Ditch the TV licence

tHe possibility that the free tV licence for over-75s may disappear is not the issue. the scandal is the fact there is a licence fee at all.

In the early Fifties, when the bbC was the only tV network, it may not have been unreasonable to charge a licence fee. When the independent networks started broadcasting, funded by advertising, the justification became questionable.

an abundance of network channels can be accessed via satellite, cable and internet so the bbC is now only one of many providers. there are also numerous radio stations that have no connection with the bbC.

However, the bbC is the only one for which the public must pay a fee, even if they do not watch or listen to its pwrogrammes.

the licence fee is said to allow the bbC to remain free of advertisements and independent of shareholder and political interest. However, the corporation advertises its own shows and appears to have abandoned its political independence years ago.

by all means allow the bbC to charge any fee it likes, provided this is optional and does not restrict access to any other tV channel.

BRIAN SANDERS, Ponteland, Northumberland. tHere has been an explosion of repetitive and annoying trailers on the bbC. I counted five between two programmes, or seven if you include two verbal trails over the credits.

Commercial stations are adding promos for programmes to the ad breaks. You can’t even zap between stations to avoid them as it appears the channels co-ordinate the ads.

HUW BEYNON, Llandeilo, Carms.