your regulatory compliance. Keep up the regulatory notices! Very impressed with your regulatory compliance. Keep up the regulatory notices!

]]> By: JJWS http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10490 JJWS Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:53:07 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10490 Furthermore, reinstate the BBC Governor General and have each TV licence payer vote for him/her. Furthermore, reinstate the BBC Governor General and have each TV licence payer vote for him/her.

]]> By: JJWS http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10489 JJWS Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:45:36 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10489 Oh please come on - please catch up. The tories will do no more to change the situation than Labour. Unless we are prepared to vote into Parliament independant MPs - of whatever colour - rather than party dogs - nothing will change. Why do you think John is not on the front bench when he would have been a much better choice than Kenny? If you love GB or even England GIVE UP on the tories until the party has torn itself apart and reconstructed itself as a party for the British people and one quietly serving our European masters. Oh please come on – please catch up. The tories will do no more to change the situation than Labour. Unless we are prepared to vote into Parliament independant MPs – of whatever colour – rather than party dogs – nothing will change. Why do you think John is not on the front bench when he would have been a much better choice than Kenny? If you love GB or even England GIVE UP on the tories until the party has torn itself apart and reconstructed itself as a party for the British people and one quietly serving our European masters.

]]> By: John Moss http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10488 John Moss Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:24:29 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10488 I give "broad" casting five years. As soon as the web can actually deliver paid for content at reasonable speed, or there is a sensible link between buy online and satellite or cable delivery, every programme will go pay-per-view or subscritpion, with only the dross relying on advertising. Channels are unlikely to exist in any meaningful way and the idea that you watch a programme at a set time - well, I don't do that now because I have a V box, which records what I want to watch and I watch it when I want to. OFCom - don't know what their budget is, but a 90% cut seems in order with the savings routed back to Joe Public in tax cuts. I give “broad” casting five years.

As soon as the web can actually deliver paid for content at reasonable speed, or there is a sensible link between buy online and satellite or cable delivery, every programme will go pay-per-view or subscritpion, with only the dross relying on advertising.

Channels are unlikely to exist in any meaningful way and the idea that you watch a programme at a set time – well, I don’t do that now because I have a V box, which records what I want to watch and I watch it when I want to.

OFCom – don’t know what their budget is, but a 90% cut seems in order with the savings routed back to Joe Public in tax cuts.

]]> By: Dennis http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10487 Dennis Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:53:16 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10487 Alan Jutson said "We now have the Licence Authority threatening house owners who do not have a licence with all sorts of nasties including bailiffs if a licence is not bought. I know because my mother was unfortunate to have to go into a Nursing Home, had her licence transferred to that Nursing Home, leaving her original house without a licence. No amount of telephone calls or letters will convince them that an offence has not been committed, and I am inundated with legal threats." Mr Jutson, the TV licensing authority is the BBC itself. TVL is essentially a trading arm of Capita, a private company. The old TVLA is no more. You are under no legal obligation to reply to any of TVL's letters -- this was the gist of a parliamentary answer by Shaun Woodward. Indeed, contacting them is a waste of time. Ignore them. If there is no equipment in the house capable of receiving live TV broadcasts, you are bombproof. Mr Redwood, light might be shed on the subject of your post by the fact that the BBC are in receipt of direct funding (loans and grants) from the EU. More light might be shed by the realization that the BBC is deeply infiltrated by Common Purpose, a "charity" whose creepy website left me feeling that the conspiracy theorists might, for once, be on to something. You surely know about CP; if not, just Google the name. Alan Jutson said “We now have the Licence Authority threatening house owners who do not have a licence with all sorts of nasties including bailiffs if a licence is not bought.

I know because my mother was unfortunate to have to go into a Nursing Home, had her licence transferred to that Nursing Home, leaving her original house without a licence.

No amount of telephone calls or letters will convince them that an offence has not been committed, and I am inundated with legal threats.”

Mr Jutson, the TV licensing authority is the BBC itself. TVL is essentially a trading arm of Capita, a private company. The old TVLA is no more.

You are under no legal obligation to reply to any of TVL’s letters — this was the gist of a parliamentary answer by Shaun Woodward. Indeed, contacting them is a waste of time. Ignore them. If there is no equipment in the house capable of receiving live TV broadcasts, you are bombproof.

Mr Redwood, light might be shed on the subject of your post by the fact that the BBC are in receipt of direct funding (loans and grants) from the EU.

More light might be shed by the realization that the BBC is deeply infiltrated by Common Purpose, a “charity” whose creepy website left me feeling that the conspiracy theorists might, for once, be on to something. You surely know about CP; if not, just Google the name.

]]> By: Adam Collyer http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/01/25/an-ofcom-of-the-nations-and-regions/#comment-10486 Adam Collyer Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:41:45 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=2721#comment-10486 The licence fee is going to become completely untenable soon in any case. TV is already yesterday's medium, and in the future even TV will undoubtedly be watched over the internet as opposed to via a broadcast transmission. And in a technical sense, programs are not "broadcast" over the internet. Your computer actually makes an individual connection to the server that sends the content. Therefore expect the next bright idea to be an Internet Licence to replace the TV licence. The BBC already has a massive and bloated internet site, with a budget to match. So it is positioning itself to pretend it continues to be indispensible to the nation in the internet age. By the way, can somebody tell me what "public service broadcasting" means? If I've got it right, I think it means making "worthy" programs even though nobody is watching them. But maybe I'm mistaken. The licence fee is going to become completely untenable soon in any case. TV is already yesterday’s medium, and in the future even TV will undoubtedly be watched over the internet as opposed to via a broadcast transmission. And in a technical sense, programs are not “broadcast” over the internet. Your computer actually makes an individual connection to the server that sends the content.

Therefore expect the next bright idea to be an Internet Licence to replace the TV licence. The BBC already has a massive and bloated internet site, with a budget to match. So it is positioning itself to pretend it continues to be indispensible to the nation in the internet age.

By the way, can somebody tell me what “public service broadcasting” means? If I’ve got it right, I think it means making “worthy” programs even though nobody is watching them. But maybe I’m mistaken.

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