TV Licensing PR Campaign: Licence Fee Only Forty Pence a Day

TV Licensing has just launched another PR campaign, which is designed to highlight what they perceive as the exceptional value of the TV licence fee.

TV Licensing is a trading name used by the companies contracted by the BBC to undertake TV licence enforcement and administration work. The BBC, as the statutory Television Licensing Authority, retains overall legal responsibility for all TV Licensing matters, although it often goes to great lengths to distance itself from the TV Licensing brand.

The new campaign poses the question "what could you buy for 40 pence?", which is the approximate daily cost of the £145.50 annual TV licence. Media harlots Proximity London, former purveyor of TV Licensing lies, have created a series of trails that will air on BBC Radio 1 and 1 Xtra over the coming fortnight.

According to The Drum, the trails are "a bid to remind students that they must pay for a TV licence if they watch programmes on their laptops or mobile devices." That statement is actually incorrect, because as we have previously explained most students will already be correctly licensed to receive TV programmes on their mobile devices.

Catriona Ferguson, Head of Marketing at TV Licensing, said: "This campaign is targeted at students who may be paying their own bills for the first time as they move into student accommodation.

"Focusing on Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s demographic of younger listeners, the campaign aims to encourage students to recognise the value of a TV Licence and reinforces the need to be licensed whatever device they are using."

Our eyes lit up the moment we first saw this campaign, because of the clear way the message can be manipulated to the detriment of the BBC and TV Licensing.

Results of a recent poll on the Mirror website.

Thanks to Chris1963 at the TV Licence Resistance forums for highlighting that for the equivalent of 40 pence a day a person could enjoy both Netflix and Amazon Prime without the legal need to buy a TV licence. They would also be able to enjoy BBC Radio and Online content, neither of which legally require a TV licence.

How else could 40 pence a day be better spent than buying a TV licence? We encourage witty ideas in the comments below!

TV Licensing Telephone Enquiries: Speaking to a Person

Despite the breadth of TV Licensing information available on the web there are some people who would rather call TV Licensing and speak to a person.

TV Licensing is a trading name used by the companies contracted by the BBC to undertake TV licence enforcement and administration work. The contractor responsible for call handling is Capita Business Services Ltd. Calls to TV Licensing's 0300 790 6131 number, which can also be used for goon fishing reports, cost the same as calls to a standard geographic number.

Anyone calling TV Licensing for "assistance" faces a baffling array of 71 options spread over 7 different menus. Depending on the nature of their enquiry that could mean a caller faces almost two minutes of irritating menu options before being connected in the right direction. In all likelihood they will then have to wait even longer for a call handler to become available.

Full details of all the menu options can be viewed on the Please Press 1 website, but we will summarise the most important information below.

The quickest way of speaking to a TV Licensing call handler is the following:

• Call 0300 790 6131.
• Listen to the 30 second welcome message (tortuous, but you can't do anything else at this stage).
• As soon as the voice begins to read out the first menu options press 5.
• As soon as the voice begins to read out the second menu options press 5.
• As soon as the voice begins to read out the third menu options press 3.
• As soon as the voice begins to read out the fourth menu options press 2.
• Your call will then be connected to a person who will attempt, probably very poorly, to answer your specific TV Licensing questions.

By anticipating the menu options in this manner you can avoid almost two minutes worth of TV Licensing claptrap and save almost two minutes worth of call charges.

TV Licensing Targeting Students

It must be that time of the year again, with TV Licensing filling the pages of dubious local periodicals with scary stories about the possible consequences of students evading the TV licence fee.

In anticipation of TV Licensing's latest campaign we wrote a Student Guide to TV Licence Rules a few weeks ago. If you're a student who hasn't read it we suggest you do, because it explains several perfectly legal ways to enjoy TV without the need to buy your own TV licence.

The latest newspaper article to attract our attention appears in today's South Wales Evening Post. The piece, which we can be entirely confident was written by TV Licensing's PR harlots and published verbatim by lazy journalists, contains a quote by a student who is about to start studying for a Masters degree at Swansea University.

Cait Dacey is quoted as saying: "When you first move away to university all the different bills and arrangements you need to make can be quite daunting, especially when you move into your first shared house.

"I hadn't realised that you needed a licence even when watching TV on your tablet or phone but the TV Licensing website has lots of useful information so it's easy to figure out what you need."

In common with all TV Licensing press releases, the words are carefully chosen to draw people towards the incorrect assumption that they must buy a TV licence.

In most circumstances anyone watching TV programmes on a tablet or phone will already be correctly licensed, by virtue of the fact their home address (non-term time address for students) is covered by a valid TV licence. They will not need to rush out and buy a separate TV licence at all.

If Cait Dacey is reading this we'd appreciate if she'd drop us a line and confirm the fact that she was actually interviewed by TV Licensing (or one of their PR agencies) and not the South Wales Evening Post as readers are meant to infer.

TV Licensing Threatograms: Your Opinion

Much to our amusement TV Licensing PR harlot Mark Sterling has just tried to claim that TV licence letters "are not threatening".

We're not convinced (read more about TV Licensing threatograms) and we'd welcome your opinions in the comments below.

Please tell us about your experiences of dealing with TV Licensing.

TV Licensing: Our Letters Aren't Threatening

TV Licensing's Northern Irish PR harlot Mark Sterling appeared on BBC Radio Ulster's The Stephen Nolan Show yesterday.

It's the first time we've heard Sterling in action and we're really glad to have tuned in. In the 12 minutes of airtime dedicated to the subject of TV Licensing it's fair to say that the BBC's militant revenue generation arm faced swingeing criticism, most of it from Nolan himself.

TV Licensing frequently trawl BBC local radio stations touting for business. Ordinarily they can be guaranteed a sympathetic reception from the presenter, who receives their BBC salary from TV Licensing's immoral earnings. It was a refreshing change to hear Nolan exercise independence of thought and expression.

You can listen to the piece in full using the player below:

listen to ‘TV Licensing spokesperson Mark Sterling answers your BBC licence questions #BBCNolan’ on Audioboo

The segment began with Nolan and Sterling in conversation about the subject of TV Licensing sending letters to unlicensed properties:

Stephen Nolan (SN): "We've been hearing from people saying that despite them telling you (TV Licensing) they have no TV; despite them telling you there's no house on a building site; you're still pursuing them with letters".

Mark Sterling (MS): "Well, the letters we send to unlicensed addresses, we do that to let people know that if they have a TV and they're watching TV live, then they have to have a TV licence".

SN: "So it's a fishing expedition? You're sending letters that warn people you're about to take them to court, but you have no idea if those letters are even remotely justifiable? Pick an address and threaten people with court and the BBC is endorsing it?"

MS: "These letters are not threatening. I think it's only fair that we do our best to make sure that people who do need a TV licence are paying for one. We have to be fair to the vast majority of people who do pay their licence".

SN: "But Mark, you shouldn't be threatening people who don't need a licence".

MS: "The letters aren't threatening. We do have a series of communications like letters and phone calls and visits. If people don't need a licence we ask them to let us know that they don't need a licence. They can do that very easily online..."

SN: "But should it not be the other way around? Your letter does tell people that they can be brought before a court and prosecuted, right?"

MS: "We do make people aware of the fact that they can be fined and prosecuted if they don't have a licence".

SN: "But before you send a letter like that, should you not know if they have a television?"

MS: "That's why we ask people who don't have a TV (to let us know) - it's not just the TV as well Stephen, we have to remember that if you're watching TV on a phone or a laptop..."

SN: "Sure, we get that. But before you threaten someone with court - that's what the letter does - should you not know if they are using the service? That they're consuming the BBC?"

MS: "Well we do ask people just to simply let us know if they don't need a licence. If they don't need a licence it's easy to let us know and they won't hear from us then for up to 2 years."

SN: "That's very good of you; that's very good of the BBC, isn't it? So someone is told they are guilty and they have to prove their innocence first?"

MS: "We just ask people if they don't watch TV programmes as they're shown live, if they let us know. They can do that very simply online or on the phone..."

SN: "Apparently they can't do it online".

Nolan then took calls from two listeners who had experience of dealing with TV Licensing:

Caller Steven: "It's not very easy to let the TV Licensing people know that you don't need a licence. I spent 15 minutes on the phone to them and then gave up".

Caller Nathan: "I manage a butchers shop in Belfast and we regularly get letters saying that we don't have a TV licence. I've phoned (TV Licensing) on several occasions, asking them to come and inspect the premises - we don't have a TV, we're a butchers shop.

"I told TV Licensing and the letters stopped for 2 months and they have the cheek to print 'made from recycled paper' on the bottom of them".

Nolan and Sterling then went on to discuss Nathan's case in some more detail:

SN: "The question is, if you have actually gone to the bother of telling you guys (TV Licensing) 'I have no (need for) TV licence', should you be receiving more threats 2 months later?"

MS: "If people tell us they don't require a TV licence they shouldn't hear from us for up to 2 years".

SN: "Up to 2 years gives you a lot of wriggle room, because up to 2 years could mean anywhere between a day and 2 years".

MS: "Sorry, sorry - I should clarify that they won't hear from us for 2 years".

Something else Sterling added in before the end of the interview:

MS: "The revenue generated by those letters significantly outweighs the costs of sending them".

Having taken a few moments to reflect on Sterling's woeful performance, there are two issues we have real concerns about. Firstly, Sterling's deluded denial that TV Licensing letters are threatening; secondly TV Licensing's alarming mentality that "if you don't tell us you don't need a TV licence, you can't complain when we send you threatening letters".

Remember that a TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is used to receive "live" broadcast TV programmes. Anyone who doesn't need a licence is under no legal obligation to co-operate with TV Licensing at all and we strongly recommend they don't.

TV Licensing: Regular As Clockwork

Over the last few days, what with one thing or another, we've listened to a fair amount of TV Licensing call centre hold music.

We instantly recognised one of their favourite tracks as Beethoven's 9th symphony second movement, which is arguably quite apt because it's also one of the droogs' favourite pieces of music in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. 

Coincidence, do you think?

Angry TV Licensing Goon Strikes Out: Quick Update

A couple of days ago we wrote about a TV Licensing visiting officer striking out at a member of the public on the street outside his home.

The incident, which happened in the Redcar & Cleveland village of Carlin How on 8th August 2014, was captured on camera. The footage is quite clear and we doubt even TV Licensing will be able to spin an innocent explanation for the events shown. There is no doubt about the identity of the visiting officer in question, as his ID card was photographed in a previous encounter.

We are writing this update because we have become aware of a new follow-up video uploaded to YouTube. The new video shows an anonymous caller to TV Licensing making a complaint about the visiting officer's conduct. The TV Licensing call handler was clearly quite disturbed by what she was told, as she should have been. As the caller identified the visiting officer by name, we are not going to link directly to the video. We are still hopeful that the injured party can be persuaded to complain to the police.

As the BBC and TV Licensing are definitely now aware of this incident, we hope they can step out of character and find the decency to do the right thing. At the very least the injured party deserves a personal apology from a senior BBC manager and the offer of compensation.

We shall keep you updated with any other developments we become aware of.

TV Licensing Visiting Procedures

The TV Licensing Visiting Procedures is a hefty document that governs the conduct of TV Licensing enquiries.

In theory every TV Licensing goon should know and understand the contents of this document. In practice we regularly see examples of goons ignorant of the rules, particularly with regard to photography/videoing and the Withdrawal of Implied Rights of Access (WOIRA).

The BBC has released a redacted version of the document on several previous occasions and we have been amiss in not sharing it. You can view the redacted TV Licensing Visiting Procedures here.

Notwithstanding the cannibalised nature of the redacted version, it still serves as a useful reminder about the expected conduct of TV Licensing goons. The unredacted document is also available if you know where to look.

TV Licensing Bullies Face Barrage of Public Criticism

News that TV Licensing sends almost 100,000 threatograms to unlicensed properties every working day, comes as little surprise to the TV Licensing Blog.

It is a topic we first investigated at the start of 2012, so the newspapers have actually been quite slow on the uptake.

Last night we listened to Clive Bull's phone-in show on LBC Radio, where TV Licensing intimidation was one of the hot topics of discussion. It is fair to say that the 20 minutes of airtime dedicated to TV Licensing were damning in the extreme. Not one person had anything complimentary to say about the BBC's revenue generation racket.

Several callers recounted their frustration at being subject to continual TV Licensing harassment, despite having previously informed the errant organisation of their TV licence circumstances. Some callers explained how they had been given inaccurate information (in some cases downright lies) by TV Licensing call centre staff.

As we listened to the show we tweeted some of the more memorable comments:

"TV Licensing can't prove one way or another if you're evading the fee" - Clive

"TV Licensing told me that if the builders (working on unoccupied house) had mobile phones, I had to be covered by a TV licence" - Jennifer

"The very offensive way the TV Licensing Authority send out letters is nothing short of harassment" - by email

"TV Licensing kept nagging me, even though I'd told them the property was empty" - Nazeem

"I've been harassed by TV Licensing for years" - Mark

"It's time the BBC was wound up" - Alan

"I've had over a dozen letters, implying I'm going to court (despite them not even knowing my name), and I'm no closer to going to court now than I was  4.5 years ago" - by email

Remember that a TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is used to receive "live" broadcast TV programmes. 

Anyone who doesn't legally need a TV licence, doesn't need to waste their time with TV Licensing. The comments above illustrate perfectly the reason why.

TV Licensing Visiting Officer Strikes Out at Cleveland Householder

A TV Licensing visiting officer struck out at a man outside his home in the sleepy Redcar & Cleveland village of Carlin How..

Details are still a bit patchy on this one, but the video footage speaks for it self. There really is no doubt at all about the TV Licensing man's actions, which we encourage the injured party to report to the police. In our opinion it is a clear cut case of assault.

According to the occupier the visiting officer, who is employed by TV Licensing operations contractor Capita Business Services Ltd, forcefully thrust his hand towards the camera causing it to hit him in the face. This account is corroborated by the video footage. The occupier challenged the visiting officer by saying "You just hit me in the face", to which he replied "I did not hit you in the face. Prove it". As luck would have it, the camera does a pretty good job of documenting the incident.

This incident took place on 8th August 2014.

As the video footage clearly shows the occupier remains civil and polite, up until the point where the TV Licensing man is seen to strike out. We do note that he appears to be of the Freeman on the Land persuasion, but that does not detract from the seriousness of the incident that took place.

It is perfectly legal for anyone to film TV Licensing employees as they operate in a public place and we actively encourage the practice. The TV Licensing Visiting Procedures, a voluminous document that governs the conduct of TV Licensing enquiries, specifically states that visiting officers are not to challenge anyone exercising their legal right to film.

We shall try to add further details to this post as they become known, but please understand that we shall have to be quite circumspect in our commentary on this occasion. 

In closing we'll just remind you of a few phrases of TV Licensing self-description from their brand philosophy:

• We're polite, respectful and open.
• We are not aggressive or threatening.
• We take pride in being helpful.
• We do not shout.

Seems this particular TV Licensing employee didn't read the memo!

Edit (13/8/14): We now have the identity of the TV Licensing man in question. We won't name him at the moment, but let's just say he's not a stranger.

TV Licensing Wrongly Hounds Somerset Couple

TV Licensing has alienated the occupants of another property by wrongly threatening them with prosecution even though they have a valid TV licence.

The Somerset County Gazette reports that Brian and Elizabeth Totman, who live near the village of Bishops Lydeard, recently changed the name of their home to avoid confusion with a similarly-named property nearby.

At the start of March Brian dutifully informed TV Licensing about the minor adjustment in the property's name. TV Licensing wrote a reply letter confirming its records had been amended and the current licence was still valid.

Within the space of a few weeks Brian started to receive TV Licensing's monthly reminder letters (dubbed threatograms for their menacing tone), which wrongly implied he was TV licence-fee evader at risk of prosecution and a £1000 fine.

Brian fired off an angry email to TV Licensing correcting them on their mistake. In a bout of uncharacteristic humility TV Licensing apologised for its continued oversight and vowed to fix the problem.

At the start of this month Brian received another red-daubed threatogram incorrectly stating that his property was unlicensed and again threatening the possible (although wholly unlikely) consequences of receiving TV programmes without a licence.

After wasting more of his valuable time trying to correct TV Licensing, Brian is not overconfident that matters will be resolved: "I’ll be pleased if they do actually fix it this time but I’m not holding my breath,

"It’s the fourth time I've been told it’s all been sorted so I’m a bit sceptical."

Commenting on Brian's case, a TV Licensing spokesman said: "We are very sorry Mr Totman continued to receive mailings after our initial investigation.

"This was due to an issue with a secondary database.

"We are addressing this as a priority and are in the process of contacting Mr Totman to offer him our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused."

Yesterday we took a tongue-in-cheek look at TV Licensing's brand philosophy, which states "we are not aggressive or threatening", "we never assume guilt" and "we take pride in being helpful".

Some joke that is.

TV Licensing Brand Philosophy

We recently noticed that one of our previous Freedom of Information requests had been cited on the Television Licensing in the United Kingdom Wikipedia article.

The request in question, about the wording and approval of TV Licensing letters, dates back to December 2011. Despite the passage of time, we remember clearly that our primary motivation for making that request was the prove that the BBC authorises the menacing tone of every TV Licensing standard letter (threatogram).

In that we succeeded, but it appears we didn't pay much attention to the secondary disclosure documents released by the BBC at the time, one of which was the TV Licensing Brand Communication Guidelines.

This 59-page guide outlines the structure of TV Licensing publications in minute detail. It is these guidelines that irritatingly insist on the word "Licence" being incorrectly capitalised in every TV Licensing document. 

As well as explaining the acceptable layouts, spellings, colour schemes, type faces, font sizes and phrases, the guidelines contain an interesting page titled "our philosophy". 

Below, for your entertainment, we reproduce TV Licensing's brand philosophy word for word (complete with abysmal grammar and punctuation):

__________________________________________________________________

TV Licensing puts the public at the heart of everything we do.

Why? Because we're a public service organisation. And 95% of households across the UK are our customers.

They love TV, radio and online content. They abide by the law that created the TV Licence. And even in the hardest times, most find a way to pay 39p a day toward that world of information, entertainment and conversation that enriches our lives.

Which is why when we talk to them, we remember we're talking to the people we're here to serve.

So we're polite, respectful and open.

We do not seek to persuade but to inform and enable.

We do not obfuscate, omit or spin. We make even complex things - like the law - simple.

We take pride in being helpful to those looking for a way to pay their TV Licence.

We are not aggressive or threatening. Rather we're clear, conversational and considered.

We do not shout. We tell people what they need to know so they can choose their own actions and the consequences of them.

We never assume guilt. Instead we trust that most people will do the right thing.

We also believe that to be fair to those who do we need to be firm with those who should, but don't.

We didn't create the law. But we were created by it as much to enable it as to enforce it. With as much transparency as sense of responsibility.

While we give everyone every opportunity to comply with the law, we are unwavering in bringing to account those who persist in breaking it. Appropriately. Proportionately. And efficiently.

Why? It's just as rewarding to us, as to the public we serve, to see fewer of the pennies go towards collecting the TV Licence fee and enforcing TV Licence law, and more of the pounds go towards the TV, radio and online content we all love and live by.

After all, our ambition is to be a modern self-serve digital brand in a fast-changing media world.

__________________________________________________________________

Having read all that, we're sat in stunned disbelief at how far detached TV Licensing's brand philosophy is from its brand reality. 

In particular we take umbrage at the idea that TV Licensing doesn't shout and isn't threatening or aggressive. Oh really? Equally farcical is the notion that TV Licensing never assumes guilt and doesn't obfuscate, omit or spin. TV Licensing spins more than Alistair Campbell on a merry-go-round.

It just goes to show, as we've said all along, how little understanding the ivory-towered BBC actually has about the reality of TV Licensing operations on the ground. They really don't have a clue.

TV Licensing Complaints

Over the last two years just under 40,000 people have complained about TV Licensing.

With TV Licensing's aggressive style of enquiry, which incorrectly assumes anyone without a TV licence is an evader, it should come as little surprise than an increasing number of people are venting their frustrations via the TV Licensing complaints system.

It's important to realise that complaining to TV Licensing probably won't achieve anything, other than allowing the complainant the opportunity to express their disdain. TV Licensing, just like its BBC bosses, is under the misguided belief that its procedures work flawlessly and staff are beyond reproach. A consequence of this is that TV Licensing treats most complaints, however valid and justified, dismissively. 

A quick search of Google reveals hundreds of cases where TV Licensing has behaved in an abysmal manner. Every week, much to the BBC's and Capita's continued frustration, new videos appear on YouTube showing TV Licensing visiting officers breaking rules, acting dishonestly and threatening people over an offence they probably haven't committed.

Making a Complaint

We always recommend complaining to TV Licensing in writing, either by letter or email. Complaints in writing are advantageous because they provides a permanent record of the complaint and TV Licensing's response to it.  If you deal with TV Licensing on paper, please be sure to keep all correspondence safe and secure, ideally making electronic copies of it for future reference.

The steps for complaining in writing are as follows:

Step 1: Write a letter of complaint to: Customer Relations, TV Licensing, Darlington, DL98 1TL.

Step 2: If you receive a substandard response, as will probably be the case, escalate your complaint by writing to: The Operations Director, TV Licensing, Darlington, DL98 1TL.

Remember to include the original letter of complaint and TV Licensing's substandard response. You should explain why you find TV Licensing's first response unsatisfactory - probably because it's come straight from the can (seriously, try Googling the text) and is so vague and generic in nature it does little to address any of your concerns.

Step 3: If you are dissatisfied with the Operation Director's response then you can escalate your complaint from monkey to organ grinder. The next step would be to write to: The Head of Revenue Management, BBC TV Licensing, 2nd Floor The Lighthouse, BBC White City, 201 Wood Lane, London, W12 7TQ.
Again you should include copies of all previous complaint documents and explain why you are dissatisfied with earlier responses.

Step 4: If you are dissatisfied with the Head of Revenue Management's response then you can write back and ask them to escalate the matter to the BBC's Executive Board. The Executive Board will review all the previous documents and decide whether or not to uphold the complaint.

Step 5: If you are dissatisfied with the BBC Executive Board's decision then you can complain to the BBC Trust, who will make a final decision about whether or not to uphold the complaint. Further information appears on the Trust's website.

Telephone Complaints:

We do not recommend complaining to TV Licensing by telephone. Experience shows that communicating with TV Licensing call centre staff is often a futile exercise, as most have a rudimentary understanding of TV Licensing policy and legislation. Furthermore, given call handlers' reluctance to identify themselves, it is often difficult to follow-up one enquiry with another.

Twitter Complaints:

Twitter is not a suitable medium for making formal TV Licensing complaints, but we actively encourage the use of Twitter for public criticism of TV Licensing. If you do tweet TV Licensing critical comments, please make them as damning and witty as possible so we can retweet them far and wide.

Summary:

Complaining to TV Licensing is very time-consuming and convoluted process, which is no doubt designed to sicken complainants into giving up. In that sense it's similar to the way TV Licensing continually issues legally-baseless threats in an attempt to sicken legitimate non-viewers into buying a TV licence they don't need.

Dragons' Den: More BBC Grooming

Dragons' Den, the popular series where unknown entrepreneurs broker deals with celebrity investors, regularly attracts more than 3 million viewers to BBC Two.

The programme, which has helped launch brands like Levi Roots Reggae Reggae Sauce and Magic Whiteboard, sees several seemingly ordinary contestants pitch their ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, hoping to secure financial investment for a stake of the company in return.

According to a report in today's The Mail on Sunday, all is not quite what is seems with the hit BBC show. It appears that many of the unknown entrepreneurs aren't actually that unknown at all, with almost half of those featuring in the current fourteenth series having been specially groomed to appear.

The Mail continues: "Scott Cupit, who runs a swing dancing school, made his astounding revelation about the 'selection' process on his company website.

"The 48-year-old says he was contacted out of the blue by the BBC and 'talked into' an audition.

"For Mr Cupit, who appeared on the opening episode of the 12th series with members of his dance company, Swing Patrol, taking part could not have been more straightforward.

"Once he bowed to the BBC’s entreaties, his only problem, he said, was having just ten days 'to think about what on earth to ask for', as he was happy with his business as it was and wasn’t seeking investment.

The practice of head hunting been greeted with dismay by those contestants who applied in the normal manner against stiff competition. Former contestant Ray Duffy, co-owner of Mask-arade, a celebrity facemask company based in Southam, South Warwickshire, branded the practice as 'deceptive'.

He told the Mail: "The perception of the viewer is that the business pitching to the Dragons has gone about it in a normal manner by approaching the show, not the show approaching them."

The BBC, responding to allegations of contestant-fixing, said: "As is made clear on the Dragons’ Den website, in order to showcase a wide cross-section of business ideas, there are many different ways that our production team source entrepreneurs and businesses to apply to take part.

"Regardless of this, every applicant, without exception, goes through the same rigorous application and audition process".

The BBC has been been accused of breaching audience trust on a number of previous occasions. In 2007 viewers of children's programme Blue Peter selected the name "Cookie" for a new cat, but producers surreptitiously changed the name to "Socks" behind viewers' backs. The same show faked the results of a phone-in competition by asking a visitor to BBC Television Centre to appear on air and pretend they'd won the prize.

Student Guide to TV Licence Rules

Students will soon be heading back to university after what we hope has been an enjoyable summer break from their studies.

No doubt they will have a lot of things on their mind, but one thing they shouldn't be worried about is the TV licence.

A TV licence is required for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast on a normal TV channel. From 1st September 2016 a TV licence will also be required to receive on-demand programmes via the BBC iPlayer, although a licence is not needed to receive on-demand programmes via any other platform. Anyone who watches "live" broadcast TV programmes or BBC iPlayer programmes should be correctly licensed to do so.

Recent Ofcom research shows that an increasing number of 16 to 24 year olds are choosing alternative methods of viewing, like non-live catch-up services, that do not legally require a TV licence. In most circumstances even those students that watch "live" broadcast TV programmes can do so without needing to buy their own TV licence. This article explains how.

About TV Licensing:

The BBC is the statutory TV Licensing Authority, which is legally responsible for the administration and enforcement of the TV licence system. The BBC chooses not to undertake TV licence functions under its own name, but instead contracts a series of private companies to fulfill the role. These companies operate under the name of TV Licensing.

The major contractor is Capita Business Services Ltd, which is responsible most of TV Licensing's customer interaction. Capita employees conduct visits to unlicensed properties and gather the evidence needed to prosecute TV licence evaders. Capita, which has shareholders to satisfy, makes no secret of the fact that it manages TV Licensing as a sales operation. Like most sales operations, it seeks to maximise revenue by whatever means it can. Capita employees, who earn close to the minimum wage, receive attractive bonuses for selling TV licences and catching evaders. This partly explains why some Capita employees behave is such an aggressive and dishonest manner when they visit people's homes (see an example of TV Licensing doorstep intimidation).

A separate contractor, currently Proximity London Ltd, is responsible for sending menacing TV Licensing letters to unlicensed properties. Proximity were sacked from an earlier contract for printing lies in TV Licensing letters, but the BBC saw fit to reappoint them.

TV Licence Rules:

There are three general situations that a student might find them self in:

- Situation 1: Their property does not legally require a TV licence at all.

• As mentioned at the start of the article, a TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast on a normal TV channel or, from 1st September 2016, on-demand programmes via the BBC iPlayer.

• A TV licence is not legally needed for the following:
• Watching DVDs.
• Watching content that has been previously downloaded from the web.
• Watching non-live, on-demand content on video sharing sites like YouTube.
• Watching non-live, on-demand programmes on platforms other than the BBC iPlayer.
• Watching non-live, on-demand content on subscription services like Netflix.

• Mere ownership of TV receiving equipment does not require a TV licence. It is perfectly legal to own a TV set without a licence, as long as it isn't used to receive TV programmes. Similarly it is perfectly legal to own an internet-enabled computer without a licence, as long as it isn't used to navigate to "live" broadcast TV programmes on BBC iPlayer on-demand programmes.

- Situation 2: They are already covered by a TV licence.

• A student temporarily living in rented accommodation (e.g. a hall of residence or student property) is already covered to receive TV programmes on an unplugged device, as long as their non-term time address is covered by a valid TV licence. An unplugged device is something powered by its own internal battery and without an external aerial (e.g. a mobile phone or unplugged laptop/tablet receiving data via a wireless web connection). This rule is very useful and we consider that most students could adjust their viewing habits to benefit from it.

• If the university provides a TV in a hall of residence communal area, then that is normally covered by the university's own TV licence.

- Situation 3: They need to obtain a TV licence.

• If a student wishes to install (e.g. plug in a mains and aerial lead) equipment to receive TV programmes or BBC iPlayer programmes in their own self-contained rented room then they will need to obtain a TV licence.
• The rules on shared student accommodation are more complicated. Read our earlier article about multiple occupation of student properties.

Your Rights

Anyone who does not legally require a TV licence is under no obligation to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing. They do not legally need to confirm their no-TV status and it will probably be a wasted effort if they do. We recommend that anyone in this situation ignores TV Licensing entirely. 

Remember that TV Licensing employees work for a BBC contracted company called Capita Business Services Ltd. They are simply salespeople with no special legal rights. According to TV Licensing’s own policies their employees must:

• Show their ID on request.
• Behave in a polite and courteous manner at all times.
• Leave immediately if the occupier of the room/property asks them to.
• Never threaten the use of a search warrant or the police.

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Edit (14/8/16): Article updated to reflect the changes in legislation taking effect on 1st September 2016 (more info here).

TV Licensing: Do They Always Prosecute?

Looking through our visit logs this morning we came across several visitors arriving on the search term "do TV Licensing always prosecute?"

It's a good question and one which is no doubt uppermost in a lot of people's minds - particularly those, dare we say, who are on the wrong side of TV licence law.

Before proceeding, as is customary with our blog posts, a quick reminder of the actual law as it stands today. A TV licence is required for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast on a normal TV channel. Anyone who watches "live" broadcast TV programmes should be correctly licensed to do so. [Edit: From 1st September 2016 a TV licence is also needed to watch or download BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer. A TV licence is not legally required for any other on-demand service]

So, back to the question at hand: do TV Licensing always prosecute?

 Excerpt from TV Licensing court briefing.

The short answer, as demonstrated in the image above, is no.

Now for the longer answer is. One of the archaic quirks of English/Welsh/Scots law is that for all an offence may have been committed, a prosecution should only ensue in the interests of justice. There are certain circumstances where TV Licensing might technically "nab" an evader, but choose not to prosecute because it is not in the public (or their own) interests to do so.

Information we've accumulated over the years tells us that people in the following circumstances are unlikely to face prosecution if caught receiving TV programmes in an unlicensed property:

• Genuine non-residents (e.g. casual visitors).
• Babysitters or tradespeople.
• Anyone under 17 years old.
• Anyone with a serious illness or disability.
• Anyone lacking mental capability.
• First-time evaders who subsequently buy a licence (and keep up payments as appropriate).

It is important to note that even in the examples mentioned above TV Licensing will often begin the prosecution process, only to abandon the prosecution once the circumstances become clearer.

TV Licensing regularly abandon prosecutions in order to avoid potential embarrassment or legal problems further down the line. An example of this might be where there are clear errors, omissions or contradictions on the completed TVL178 Record of Interview form, as discussed previously in the case of Tony.

A statistic to consider as we draw this article to a close. According to the BBC there were 312,715 evaders caught in England and Wales in 2007 (BBC FOIA ref: RFI20080413). The corresponding Ministry of Justice figures reveal that only 120,908 (38%) of those were actually convicted (MoJ FOIA ref: FOI/62333/09). In other words, far fewer than half of those TV Licensing catch evading the fee end up being prosecuted.

If in doubt, claim you're the babysitter!

BBC TV Licence Fee at Risk Due to Techie Teens

Recent Ofcom research highlights that a growing number of younger viewers are watching non-live catch-up services instead of "live" broadcast television programmes.

A TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programmes at the same time they are broadcast on a normal TV channel. A TV licence is not required to watch previously shown programmes on non-live catch-up services like the BBC's iPlayer.

The research, published as part of Ofcom's eleventh Communications Market Report, measures confidence and knowledge of communications technology to calculate an individual's Digital Quotient (DQ) score with the average UK adult scoring 100 (take Ofcom's DQ taster test).

The study, among nearly 2,000 adults and 800 children, finds that 6-year-olds claim to have the same understanding of communications technology as 45-year-olds. Also, more than 60% of people aged 55 and over have a below average DQ score. Average DQ scores by age group as shown in the clickable graphic below:

It shows that we hit our peak confidence and understanding of digital communications and technology when we are in our mid-teens; this drops gradually up to our late 50s and then falls rapidly from 60 and beyond.

Worryingly, from a BBC TV Licensing point of view, is that the next generation of licence-fee-payers spend less than half their viewing time watching licensable live broadcast TV programmes. An increasing number of younger viewers are turning to DVDs, online catch-up services and downloadable programmes, none of which require payment of the £145.50 a year TV licence fee. Furthermore, only 3% of the 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed said they would miss watching live broadcast TV programmes, compared to almost a third of those aged 65 and over.

A BBC spokesman told the Daily Mail: "As the data shows young people still spend two thirds of their viewing time watching live or recorded TV which needs to be covered by a TV licence. Well under two per cent of households watch only catch-up TV".

In characteristic BBC fashion, he's actually being misleading in that statement: Recording live broadcast TV programmes requires a TV licence; watching them does not.

Tattooed TV Licensing Goon

Judging by the accents this latest TV Licensing goon encounter, uploaded to YouTube less than an hour ago, comes from somewhere in the Yorkshire area.

From what we can gather the goon, who is employed by TV Licensing operations contractor Capita Business Services Ltd, knocked at the door and it would appear that the occupier first responded at the window. Having determined that the unsolicited cold-caller was a TV Licensing goon, the occupier then went to answer the door with his camera rolling. 

The goon, no doubt conscious of the fact he's now a movie star, refused to confirm his name or show his ID card. Bizarrely for a man making TV Licensing enquiries he also said "I don't work for TV Licensing". Given that comment, we'd suggest that he's not to most honest of people, which is fairly characteristic of most goons we encounter.

The occupier confirms that he does not need a TV licence, before the goon leaves and hops into his car at the bottom of the road. The vehicle, a dark blue/black Skoda Fabia, is shown in the image below.

Remember that anyone who does not legally need a TV licence, just like the occupier in this most recent video, does not need to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing at all. Furthermore, the occupier is well within his legal rights to film and distribute footage of anyone who visits his property.

Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Denning Admits String of Child Sexual Offences

Chris Denning, a former DJ on BBC Radio 1, has admitted to committing 29 child sexual offences.

Denning, of Basildon in Essex, was charged as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal. He denied a further 12 charges in a short hearing at Southwark Crown Court earlier today.

The offences Denning admitted took place between 1967 and 1984, and relate to boys aged between 9 and 16 years old at the time.

Denning's Wikipedia page shows him as a habitual child sex offender, who has previously been associated with convicted paedophile Jonathan King.

Denning was one of the original line-up on BBC Radio 1 when the station launched in 1967. He was also the first announcer heard on BBC2 when it took to the air in 1964.

Judge Alistair McCreath remanded Denning in custody, pending his trial beginning on 24th November 2014.

TV Licensing Rules on Multiple Occupation

In response to one of yesterday's Facebook comments, we thought we'd take the opportunity to clarify TV Licensing's rules on single and multiple occupation.

These rules are particularly applicable to those living in student properties or halls of residence. For reasons that will become apparent below, we consider the rules on multiple occupancy grossly unfair and another TV Licensing money-making con.

Before delving any deeper, let's explore the meaning of what we describe as a "liveable unit" in our free ebook, TV Licensing Laid Bare. A liveable unit is a self-contained space where a person/people share the majority of their everyday living. In practical terms it is properties that are licensed: not equipment and not individuals. A single liveable unit is covered by one TV licence. Any amount of TV receiving equipment can be installed or used in that liveable unit once it is correctly licensed.

As a general rule of thumb, a property shared by family members is likely to be a single liveable unit; a property shared by non-family members is likely to be more than one liveable unit unless an agreement (e.g. shared tenancy) is in place that allows them equal access to all parts of the property.

There are various permutations as to what a liveable unit actually is. Generally speaking a normal residential property, where all of the occupants have free access to all of the rooms, is considered one liveable unit and is covered by one TV licence. If one of the rooms was let to someone else then they would require a separate TV licence to cover the use of TV receiving equipment in that room.

Students can find the rules particularly confusing. A student renting a room in a hall of residence would require their own TV licence to cover the use of TV receiving equipment in that room (but see here for information about a special case). TV equipment provided by the college/university in communal areas is usually covered by that institution’s own TV licence.

If a student property was occupied by several people named on a joint tenancy agreement then that property would be covered by a single TV licence. If, however, the property was shared by several people with separate tenancy agreements for different rooms in the property then each person would require their own TV licence to use TV receiving equipment in their room. Furthermore, they might also be required to buy another TV licence to cover the use of TV receiving equipment in communal areas of the property, like the living room or kitchen.

The rules, as implemented by TV Licensing, are archaic, unenforceable and grossly unfair. As things stand the situation could arise where a four-person student property required five TV licences, whereas the identical four-person family property next door only required one, whereas the identical single-person property next door to that only required one. It really is a ludicrous state of affairs, which is designed purely to maximise TV licence revenue for the BBC.

Of course, if you follow our golden rule of non-communication/co-operation with TV Licensing, then they'd probably be none the wiser about the number of liveable units hidden behind your front door!

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