I read on Yahoo News this morning that “veteran broadcaster” Terry Wogan has spoken out against the BBC, saying that it no longer is the world class broadcaster that it used to be.
Wogan has worked for the BBC for nearly his entire career and reportedly earns £800,000 a year (which I assume includes the £10,000 he gets paid to present the annual Children in Need charity telethon, the hypocritical gitbag). Which other broadcasting company would be willing to employ a geriatric gasbag like him? No other is the answer, at least not at those prices
But employed he should be. A lot of people enjoy listening to his banal whinging about how things used to be better in the old days and bemoaning the lack of “common sense”. He is the Daily Express letters page given human form, and there is certainly an audience for it. But can you imagine him on Kiss FM? Real Radio? Even Classic FM? No, you can’t. The reason he is popular is that he has been given a relatively long leash by the BBC.
The license fee has never been as good value as it is today. Look what we get: BBC 1, 2, 3, 4. Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7. BBC local radio. BBC website. BBC iplayer. And all for £12 a month. I’ve said it before, but I’d probably be willing to pay that just for radio 4 and 7 alone.
Sure the BBC put out some dross. Eastenders, Strictly Come Dancing, talent shows based around whatever musical Andrew Lloyd Webber is trying to promote that year. But that’s fine, I’m not supposed to like everything they produce. I can’t bear listening to BBC 1Xra but I recognize that it speaks volumes to others.
Most UK commercial channels aim themselves firmly and squarely at the lowest common denominator, with the possible exception of Channel 4 (but recently even they are struggling against their charter in order to do so). Now I’m the first to admit that the BBC does put out the odd bit of ratings chasing populist programing, but at least that isn’t all they put out. I watched a documentary the other night about comic writer Alan Moore. You wouldn’t get that on SKY 1.
What’s my point? As usual I don’t really have one. But it just galls me that the self promoting chronic complainer Sir Terry feels the need to go public with the gripes about his employer. Save it for the pub like everyone else. Even his commentary on the Eurovision has descended from witty banter to sour and bitter ranting on the unfairness of the voting system. It used to be that the Europeans didn’t get the absurd humor of the contest Terry, now it’s just you.
For a far more interesting, intelligent, and above all hilarious take on the BBC and the license fee make sure you listen to Stephen Fry’s recent Podcast on the subject. Now there’s another reason to pay the license fee in itself. To misquote Braveheart - You may take our Laurie’s, but you’ll never take our Stephen.
I now return you to the lull.
Apologies go to the chronically foreign who will have only understood every third word of this, and also to Neil and Rachael who are a ITV employee and Terry Wogan fan respectively.
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