# FILE NAME: 00000368.soc
# TITLE: Should the BBC be a public service broadcaster or a commercial broadcaster? [ff3db5855a216f4ef919130945db31a9]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 3
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - The BBC should remain a public service broadcaster. However it should improve its commercial outlook by paying employees a realistic salary that the licence fee payer can afford and removing political bias. The licence fee should be set at a realistic amount and remain the main source of funding for the BBC.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - In general, the BBC should remain a public service broadcaster, however with the following stipulations: - The TV Licensing system is reformed so it is not seen as 'taxation without representation' and so that people are not made to pay for channels they do not watch - The BBC should become more transparent about their activities and how their money is spent, for example with the salaries of their highest earners being made public knowledge and open to scrutiny - The BBC should consider reviewing their decision to not show the first or last ad breaks during live football matches in an attempt to regain some of the lost commercial revenue and boost their reputation with advertisers - There should be an option to opt out of the TV Licence, allowing people who only watch other channels the opportunity to save money
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - The BBC should be a public service broadcaster, however the TV license should be removed as this is a tax and does not allow people to be able to afford a basic necessity like television. The BBC should be funded by a combination of a small license fee and advertisement income.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - The BBC should continue to be a public service broadcaster with a television licence fee model to fund it. The television licence should be reduced and made more affordable for all. There were mixed views among the participants about whether the BBC should have some income from advertisers, however they agreed that this would be difficult as the BBC would lose some of its impartiality and would be subject to pressures from the advertisers. The group was unanimous that the BBC should remain a public service broadcaster and that its impartiality was of utmost importance. A number of participants raised the issue of how people who don’t watch BBC channels should not be forced to pay the television licence. One suggestion was that perhaps there should be a universal service charge to replace the TV licence that could be used to pay for public services, such as the BBC, but would also fund public services that are currently under-funded or have been cut in recent years, such as the NHS. A number of participants suggested that there was political bias in the BBC, particularly during political coverage and that this was influenced by the Government, either through direct influence or by virtue of the fact that the Government funds the BBC. Some participants raised the issue of bias more generally in BBC programming and suggested that this
2: 2,1,4,3
2: 4,2,1,3
1: 3,4,2,1