Are you a friend of the BBC?

[Guest]

Do you consider yourself to be a friend of the BBC?

If so, in what way?

[Pabmusic]

...If so, in what way?

Platonically.

[antongould]

..............

If so, in what way?

loyally.....

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In principle...

[kernelbogey]

A bit like an old girlfriend: fond memories of how exciting she used to be, but oh how the years have wrought their changes....

[Pabmusic]

A bit like an old girlfriend: fond memories of how exciting she used to be, but oh how the years have wrought their changes....

Too true.

[salymap]

I'm not sure these days. Who is/are the BBC now? I had friends/contacts in the orchestras, music library
etc but all are long gone. Things are different, right to the top of the Corporation.
I can only say I would still rather listen to the BBC, at its best, than any other radio or TV station.

[VodkaDilc]

Don't real friends listen to advice?

[MrGongGong]

A bit like an old girlfriend: fond memories of how exciting she used to be, but oh how the years have wrought their changes....

That maybe says more about you than her ?

Don't real friends listen to advice?

Surely it depends on who is giving it , nothing worse than "if I were you" kind of nonsense


I would see myself as a supporter of the BBC (and they do support me from time to time ) but I don't think you can become "friends" with a corporation

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

it does pass the 'would you recommend this to a good friend' test but never a friend .... always too toff, and these days too nasty managerialist, and candidly since the Gilligan Affair too yellow in dealing with HMG of the day ... Hugh Carleton Greene was a mate though

[gamba]

Do you consider yourself to be a friend of the BBC?

If so, in what way?

After 22 years of almost always being on call, worse still when I was ultimately managing the film department, they now pay me a little money each month for doing nothing. - Great !!

[Serial_Apologist]

it does pass the 'would you recommend this to a good friend' test but never a friend .... always too toff, and these days too nasty managerialist, and candidly since the Gilligan Affair too yellow in dealing with HMG of the day ... Hugh Carleton Greene was a mate though

That just about sums up the BBC for me too.

[Simon]

For us at home it's one of the greats of British life. We criticise it, we moan about it, we wish it would do some things differently, we rail at its perceived bias - but ultimately, we wouldn't be without it.

I personally trust it. Some of the programmes we get we wouldn't get without it's not being a commercial organisation, Having all media paid for by adverts would be the worst thing to do, IMO, and the licence fee arrangement has given us a world leader in broadcasting for nearly a century. The comment that it's a branch of HMG is just silly, I'm afraid - successive governments have had differing amounts of influence within the BBC, but that influence has always been limited in person and scope.

Internationally, the BBC still has the respect of billions, and is the first choice for those who want to hear about the news from a trusted source. That's why one of the most stupid decisions of recent years was the withdrawal of some funding from the World Service. <doh>

[gamba]

Have just been listening to the 1st. episode in the new series by Neil MacGregor, Director of The British Museum, ' Shakespeare's Restless World.'
Brilliant! as one would expect from this man - where else other than the BBC could one find such an interesting, fascinating & captivating programme.

It will be repeated at 7.45 on R4 this evening & is the first of 20 to be broadcast on a daily basis. I'm not really interested in history but this one was so well & imaginatively conceived & produced, I now look forward to being held within it's spell for the next 19 episodes. Better still is the news that a CD is to be available from 7th. June.

[salymap]

Afternoon Gamba, I don't know whether you have the Radio Times, but there is mention of a pre offer price of £13.99 for the series, while the full RRP is £19.35. An extra 10% if one quotes a code given.