Does anyone NOT have a television?

[eco-mick]

No - a true comment and very valid - I am in the process of selling up :D and one thing I hate is endless tat - but am in the process of getting some bits in I can borrow of family ;)

But the photo only shows the wall where the tv used to live - doesn't show the rest of the room to make it cosy :D

A recent photo from the estate agent:

[Lost-in-the-Day]

I'm living with my parents at the moment and they have a TV but I don't have a lot of spare time to watch it. During my 3 years at uni and 1 year living away from home I didn't have a tv and we always found ways to entertain ourselves, usually with very geeky role play games.

I'll never forget the conversation my OH had with a cold caller on our doorstep in Wales-
Coldcaller: Hi There! Don't worry I'm not as scary as I look, I'm here to ask you if you'd like to sign up for this great sky package deal we're offering?
OH: No thank you.
Coldcaller: Oh you already have one do you?
OH: No, we don't have a tv.
Coldcaller: You don't have a tv?!!!
OH: No.
Coldcaller: Oh......Then I guess you don't need a sky subscription?
OH: No.
Coldcaller: Oh ok. Will you be getting a tv?
OH: No.
Coldcaller: Oh ok then.

Mind you nowadays my OH does like to use iplayer and other internet tv viewing thingies.

[Andy Hamilton]

To pick up on what Zech said

It makes me feel a bit guilty about not paying the license fee, really!

and I assume I'm courting controversy here but...I know we might bemoan the TV licence and the fact that we have to pay it, but I know I'd happily pay £300 a year for access to Radio 4 alone.

I'm wondering how the BBC will manage if everyone who doesn't have a telly watches i-player instead? You just have to watch TV in another country to start to realise how great our programs are. I think it only fair that everyone watching or listening to the BBC should pay. I'd perhaps like to see more money spend in keeping local newsrooms and newspapers alive and perhaps programming on BBC1 and 2 could be a little bit braver. But then compare it to Channel 5, no contest really! And thats what all of our TV would be like without the licence fee!

Anyway, that's going off topic slightly and er well... perhaps a little ranty. Sorry about that.

We DO have a telly but now we have an on demand service on it we rarely watch live programing. I'll pick something to watch for an hour a night. Or if I'm stupidly hungover then you can't be something mindless like come dine with me to slob in front of.

[happyhippy]

You're so right Andy about paying the tv license.I spent 30 years living in another country and the tv there was pretty diabolical.If you were watching an hour long show,atleast 15 mins of it was advertisements.I'm a member of a migration forum,and I'll never forget one poster who was returning to the UK to live,who said "I'm never going to whinge about paying the tv license again"

[Paul_C]

i wouldnt mind paying it IF the BBC stopped being political and biased in a certain way. it should simply report events without preducide

[Zech]

To pick up on what Zech said

It makes me feel a bit guilty about not paying the license fee, really!

and I assume I'm courting controversy here but...I know we might bemoan the TV licence and the fact that we have to pay it, but I know I'd happily pay £300 a year for access to Radio 4 alone.

I'm wondering how the BBC will manage if everyone who doesn't have a telly watches i-player instead?

I don't think the current situation is sustainable - there's a distinction between watching downloaded programmes and watching live, which is impossible to police. I suspect it's just a matter of time before the funding arrangements catch up with the technology (though this being a public sector organisation, probably quite a lot of time). They've launched an international version (had to look that up - didn't know it was already available) costing somewhat less than the license fee, but it's only for ipads. When something like that is generally available I'll happily pay for it.

I suspect that whatever happens, Radio 4 will remain free to all, though!

[oldjerry]

I'm not sure how reasonable it is to criticise people for watching stuff on the iplayer instead of live TV,as I see it they're are just doing their best with an unsustainable system run by hugely well-paid people in denial.(ring any bells?).

I'd also prefer to see a return to some sort of radio licence,as I think the misconception that radio is 'free',makes it easier for the W12 High Command,to arbitrarily bin big chunks of local Radio(which means zilch to most peope inside the M25,but is well thought off out here in Archers land).

Problem is if the fee was set too low it wouldn't be worth the administration,and if it was more than say £50,the clamour would grow for the dumping of everything not considered mainstream ('' Sharon's in Kidderminster'', ''Nikki,I'd just loike to say,why do we haf to ave that poncy bloke on Thursday morning,Oid sooner av cum dancing on moi radio,everybody loikes that''.)

Mind you, I'd only consider £300 donated to the BBC money well spent if i could personally garotte Brian Cox.

[merlin]

My grandaughter apparently can not be moved fom the tv when she is at home, funny thing, when she comes to say out here she does not watch it becasue she cant understand Bulgarian. She goes home a lot fitter and clearer of mind

[merlin]

Is there still a licence fee then? I thought that was done away with. How much is it for colour? Do you have to pay more for 3D? We had road tax introduced here a few years back, another £20 a year up the spout. Mind you, so long as you stay in town, you don't have to pay it. Minimum is a weeks worth now, up to this year you could buy it daily, still can if it is a truck.

[herbalholly]

No tv in our house. I'm 27 and haven't had one since 1 was about 18 and living with my parents. They don't have one either now. I often wonder where the time would come from to watch telly. In the evening by the time I've cooked, eaten, washed up, done some knitting, had a cup of tea and put the washing machine on it's time for bed. Thank goodness I have a washing machine!

[Sky]

So sorry Eco Mick, I'm from Yorkshire originally so tend to say stuff like it is, and open my mouth before my mind is in gear. Didn't mean to offend.

[Sky]

I miss British tv sooooo much, it seems so sober and sensible compared to the mindless rubbish aired here in NZ.

[oldjerry]

Sky, it must be pretty crap over there!!

[demi]

i think its best to find a middle ground.

i like to watch the news first thing in the morning as were getting ready for the day, then the tv can go off till night time.
the kids can watch some cartoons while i make the dinner in the evening, then they go to bed and its adult relaxing time

[JuzaMum]

http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/ ... anger.html

An interesting piece regarding kids and TV

JuzaMum