Blame Tories for abolishing free TV licences for over-75s – Yorkshire Post Letters

I THINK we need to remind Stan Hardy (The Yorkshire Post, March 6) that it was not the BBC that removed pensioners’ TV licences.

The free licence was a benefit paid for by the Government, not the BBC, and it was a Conservative government that removed this allowance, leaving pensioners without their free licence.

Further to his comments about quality. Yes, there are some poor programmes on the BBC and I could name many more than Mr Hardy has.

However, on Sunday, BBC broadcasted Attenborough’s Life in Colour, The Americas with Simon Reeve, Chris Packham’s Animal Einstein’s, In The Loop, Dan Snow on Lloyd George, A History of Ancient Britain, The Genius of Marie Curie etc.

That is all in just one evening’s BBC output. How much quality does Mr Hardy want?

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

I AGREE with many of Stan Hardy’s views on some of the prevailing BBC output, but let’s be careful.

Thanks to lockdown boredom, I’ve been trawling TV and radio far more than usual. The handy ‘mute’ button has enabled me to avoid the worst of the ‘commercial breaks’ on TV.

This is more difficult on radio, where we are subjected to jabbering reminders that “terms and conditions apply” along with the rest of the sales guff.

The British Brexit Con is proving to be a classic warning against throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Please, let’s not repeat the fiasco with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

From: Ian Barnes, Salvin Road, Stamford Bridge.

IN reply to Stan Hardy, the BBC has not robbed pensioners of free TV licences, 10 years of incompetent Tory rule has played a part in doing just that.

I except Mr Hardy may not like the programmes he mentions, not to my taste either, but I’m sure a large enough number of the viewing population watch them to justify them being broadcast. The BBC has to cater for all tastes, not just Mr Hardy’s.

I am in the age group he mentions and I don’t hear gibbering DJs waffling over the music being played, but excellent comments and information, from the likes of Ken Bruce and Paul Gambaccini, to name just two.

With regards to salaries, the BBC has to pay the market rate to attract the talent and it’s a matter of opinion regarding such personalities as Gary Lineker’s remuneration and if it is value for money.

Apart from the hours of high-quality TV programmes transmitted each year to suit most people’s tastes, plus local and national radio, it’s worth paying the licence fee to watch advert free and not having your concentration broken approximately every 15 minutes.

It’s also noticeable a lot of the commercials seem to encourage gambling, I’m not being moralistic about it, I’m sure a lot of people get pleasure from the odd flutter and hopefully people won’t get into debt by overspending by placing a bet or two.

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