OT: Letter to Look North

Dear Sirs,

Look North Leeds, Mon 13th July

The question of whether or not the UK should remain in the EU is politically contentious, and there?s going to be a national referendum to decide it. Therefore the BBC must, by the terms of its Royal Charter, be impartial. Yet your item on Monday about the possibility of the UK leaving the EU was completely one-sided; in fact the bias was blatant and bare-faced. It was like watching a Party Political Broadcast for the pro-EU Party, if such a party existed. Arguable statements were given the status of unchallengeable fact. For instance the presenters gravely introduced the piece with the words:

?If we leave the EU . . . our food will cost more?

?If Britain decides to leave the UK [migrant workers] won?t be available.?

There was absurd scaremongering about food supplies: ?Shelves could run bare.?

Point after point was made about the benefits of EU membership (and the benefits of uncontrolled immigration) and there was not a single word about the disadvantages of either. Not a single word: I challenge you to find one.

Can you tell me when a balancing broadcast of equal length will be made, in which we would be given the other side of the EU question? Just like your pro-EU item it would of course need to be totally biased and with no chance for the other side to comment. I very much hope you will show such an item, as this would go some way in restoring my faith in the impartiality of our beloved BBC. It would also correct what is, as it stands, a clear breach of the terms of the Royal Charter.

Yours

Bill Wright

Reply to
Bill Wright
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I gave up on the BBC a few years ago, and decided not to renew my TV licence. For me, the final straw was when they started actually creating news items about Doctor Who and 'Strictly'. It's a bit annoying that I now can't watch any other channels, but TBH, there's not much live TV I can bear to watch nowadays. I've a small hope that things will change soon, and if a point is reached where they don't seem to me to be so all-powerful, I may opt back in again.

Reply to
Etaoin Shrdlu

I notice that these days most programs are prefixed by, this may contain flash photography, violence, bad language or flashing images and for all I know peanuts, but the answer is simple. the bbc need to add a swingometer to their broadcasts to indicate left or right bias in the show. In my iew this should also apply to all other broadcasters, particularly those run by News International. Trouble is, who do we get to judge it>?

Brian

Reply to
Brian-Gaff

Reply to
jake

The answer is simple. If Bill is complaining about left wing bias, the content is probably neutral.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

It's one of those occassions I am glad I was out of area in NE Somerset.

Having said that have you ever watched Points West? It makes Look North (Leeds) seem superb!

Reply to
Woody

ISTR one of the BBC chiefs once said that, if they got a roughly equal number of complaints of bias from both sides of an argument, they had probably got the balance right.

Reply to
Nightjar

I have watched Points West (indeed, I once got my 15 minutes of fame when they interviewed me) but I haven't watched Look North so I can't make any comparisons.

Jim

Reply to
Indy Jess John

As an aside, I understand that as long as you are not watching live TV but only prerecorded and saved TV that you do not need a TV licence. If that is the case how much do you have to time shift your viewing for it not to be classed as live TV, is it minutes, hours or days?

Richard

Reply to
Tricky Dicky

Good question.

iPlayer broadcasts are usually available shortly after the program has finished broadcasting. They are the ones you can watch/listen to without paying for a TV licence.

The same law applies to watching non BBC channels/radio stations.

Time lags on DAB and satellite do not apply:-)

Reply to
ARW

Same here on the day that I retired at Emley Moor - for Look North of course!

Reply to
Woody

You need a licence if you are recording off-air for later viewing.

If you are downloading then I think the required time-shift is 'not while the programme is being broadcast' so if BeastBenders finishes at 19.59 on BBC1 you can watch it in BBC iPlayer at 15.59 01".

On the other hand if you want to watch Grand Designs you'd have to wait until it's finished on Channel 4, been shown on 4+1, and make sure the episode is not being shown on 4Seven or More4 at the same time.

Owain

Reply to
spuorgelgoog

I've always understood that so long as the original programme has finished, then you're OK. But I don't know why I think that. :o)

This may help;

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Reply to
Huge

Just a response to your "East Enders" nickname. I think mine's better, aka "Bum Enders" :-)

Reply to
Johnny B Good

Bill Wright wrote in news:mo8c7i$lqj$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

As a contintental euroskeptic I'd welcome the UK to stay in the EU, because we need you as a strong skeptical voice to help prevent the EU from going astray.

Did they really say that? Absurd, international trade would continue.

Reply to
Wolfgang Schwanke

Oh I don't see that at all, it is after all just a broadcasting entity. Also people are worried about it going commercial and privatised etc, but that has already happened with the use of private production companies and sub contracting of a lot of key functions.

Brian

Reply to
Brian-Gaff

Well, I'm not so sure about that. I saw the 1 Show a couple of weeks ago and the inference I came away with was that all commercial companies are money grabbing opportunists. I'm sure one could have had some of the items spun the other way just as easily. It was in all the various subjects covered, and I do wonder sometimes if it is just the way it is.

It is though hard to be objective, as if you perceive unfairness when covering a story, the natural tendency is to go after the villain as you see that. Brian

Reply to
Brian-Gaff

Unfortunately, those in charge do their best to ignore all the good advice we give them. For example: "The Euro is a flawed concept from the start".

Reply to
Davey

Only when terrestrial TV is a 50:50 mix of programmes cut with adverts for pimp your loan, injury lawyers, junk food and hypochondriacs unlimited will people realise what a good thing the BBC actually is.

It is only when you have suffered foreign TV that you can appreciate that it is very nice not to have wall to wall adverts with a few minutes of programme material sometimes shown in between.

This is of course exactly what the wrecking committee that the government has set up is out to do. Commercial interests can buy a lot of influence and they want to get everything on pay-per-view.

Be careful what you wish for!

Reply to
Martin Brown

I have tried Muller Fruit Corner Yoghurt but not Muller Corner Choco Balls, so I too cannot make a comparison.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

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