The Licensing Game (TV Licence)

Member Name: nicola21

Product:	TV Licence
Date:	06/04/01 (323 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great value for top entertainment!

Disadvantages: Idle threats for the evaders have generated disrespect.

TV licences. We all know we are supposed to have them, but why is there such a feeling of dread whenever we think about them? I'll tell you why;

Up until recently we have seen adverts all over the television telling us that there were people travelling around in big white vans with on-board facilities that let them know if anyone in a certain area was watching television without a licence.

For a while, this terrified us, especially the students who are renowned for occasionally dodging "extra" living costs for as long as they could. However, in my student house, we soon realised that the licence ran from September to September regardless of when you got round to paying it so even if you didn't pay until December, the licence would only be valid until the following September, so we had might as well pay it when it was due.

Many of our friends however did not pay their licences. Drawn curtains day and night and keeping the volume down was widely practised amongst local student houses in an attempt to feign not being in if these "white van men" ever came a-knocking.

After a while, we all realised that the authorities didn't have any type of technology to do this "detecting" and unpaid TV usage was rife again. People almost breathed a sigh of relief as they realised that the TV Licensing people were just clutching at straws in a bid to motivate payment.

In the wake of this realisation, the whole advertising campaign became a joke. The adverts came on, and people all over the country were thinking "Yeah. As if. You can't do that!"

But now the TV Licensing company are back in force and saying "OK. There are highly technological methods of people tracking out there (here they drop in a mention of cradle-to-grave surveillance), but we don't need that! All we have is a list of houses that have not paid and we'll be round soon."

Qui
te a scary message for those evading payment still, but this sudden change of tactics and honesty on behalf of the TV Licensing company has made them a laughing stock in many people's eyes. Why did they have to lie to us before? It hasn't done a lot to generate respect to pay the licence.

In my opinion, those who don't pay their way, you have what is coming to you. For those who do pay their way, you know why you do, despite the company's lame threats, you get to watch some really great television including "Match of the Day", "Eastenders", "The Royle Family", other BBC comedies and documentaries including "The State of the Planet" and "Walking With Dinosaurs" to name but a few, not to mention the BBC Radio stations which millions tune into each day.

The Television Licence is a great value deal that provides the general public with excellent programmes in a rich and varied array of subjects, and some cracking radio stations which rival even the USA as being the best quality entertainment in the world.

Summary: