BBC Stupidity

I am stunned- the BBC is spending an absolute fortune (collected from the television viewers of the UK via a mandatory TV licence whether or not you actually want to watch the BBC) on a new rebranding exercise.

Yesterday, BBC One revealed its new channel “identity” in a £1.2 million rebranding campaign designed to strengthen its bond with viewers who can now choose from hundreds of competing channels.

The eight 30-second films, costing £150,000 each, feature surfers, stunt motorbike riders, kite fliers and hippos, whose activities converge in the shape of a spinning circle — or a globe, to older viewers.

A further seven films, known as “idents”, will be produced, taking the total budget of the campaign to £2.25 million.

Critics believe that the BBC is spending too much buffing its image as it seeks an above-inflation increase, which could set the licence fee at £180.

What appalls me most is this-

However, with the BBC implementing cuts and redundancies, Mr Fincham was challenged to explain why he was spending the equivalent of two hours of quality drama on four minutes of self-promotional imagery.

What this blithering idiot seems to have missed is that people don't watch the BBC for the blasted clips they play before the programmes start- they watch it, or not, depending on the programmes they broadcast. Such a simple concept and yet it seems to have completely eluded him. If the BBC wants to "strengthen its bond" with viewers they would be advised to actually broadcast shows that people want to watch- instead of continual repeats, medical dramas and reality shows.

I don't watch too much TV anymore- recently I've been hooked on House, Prison Break, NCIS, CSI Miami. All American made and all broadcast on Channel 5. The only other thing I'd tend to sit down to are the excellent ITV murder mysteries- Midsomer Murders or Poirot. In fact, I can't think of anything on the BBC I do watch- the occasional movie (and there are slim pickings there too) or maybe the odd episode of Diagnosis Murder, or whatever show David Attenborough has just made. And that's it. The other channels pay their own way through advertising but I'm forced to pay for the BBC which I hardly ever watch. Even BBC radio tends to be pretty bad- most of the presenters seem to think that people tune in to hear them rather than play music. Again, nothing that can't be had elsewhere, for free, and better.

And this is what they do with the tax their receive from British TV owners- waste it on slots that show for a few seconds between the terrible programmes they broadcast.

Amazing.