No space TV coverage.

"Jim Easterbrook" wrote in message
...
In article , Martin wrote:

I think the biggest thing going against the BBC is that when analogue is
switched off everyone will either have to pay a subscription to Sky or a
cable provider.

Wrong. Firstly, analogue switch off will not happen until DTT
("FreeView") has the same or better coverage than the BBC's analogue
services. Secondly the BBC services are free-to-air on the Astra
satellite, so a Sky subscription is not required.

Sky have spent a fortune building up their digital subscription service,
why
the BBC thinks it should then be able to use that service free of
charge,
when the rest of us have ot pay for it amazes me. I assume at present
Sky
have to carry BBC services free of charge?

Sky does not carry the BBC services. The BBC pays SES (a Belgian company
that runs the Astra satellites) to transmit its services. It pays Sky to
have those services listed in Sky's proprietary EPG (electronic
programme guide) but you do not have to have a Sky system to receive the
BBC services.
--
Jim Easterbrook http://astro.jim-easterbrook.me.uk/
N51.36 E0.25

Point is that Sky carries the BBC digital service. Why should it?

Martin

"Steve Wright" wrote in message
...

"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"MikeB" wrote in message
...
I think the biggest thing going against the BBC is that when
analogue is switched off everyone will either have to pay a
subscription to Sky or a cable provider. Not only will you have to
pay that, but everyone will then have to their licence fee on top
to the BBC. In effect you will be paying twice to watch the BBC. If
you actually scrap the licence fee and make the BBC pay per view
then it will eliminate the licence fee dodgers. In fact part of the
digital subscription could be given over to the production of
specialist programmes.

Haven't you heard of Freeview?
--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

Freeview is not available in all areas, it offers limited digital
facilities (like no pay per view) limited bandwidth (and poor quality
from what I understand) and in many cases people need to pay to
upgrade their existing aerials.

For many people Sky in the only alternative as cable is not available
in many rural areas.

Martin
Freeview is available to most of the population. Pay per view is about
to
be
introduced by Top up TV. I find quality excellent. As for the BBC I
don't
object to paying the licence fee but I do object to the huge %age
increase
in cost of items like breakfast cereal and toothpaste caused by
advertising
especially when that advertising is subsidising crap progarammes I don't
want to watch.
--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk



At last someone mentioning the truth. I'm fed up with idiots who think
that
rubbish like ITV is free. About ten years ago
it was estimated by the advertising industry itself that tv ads cost the
average household about 3% of their total yearly expenditure.
This was including everything from mortgages to petrol. Think about it, 3%
of everything you spend in a year subsidising
crap like football, soap opera's, game shows, etc.
With the increase in channels since, I bet the percentage is now far
higher.
Give me the BBC licence fee any day.

Steve.

Fine, if you want to pay it I wouldn't stop you. But why should I, just
because YOU think it's great?

Martin

"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"Martin Frey" wrote in message
...
"Martin" wrote:

Freeview is not available in all areas, it offers limited digital
facilities (like no pay per view) limited bandwidth (and poor
quality from what I understand) and in many cases people need to
pay to upgrade their existing aerials.

For many people Sky in the only alternative as cable is not
available in many rural areas.

Martin

I've had freeview (or its predecessors, like On-digital) for ages -
in an area so rural that it will never have cable, broadband or even
gas. It all comes down the ordinary TV aerial and reception is OK.

The idea that Murdoch ever subsidised anything is laughable.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

Well my postcode in Ashford says Freeview is not available according
to their website. Sorry Martin, but big YAWN, Rupert Murdoch blamed
for everything blah blah. You been reading the Guardian again? Do
you think that digital TV would have developed if left to the BBC?.
Sky subsidised the digital system to simply build up the subscriber
base. I got my digital box for next to nothing, rather like how the
mobile phone companies subsidise phones. I don't have to have it and
can cancel when I like (and keep the box) unlike the BBC.

Oh and whilst we are on Murdoch, very interesting how the BBC went
big on him supposedly trying to get his son to be the big cheese. A
bit hypocritical when none of us gets a chance to vote on who runs
the BBC. So much for democracy. Yet another of Tony's cronies running
the BBC no doubt.

I don't see why Sky should run at a loss for years to build up their
client base for the garbage BBC to them "assume" they have the right
to take over the Sky digital system and STILL charge for a licence
fee.

Why are you so keen to praise the broadcaster that gave us the Moon Hoax
programme and encouraged the UFO freaks with the deplorably bad X-Files.
(Now the X files has finished the membership of UFO societies is
dropping).
I note that the main contribution of Sky TV to space coverage consists of
endless repeats of the various Star Treks.

--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

The BBC ran the X-files as well. The BBC have given us lots of crap over the
years, often at huge expense. Remember Eldorado?

No one forces you to pay for Sky, I strongly object to paying for a left
wing organisation like the BBC to employ mainly useless failed journalists.
I don't object to providing state funding via a TV tax to allow people to
create public interest & minority programmes. I just don't see why the BBC
should have a monopoly on access to that money.

Martin

Martin wrote:
"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"Martin Frey" wrote in message
...
"Martin" wrote:

Freeview is not available in all areas, it offers limited digital
facilities (like no pay per view) limited bandwidth (and poor
quality from what I understand) and in many cases people need to
pay to upgrade their existing aerials.

For many people Sky in the only alternative as cable is not
available in many rural areas.

Martin

I've had freeview (or its predecessors, like On-digital) for ages -
in an area so rural that it will never have cable, broadband or
even gas. It all comes down the ordinary TV aerial and reception
is OK.

The idea that Murdoch ever subsidised anything is laughable.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

Well my postcode in Ashford says Freeview is not available according
to their website. Sorry Martin, but big YAWN, Rupert Murdoch blamed
for everything blah blah. You been reading the Guardian again? Do
you think that digital TV would have developed if left to the BBC?.
Sky subsidised the digital system to simply build up the subscriber
base. I got my digital box for next to nothing, rather like how the
mobile phone companies subsidise phones. I don't have to have it and
can cancel when I like (and keep the box) unlike the BBC.

Oh and whilst we are on Murdoch, very interesting how the BBC went
big on him supposedly trying to get his son to be the big cheese. A
bit hypocritical when none of us gets a chance to vote on who runs
the BBC. So much for democracy. Yet another of Tony's cronies
running the BBC no doubt.

I don't see why Sky should run at a loss for years to build up their
client base for the garbage BBC to them "assume" they have the right
to take over the Sky digital system and STILL charge for a licence
fee.

Why are you so keen to praise the broadcaster that gave us the Moon
Hoax programme and encouraged the UFO freaks with the deplorably bad
X-Files. (Now the X files has finished the membership of UFO
societies is dropping). I note that the main contribution of Sky TV
to space coverage consists of endless repeats of the various Star
Treks.

--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

The BBC ran the X-files as well. The BBC have given us lots of crap
over the years, often at huge expense. Remember Eldorado?

No one forces you to pay for Sky, I strongly object to paying for a
left wing organisation like the BBC to employ mainly useless failed
journalists. I don't object to providing state funding via a TV tax
to allow people to create public interest & minority programmes. I
just don't see why the BBC should have a monopoly on access to that
money.

Martin
As I have already pointed out I am forced to pay for Sky and all other
commercial TV by the advertising stealth tax on almost anything I buy. The
BBC did show the x-files to it's eternal disgrace but hasn't shown the
apalling Fox TV moon hoax programme as news.. Left wingers thin the BBCis
right wing, right wingers think the BBC is left wing - a good sign that it's
political stance is correct.

You can spend hundreds of pounds year on a Sky subscription but don't force
me to pay for your crap TV by taxing my purchases.

--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

"Martin" wrote:

No one forces you to pay for Sky, I strongly object to paying for a left
wing organisation like the BBC to employ mainly useless failed journalists.
I don't object to providing state funding via a TV tax to allow people to
create public interest & minority programmes. I just don't see why the BBC
should have a monopoly on access to that money.

Martin

I make a huge assumption but people who say left wing, in the tone you
just did, tend to be right wing. The really great thing about the BBC
is that it ****es off governments of either wing equally.

A broadcasetr that is not in the hands of government and is not in the
hands of big business is a treasure. What we need to sort out is whose
hands it actually is in - but that's a really good position to start
from.

And we really don't get to pick and choose what we do and do not pay
taxes for. I bitterly regret every halfpenny of my cash that paid for
the Irag fiasco, but I don't whinge on about all the bloody time. Pay
your Beeb fee and stop whining.

I guess I'd rather have gas than freeview. Swap? We aren't that far
apart.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

"Mike Collins" wrote:
[snip]
As I have already pointed out I am forced to pay for Sky and all other
commercial TV by the advertising stealth tax on almost anything I buy. The
BBC did show the x-files to it's eternal disgrace but hasn't shown the
apalling Fox TV moon hoax programme as news.. Left wingers thin the BBCis
right wing, right wingers think the BBC is left wing - a good sign that it's
political stance is correct.

You can spend hundreds of pounds year on a Sky subscription but don't force
me to pay for your crap TV by taxing my purchases.

Simple: don't buy products which are advertised in media you don't
like. I guess you don't mind paying Meade to pay part of a
journalist's salary for Sky & Telescope as much as you mind paying
Coca-Cola to pay part of Jennifer Aniston's obnoxious pay for Friends.
So don't buy Coke. (replace all manufacturers, starlets and media
organs for your preferred/hated ones).


Tim
--
Love is a travelator.

[not aimed specifically at you Tim -- yours just happened to be the last
post to the thread]

Can this possibly be taken somewhere where it is on topic?

Clue: This is an astronomy newsgroup.

Best,
Stephen

Remove footfrommouth to reply

--
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Stephen Tonkin | ATM Resources; Astro-Tutorials; Astro Books +
+ (N51.162 E0.995) | http://astunit.com +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"Mike Collins" wrote in
message ...
Martin wrote:
"Martin Frey" wrote in message
...
"Martin" wrote:

Freeview is not available in all areas, it offers limited digital
facilities (like no pay per view) limited bandwidth (and poor
quality from what I understand) and in many cases people need to
pay to upgrade their existing aerials.

For many people Sky in the only alternative as cable is not
available in many rural areas.

Martin

I've had freeview (or its predecessors, like On-digital) for ages -
in an area so rural that it will never have cable, broadband or
even gas. It all comes down the ordinary TV aerial and reception
is OK.

The idea that Murdoch ever subsidised anything is laughable.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

Well my postcode in Ashford says Freeview is not available according
to their website. Sorry Martin, but big YAWN, Rupert Murdoch blamed
for everything blah blah. You been reading the Guardian again? Do
you think that digital TV would have developed if left to the BBC?.
Sky subsidised the digital system to simply build up the subscriber
base. I got my digital box for next to nothing, rather like how the
mobile phone companies subsidise phones. I don't have to have it and
can cancel when I like (and keep the box) unlike the BBC.

Oh and whilst we are on Murdoch, very interesting how the BBC went
big on him supposedly trying to get his son to be the big cheese. A
bit hypocritical when none of us gets a chance to vote on who runs
the BBC. So much for democracy. Yet another of Tony's cronies
running the BBC no doubt.

I don't see why Sky should run at a loss for years to build up their
client base for the garbage BBC to them "assume" they have the right
to take over the Sky digital system and STILL charge for a licence
fee.

Why are you so keen to praise the broadcaster that gave us the Moon
Hoax programme and encouraged the UFO freaks with the deplorably bad
X-Files. (Now the X files has finished the membership of UFO
societies is dropping). I note that the main contribution of Sky TV
to space coverage consists of endless repeats of the various Star
Treks.

--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

The BBC ran the X-files as well. The BBC have given us lots of crap
over the years, often at huge expense. Remember Eldorado?

No one forces you to pay for Sky, I strongly object to paying for a
left wing organisation like the BBC to employ mainly useless failed
journalists. I don't object to providing state funding via a TV tax
to allow people to create public interest & minority programmes. I
just don't see why the BBC should have a monopoly on access to that
money.

Martin
As I have already pointed out I am forced to pay for Sky and all other
commercial TV by the advertising stealth tax on almost anything I buy. The
BBC did show the x-files to it's eternal disgrace but hasn't shown the
apalling Fox TV moon hoax programme as news.. Left wingers thin the BBCis
right wing, right wingers think the BBC is left wing - a good sign that
it's
political stance is correct.

You can spend hundreds of pounds year on a Sky subscription but don't
force
me to pay for your crap TV by taxing my purchases.

--
Mike Collins
UK
Mike&heather-at-oakwellmount-dot-freeserve-dot-co-dot-uk

Oh dear Mike, you are clearly eating too much red meat. Calm down!!!! Most
companies don't advertise on TV. When was the last time you saw Meade
adverstising their products on TV?

If you are attacking the advertising industry generally, then you wouldnt
buy any products as just about everything gets advertised somewhere, even if
it is in your local paper.

I assume you don't buy any product that is advertised?

You don't want to pay for TV by advertising and I don't want to pay for the
BBC. Well we clearly both agree that no one should be forced to pay for
something that they don't want.

Agreement!!

Martin

"Martin Frey" wrote in message
...
"Martin" wrote:

No one forces you to pay for Sky, I strongly object to paying for a left
wing organisation like the BBC to employ mainly useless failed
journalists.
I don't object to providing state funding via a TV tax to allow people to
create public interest & minority programmes. I just don't see why the
BBC
should have a monopoly on access to that money.

Martin

I make a huge assumption but people who say left wing, in the tone you
just did, tend to be right wing. The really great thing about the BBC
is that it ****es off governments of either wing equally.

A broadcasetr that is not in the hands of government and is not in the
hands of big business is a treasure. What we need to sort out is whose
hands it actually is in - but that's a really good position to start
from.

And we really don't get to pick and choose what we do and do not pay
taxes for. I bitterly regret every halfpenny of my cash that paid for
the Irag fiasco, but I don't whinge on about all the bloody time. Pay
your Beeb fee and stop whining.

I guess I'd rather have gas than freeview. Swap? We aren't that far
apart.

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

No the BBC is left wing. It's just that we have another right wing
Government in power, in all but name. Let me give you an example. Diane
Abbot (that well known champagne socialist) got a job on "This Week" the
proceeds of which she is using to send her son to private school because the
Labour Council have failed in her area to provide (in her opinion not mine)
a school good enough for her to send her child to.

The problem I have is that the money she is being paid comes from the BBC
licence fee, which is in many cases paid for by people who are far worse off
than her and could never ever afford to send their children to a decent
school.

I find that wrong and I'm no socialist. Politicians like her (and the rest)
should not be paid anything by the BBC. It should be considered part of
their public duty.

You don't want gas Martin, you'd just end up burning more witches :-)

Martin

"Tim Auton" tim.auton@uton.[groupSexWithoutTheY] wrote in message
...
"Mike Collins" wrote:
[snip]
As I have already pointed out I am forced to pay for Sky and all other
commercial TV by the advertising stealth tax on almost anything I buy.
The
BBC did show the x-files to it's eternal disgrace but hasn't shown the
apalling Fox TV moon hoax programme as news.. Left wingers thin the BBCis
right wing, right wingers think the BBC is left wing - a good sign that
it's
political stance is correct.

You can spend hundreds of pounds year on a Sky subscription but don't
force
me to pay for your crap TV by taxing my purchases.

Simple: don't buy products which are advertised in media you don't
like. I guess you don't mind paying Meade to pay part of a
journalist's salary for Sky & Telescope as much as you mind paying
Coca-Cola to pay part of Jennifer Aniston's obnoxious pay for Friends.
So don't buy Coke. (replace all manufacturers, starlets and media
organs for your preferred/hated ones).


Tim
--
Love is a travelator.

Well said. People should have a choice.

Martin