lesen tv

"There will be no increase to the TV licence fee in 2011 after the BBC Trust offered to freeze it at £145.50 for the next two years."

That's the line in a news article published on the BBC website on 16 September 2010. Did you get the figure right? Yes...it is over one hundred pounds for a tv license that is valid for a year. That's about

RM800. Almost a month's salary for many blue collar workers in Malaysia.

And to imagine the kind of stuff the BBC put on tv and radio from the fee paying public. Some are downright obscene. Some are pretty violent. And they also pay a lot of money (millions of pounds) to employ celebrities who enrich the tv viewers' sin account with their outrageous antics.

Undoubtedly, there are also good programmes produced by the BBC. I've followed a Radio 4 show 'Just A Minute' regularly. The show is usually full of wits, humour (mostly clean), and amazing verbal performances. I can't imagine myself talking on a topic for one whole minute without deviation, hesitation, and repetition. If my performance on the research interviews were the standard, I'd be challenged for hesitation within the first 5 seconds of opening my mouth. I won't survive long on that programme.

Other good show includes 'educational' documentary. They usually present information in a coherent and interesting manner. But you do have to educate yourself on how best to make use of the information. Programmes about British Muslim in the UK, astronomy, Darwin, the history of Britain, and so on are informative. But, these must be viewed under the guidance of someone wiser: WG (wise guidance) sort of programme. Mind you, some Parents are not wise enough to give guidance to children who watch tv.

So, is it worth £145? Yes, paying £145 is better than risking a fine of £1,000 for watching tv without a valid license. Yes, some of the programmes are worth their production value. No, my cash should not have been used to produce despicable programme.

I'm ambivalent. Can we totally free ourselves from tv programmes?

Having fast internet connection seems to offer an answer. Now there are many free content on the internet to replace tv programmes. TV shows are made available online. And you can skip (partly) the advertisements as well. To watch the programme better, you can hook up the PC or laptop to the tv set. Ehem. But then you're still liable to pay the tv license, even though you're merely using it as a screen, rather than a terrestrial signal receiver. Ultra wide PC screen? Or may be I should find a projector at less than £145.