tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49591118931583213352024-03-17T14:18:26.295+00:00TV LicensingYour unofficial guide to television licence rules, regulations, loopholes and enforcement in the UK.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-19983964586519095282024-03-11T11:38:00.004+00:002024-03-15T09:31:23.488+00:00TV Licensing and the BBC: A Question of Identity<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQPSULg043Pha_NSo1nCl4HjbsQKvouvEQlpYBGeNIUKnw2e8KbF9Gmoj9G82p3d434cm4nxgljoLkqDotZaW30pROSYhoNomjEz7hSIROtkzwGccwk-v2gOjovlrXEi1sSGG8CXUhCXg2X6UlLLyFRRfbtxn5qbAKaSDZRzE0ybKRRpCRMFMHyhv3Mg/s1500/BBC%20TV%20Licensing%20Cheeks%20of%20Arse.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQPSULg043Pha_NSo1nCl4HjbsQKvouvEQlpYBGeNIUKnw2e8KbF9Gmoj9G82p3d434cm4nxgljoLkqDotZaW30pROSYhoNomjEz7hSIROtkzwGccwk-v2gOjovlrXEi1sSGG8CXUhCXg2X6UlLLyFRRfbtxn5qbAKaSDZRzE0ybKRRpCRMFMHyhv3Mg/s400/BBC%20TV%20Licensing%20Cheeks%20of%20Arse.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The BBC goes to great lengths to distance itself from the caustic TV Licensing brand, despite retaining full legal responsibility for administration and enforcement of the TV licence system.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It would appear that the BBC does a fairly good job of hiding its TV Licensing credentials, with barely a day going by without some unfortunate soul, a victim of BBC misinformation, denying the link.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We have previously discussed a BBC policy document, the <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/08/tv-licensing-brand-philosophy.html" target="_blank">BBC Brand Communication Guidelines</a>, which unequivocally states: "The TV Licensing brand is separate from the BBC brand. No link between the two brands should be made in customer facing communications, in particular, use of the BBC name and logo."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Stuart Leslie (or rather :stuart-Leslie:) <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bbc_and_tv_licensing_trademark#outgoing-1620430" target="_blank">recently used the WhatDoTheyKnow.com platform</a> to seek further information about the relationship between the BBC and TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1drxZS_QetBePeDT5E_Ujt_buBNRj48zZ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">its letter of response</a>, the BBC stated the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">"We can confirm that TV Licensing is a trade mark used by the companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system."</li><li style="text-align: justify;">"The BBC is a public authority in respect of its television licensing functions and retains overall responsibility."</li><li style="text-align: justify;">"We can confirm that the BBC is data controller in respect of personal data supplied."</li><li style="text-align: justify;">"TV Licensing's operations are managed by the BBC TV Licensing Management Team - internally known as the Licence Fee Unit (LFU) - which is headed by Shirley Cameron, Director of Revenue and Customer Management."</li><li style="text-align: justify;">"The BBC TV Licensing Management Team is ultimately responsible for the final approval of mailings."</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">Of course readers of the TV Licensing Blog will know all this already, as we've regularly mentioned the relationship between the BBC and TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is useful, for the benefit of all those BBC luvvies and deniers out there, that the BBC has confirmed the situation - that it retains full overall responsibility for all things TV Licensing; that it gives final approval for the threatening and dishonest wording of every TV Licensing threatogram</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Further anti-BBC reading:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/48U3NFJ" target="_blank">Is The True Or Did You Hear It On The BBC?</a>, by David Sedgwick (aff. link)</li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3Vhddrw" target="_blank">The BBC: Myth of a Public Service</a>, by Tom Mills (aff. link)</li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-21984551748624024972024-03-08T12:00:00.003+00:002024-03-08T12:38:30.686+00:00Beat the Price Hike: Cancel Your TV Licence Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_Ty3qZxqPIy4OZb8zhOj9M4CbbecVs63E7APJqT0UsnnsS6Ub_qoH62bVZp1gGhQXn__Egz5N7KvD8rxFDiGILgN7QRT9mN9z-sqjA_0elu7vpuUgEGtiSneTGy1dUaRWhuItQ-RnSoVYpNSZYZAqWpxi0mK4x4BTjbLiZ57LCZ7QlWWO0DuOXuHGR0/s1505/Cancel%20TV%20Licence%20and%20Starve%20BBC.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_Ty3qZxqPIy4OZb8zhOj9M4CbbecVs63E7APJqT0UsnnsS6Ub_qoH62bVZp1gGhQXn__Egz5N7KvD8rxFDiGILgN7QRT9mN9z-sqjA_0elu7vpuUgEGtiSneTGy1dUaRWhuItQ-RnSoVYpNSZYZAqWpxi0mK4x4BTjbLiZ57LCZ7QlWWO0DuOXuHGR0/s400/Cancel%20TV%20Licence%20and%20Starve%20BBC.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>A TV licence currently costs £159. The cost will increase to £169.50 on 1st April 2024 - and that's no joke.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The only joke is on the many thousands of people who continue to pay for a TV licence that they don't legally need. Perhaps they do it through fear; perhaps through habit; perhaps through ignorance of the rules - whatever the reason, there has never been a better time for people to ditch the TV licence and adopt one of the many legally-licence-free methods of viewing. That money is far better in your pocket than lining the pocket of the gluttonous BBC.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>A reminder of the rules:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A TV licence is only legally required for those properties where equipment is used to watch or record TV programmes, on any TV channel, at their time of broadcast. A TV licence is also needed to watch or download on-demand programmes provided by the BBC (e.g. those on the BBC iPlayer).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This means a TV licence is legally required for things like:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching Match Of The Day "live" on BBC One;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching Football Focus on-demand on the BBC iPlayer;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Recording Coronation Street to watch it later on;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching the Sky News channel "live" on YouTube;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching the horse racing "live" on ITVX;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Recording Naked Attraction to watch it later on... when the wife is out.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">However, a TV licence is not legally required for things like:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching Coronation Street on-demand on ITVX;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching Naked Attraction on-demand on Channel 4's website or app;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching football highlights that have been uploaded to YouTube;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching The Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5's website or app;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching BBC documentaries that have been uploaded to YouTube;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Watching Sky News reports that have been uploaded to YouTube.</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">Also note that a TV licence is not legally required to listen to radio stations - that's even if you're using a television set to do so (<a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2012/09/using-digital-tv-for-radio-only-no.html" target="_blank">read more</a>). A TV licence is not legally required to watch S4C on-demand programmes via the BBC iPlayer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You can also enjoy your favourite pre-recorded <a href="https://amzn.to/3PbS0LV" target="_blank">DVDs</a> (aff. link) and <a href="https://amzn.to/3PhlSX5" target="_blank">Blu-rays</a> (aff. link) without a TV licence. You do not legally need a TV licence to use your television set as a monitor to play <a href="https://amzn.to/3uSrX5z" target="_blank">video games</a> (aff. link) or watch CCTV images.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In our opinion, given the wealth of on-demand material available from non-BBC channels and YouTube, virtually everyone could adopt a lifestyle where they had no legal need for a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>How to cancel your TV licence:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We have previously written about the process of cancelling a TV licence. It is not as straightforward as it should be, particularly if you pay by Direct Debit. If you do not cancel in the correct way, there is a chance TV Licensing could pursue you under the misapprehension that you still need a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Please refer to our earlier <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/09/cancelling-your-tv-licence.html" target="_blank">TV licence cancellation</a> article for more information.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When you cancel, TV Licensing might ask you to make a No Licence Needed declaration. Despite TV Licensing's insistence and pretence to the contrary, there is no legal requirement for you to submit to this process. We would strongly discourage you from making such a declaration.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Please refer to our earlier <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2024/03/tv-licensing-reminder-on-no-licence.html" target="_blank">No Licence Needed declaration</a> article for more information.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Once cancelled:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Put your feet up, relax and enjoy your new legally-licence-free methods of viewing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Remember that as a non-TV Licensing customer, you do not owe TV Licensing anything at all. Your home is your castle. It doesn't matter how much TV Licensing huffs and puffs, it's not going to blow it down - just as long as you <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/p/quick-guide.html" target="_blank">get yourself genned up</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We strongly encourage you to ignore TV Licensing completely.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-12647127351691108032024-03-07T14:58:00.005+00:002024-03-07T15:20:47.028+00:00Guardian Readers Respond to TV Licensing Exposé<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8txZsyXt980DhOZczWJGQCjemoSszua2gm9Rgkq1vKnpaNVLmDfirE7Jlzfz2Ii31xUIXeuVag9zCcW65Ajw3knmm6RK0N2FJztecBr-orqGndyQrOolB_YoemrPpLMDiuLIKqjZI-U7PhZGE_edaZzsg_t5vbvAdciL2i6gQ4Qn9F0yRrXekkFoOqxI/s1500/TV%20Licensing%20In%20The%20News.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8txZsyXt980DhOZczWJGQCjemoSszua2gm9Rgkq1vKnpaNVLmDfirE7Jlzfz2Ii31xUIXeuVag9zCcW65Ajw3knmm6RK0N2FJztecBr-orqGndyQrOolB_YoemrPpLMDiuLIKqjZI-U7PhZGE_edaZzsg_t5vbvAdciL2i6gQ4Qn9F0yRrXekkFoOqxI/s400/TV%20Licensing%20In%20The%20News.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Guardian readers have responded to Zoe Williams' recent exposé of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/29/tv-licence-fee-scandal-1000-people-week-casually-criminalised" target="_blank">the TV licence fee scandal</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The TV Licensing Blog contributed towards Zoe's article.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Below we reproduce <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/04/bbc-licence-fee-no-longer-feels-justifiable" target="_blank">reader comments</a> and add a few of our own:</p><p>====</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Regarding Zoe Williams' article, I still pay my licence fee despite not watching any live TV. I watch videos of all sorts on YouTube and livestreams several times a week on Twitch, and listen to music, often from internet radio stations with subscriptions. I refuse to leave myself open to the risk of prosecution for non-payment of a stealth tax that should either be rolled into ordinary taxation or made into an optional subscription. To prosecute someone for not paying £159 when those at the top are squirrelling away millions in offshore tax havens is the height of unfairness.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Paula Williams</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bar Hill, Cambridgeshire</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>TV Licensing Blog comment:</b> This is a damning indictment of the way TV Licensing does business - coercing legitimate non-viewers into paying for a TV licence they don't legally need.</i></p><p>====</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the 1950s, there was only one thing you could do with a television set, so there was a valid argument for everybody who possessed one paying for our only broadcaster via a licence. But it's not the 1950s any more. Now we have many more sources of TV material, and not all of them from broadcasters. So it no longer makes sense for one broadcaster to be paid by everyone regardless of whether they watch its programmes. It's not even clear what a "public service" broadcaster actually is any more, and I'm fairly sure the public have never been asked if they want one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I can't think of anything the BBC does nowadays that isn't done at least as well, if not better, by others. And there are plenty of alternative payment methods that would be fairer than the BBC continuing to be paid more than £3bn every year regardless of what it does.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Roderick Stewart</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Liverpool</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>TV Licensing Blog comment:</b> As Roderick has identified, the TV licence is an outdated throwback to a bygone era when there was only one television service - that provided by the BBC. Nowadays, with hundreds of non-BBC channels available at the push of a button, it is peverse that people are coerced, on threat of criminal conviction, into paying for a BBC service they might not use and probably don't want.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>It is the TV Licensing Blog's position that if the BBC's creative output is as good as it seems to think it is, it should have no problem in adopting a subscription funding model instead. In reality, despite regularly declaring its editorial brilliance and value for money, the BBC knows, deep down, that people simply wouldn't pay if given the choice. That's why it will continue fighting to the death in support of the TV licence fee.</i></p><p>====</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Zoe Williams' article was shocking - the prosecutions appear to be a bit of a moneymaking machine for the BBC. However, it should be pointed out that the single justice procedure (SJP) is only used for those who plead guilty or those who do not respond to the initial notice within 21 days. If the person receiving the notice pleads not guilty, their case will be transferred out of the SJP process, and listed for an in-person court hearing with a prosecutor and, if the defendant so wishes, a defence lawyer. One assumes that those being prosecuted are told this.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dr Dolf A. Mogendorff</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Leeds</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>TV Licensing Blog comment:</b> Dr Mogendorff is absolutely correct that anyone receiving a SJP notice can either plead guilty and elect a sentencing hearing, or deny the offence and require a trial hearing. However, attending court is probably not as straightforward as he seems to think. TV licence cases are now dealt with at regional hubs, which may well mean a court hearing many miles away from the defendant's home. As TV licence evasion is a summary, non-imprisonable offence it is ineligible for legal aid funding. This means defendants would need to pay privately for legal representation, which may well cost far in excess of any penalty that might be imposed were they to be convicted.</i></p><p>====</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-57606640628368488692024-03-07T10:58:00.001+00:002024-03-07T10:58:12.083+00:00TV Licensing: A Reminder on No Licence Needed (NLN) Declarations<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-1qCddz8huiOckxtfb_y5ZJQtKmEDR54Sfr5NArlvbQ1vulUO5a5jbSYFrNOrObQxdElSAH6xJyxmpc5N4_rj94O7GXbRWeNYAlBXVK2y73u_m1Wixmabi_OS22wUp4aR9gETt9iLZNH_k_CG1fO-OtInzRM8HFuGJeqMtef1hLEgMSLph-ibbEus_k/s1500/TV%20Licensing%20No%20Licence%20Needed%20Declaration.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-1qCddz8huiOckxtfb_y5ZJQtKmEDR54Sfr5NArlvbQ1vulUO5a5jbSYFrNOrObQxdElSAH6xJyxmpc5N4_rj94O7GXbRWeNYAlBXVK2y73u_m1Wixmabi_OS22wUp4aR9gETt9iLZNH_k_CG1fO-OtInzRM8HFuGJeqMtef1hLEgMSLph-ibbEus_k/s400/TV%20Licensing%20No%20Licence%20Needed%20Declaration.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>TV Licensing often asks people who do not legally need a TV licence to reaffirm their status by making a <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/10/tv-licensing-no-licence-needed.html" target="_blank">No Licence Needed (NLN) declaration</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">During one of my regular trawls of TV licence related cyberspace, I recently came across the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/280184943330161" target="_blank">BBC TV, LICENCE FREE</a> Facebook group.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's a very popular public group with in excess of 50,000 members. It does an admirable job of encouraging members to ditch the BBC TV licence fee and adopt alternative legally-licence-free methods of viewing instead. All heartening stuff, which I fully endorse and agree with.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What I do disagree with, however, is the group's regular advice to members that they should make a NLN declaration. There appears to be a certain naivety that TV Licensing actually respects NLN declarations, when it reality that is often not the case.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>A reminder of the TV Licensing Blog's position: Anyone who does not legally require a TV licence is under <u>no legal obligation</u> at all to inform TV Licensing of the fact <u>and should not do so</u>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you do not require a TV licence, TV Licensing is not entitled to a millisecond of your time or inconvenience. You certainly should not be jumping through the pointless and unnecessary hoops of the NLN declaration process.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In my view, which is based on decades of experience and the collective knowledge of a lot of experts in the field (learned members of the <a href="https://www.tvlicenceresistance.info/forum/" target="_blank">TV Licence Resistance forums</a>), making a NLN declaration is a bad idea for the following reasons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">It confirms to TV Licensing that an address is occupied, active and worthy of further attention;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">It demonstrates a degree of compliance with TV Licensing, which it may attempt to exploit later on;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">It provides TV Licensing with personal information to which it has no legal entitlement (names, contact details etc);</li><li style="text-align: justify;">There is no statutory basis at all for making a NLN declaration. It is a process manufactured entirely for the convenience and benefit of TV Licensing;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing has a policy of <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2015/08/tv-licensing-no-licence-needed-and.html" target="_blank">visiting NLN and Unconfirmed No Set (UNS) properties</a> for further investigation;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">There is no guarantee an NLN declaration will be accepted or respected by TV Licensing. TV Licensing routinely ignores NLN declarations. Even if an NLN declaration was accepted, TV Licensing will regularly contact the occupier to reaffirm their NLN status.</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">I would conclude by saying that TV Licensing has vexatiously prosecuted many innocent people who made the mistake of providing more information than they should have done. Take it from me that TV Licensing has no moral compass. It is prepared to plumb the depths of depravity in order to achieve the results it wants.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC is fully aware of the gutter tactics employed by its TV Licensing contractors.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing cannot be trusted. Anyone who makes the mistake of doing so, does so at their peril.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-83094604242716522792024-03-05T10:38:00.002+00:002024-03-05T10:41:09.255+00:00TV Licensing Threatograms: A Message From On High<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPC7DXJxntK_wX6u8szUbUhdI8mKUFJ3AYwxaISJxgIeCQgCnhRX0iW28ukCm2cmFVO86vETtspNUHrLmbqXDSX2ypF5JPmyea68u8dfPyp5YVT7K4Q_WhvbsaypTKgBshDszeF-j7iYkIKD11GWvspmU2TAwfZ8nboT6lDJN8M3JdVqhLNiBF36JKp4/s1544/TV%20Licensing%20Messiah%20Returns%205%20Mar%202024.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPC7DXJxntK_wX6u8szUbUhdI8mKUFJ3AYwxaISJxgIeCQgCnhRX0iW28ukCm2cmFVO86vETtspNUHrLmbqXDSX2ypF5JPmyea68u8dfPyp5YVT7K4Q_WhvbsaypTKgBshDszeF-j7iYkIKD11GWvspmU2TAwfZ8nboT6lDJN8M3JdVqhLNiBF36JKp4/s400/TV%20Licensing%20Messiah%20Returns%205%20Mar%202024.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Jesus of Kayaking has resurrected with a very important message about dealing with TV Licensing threatograms.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Listen to the gospel according to Matthew <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqwMZKh1Mv4" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'll reiterate it here, because he does have a tendency to delete his videos: If you get a TV Licensing threatogram place it straight in the bin. Do not exert any effort opening it. Do not expend any calories thinking about it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a legitimate non-TV viewer, you do not need to give the scum at TV Licensing a second thought.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You owe TV Licensing nothing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is the word of the Lord.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-76643716714112932362024-03-05T10:00:00.004+00:002024-03-05T10:49:02.496+00:00TV Licensing Bullies: Putting Pensioners in Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNXcVpgabkX3fgc2E27_KWKxCIL-K8s27SSzlvYhVF8e7sPmlMdLhiO2rHI3Aqsyq6RMeRtMWLQsIKqQYVRcmUoV26mLrrUg3_y9uywtqTKZdbn6FIZZS023uuO-dyPNLJFpscJ5pZ-xURr7dnyTy4VdRVbJbjf5PrqsyZcyndef0PvbwyaE9NAq6AxQ/s1273/IN01OA2%20TV%20Licensing%20Threatogram.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNXcVpgabkX3fgc2E27_KWKxCIL-K8s27SSzlvYhVF8e7sPmlMdLhiO2rHI3Aqsyq6RMeRtMWLQsIKqQYVRcmUoV26mLrrUg3_y9uywtqTKZdbn6FIZZS023uuO-dyPNLJFpscJ5pZ-xURr7dnyTy4VdRVbJbjf5PrqsyZcyndef0PvbwyaE9NAq6AxQ/s400/IN01OA2%20TV%20Licensing%20Threatogram.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>TV Licensing's caustic correspondence is <a href="https://www.gbnews.com/news/bbc-tv-licence-fee-pensioners-letters-threatening" target="_blank">putting innocent pensioners in fear</a>, according to recent media reports.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing is well known for adopting the "stick" instead of "carrot" approach to enforcing the TV licence fee. Over the years, and we've been here quite a while, we have seen numerous examples of TV Licensing sending its trademark caustic correspondence to the most vulnerable members of society. Worse still, TV Licensing persists in threatening many households that have gone to the trouble of declaring their <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/10/tv-licensing-no-licence-needed.html" target="_blank">No Licence Needed status</a> - a legally baseless and futile exercise, which the TV Licensing Blog would discourage.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing routinely sends menacing letters to unlicensed properties in an effort to coerce the recipients into paying for a TV licence they might not legally need. It's far cheaper for TV Licensing to use this tactic, as it is generally cheaper and more effective at securing payment than any actual investigation work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Such sternly-worded, threatening letters really have a negative impact on some recipients. Worse still, because they are perceived by many as being "official", a lot of people really are taken in by the copious amounts of bullshit that they tend to contain. In reality, <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/tv-licensing-letters-focusing-beyond.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing letters are riddled with downright lies and innuendo</a> - all of which is thoroughly approved by the BBC, as Licensing Authority.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">An 84-year-old lady recently recounted her experiences of dealing with TV Licensing. She told GB News that she never watched BBC programmes, so was under the misapprehension she didn't need a TV licence. Reading between the lines, it would appear the lady was still watching other licensable programmes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing sent the lady two of its caustic missives, which spurred her into contacting GB News.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The identical letters read: "Your TV Licence has been cancelled because you have not paid for it. Now time is running out. You can make a fresh start by joining the Simple Payment Plan. But if we don't hear from you as soon as possible, we will pass your details to one of our Enforcement Teams. If they find evidence you're breaking the law, you risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">She told GB News: "As soon as you pointed that out to me in an email, I arranged to have a TV licence but prior to that, I had two of these have these nasty letters arrive.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I rang up TV Licencing to tell them I didn't like the tone of these letters that were coming. He didn’t sound interested at all that I was upset by the tone of the letters. He also didn't go into any detail or explain more about what I would have to pay."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The 84-year-old, who does not qualify for a free over-75 TV licence, conceded that her initial understanding of the rules had been wrong, which is why she has now paid for a TV licence. She said the letters were needlessly "putting fear into people".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">She added: "A lot of us old people are unaware that we need a licence, and some are annoyed we don't qualify for a free one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I just think it's just not very good for older people, they live on their own and they get frightened when they get letters like that. I think if they could explain it a bit better, in a kindly fashion, just say ‘if you have any doubts about whether you should have a licence, you can ring this number and we can talk this through’, rather than an enforcement order."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Responding to an article on the GB News website, a commentator recounted their recent experience of a TV Licensing goon trying to enter an elderly neighbour's property. Fortunately, the neighbour's grown-up son was present and gave the goon short shrift.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The commentator said: "TV licence goons were in our street yesterday trying their luck again, tried to tell one of my elderly neighbours that they had the authority to enter their property to see if they are watching or recording live TV programmes without the permission of the person living there.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Shame on them trying to use their scaremongering tactics on an old couple. It's shocking, makes you wonder how many other poor souls they are doing this to every day, making threats and trying to use underhand tactics to gain entry to people's property."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is a regrettable fact that TV Licensing behaves in a similar manner day in, day out - all fully condoned by the BBC. It has no qualms at all about terrorising decent people, just as long as they pay up for a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-81413116149224221722024-02-29T16:40:00.001+00:002024-02-29T16:40:52.074+00:00Three Quarters of Pensioners Say BBC TV Licence is Poor Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5q3adpslk5AjHNvFj1H9Zs9N_A8G5EcciLyDfiNR0YKZnx9Y-kGO2tU7BsS5oEjUq3u4rFIs7AKSPPa-wEiFyB5Chb5FYWU92MBaNERYQuNI5Om4t_8uEzsmQjcvBu03NXMeX14TaN-_3zZmtRqLuGud3Hnd_umKsJcLaZE34M4_Bef_sRDaFjdrz6U/s1500/TV%20Licence%20Poor%20Value%20Say%20Pensioners%2029%20Feb%202024.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5q3adpslk5AjHNvFj1H9Zs9N_A8G5EcciLyDfiNR0YKZnx9Y-kGO2tU7BsS5oEjUq3u4rFIs7AKSPPa-wEiFyB5Chb5FYWU92MBaNERYQuNI5Om4t_8uEzsmQjcvBu03NXMeX14TaN-_3zZmtRqLuGud3Hnd_umKsJcLaZE34M4_Bef_sRDaFjdrz6U/s400/TV%20Licence%20Poor%20Value%20Say%20Pensioners%2029%20Feb%202024.png"/></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Three quarters of pensioners think <a href="https://www.techdigest.tv/2024/02/3-in-4-pensioners-dont-believe-tv-licence-fee-is-worth-the-money.html" target="_blank">the TV licence represents poor value for money</a>, according to the findings of a recent survey.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The survey, conducted by comparison service Broadband Genie, also revealed that 61 percent of respondents aged over 75 were unaware that they might be eligible for a free TV licence if they are in receipt of Pension Credit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The findings will make painful reading for the BBC, as most of its antiquated programming appeals to the older generation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The survey also shows that around a third of pensioners have a Netflix account, with another third enjoying streamed content on Amazon Prime.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">From 1st April 2024 the TV licence will increase by 6.7 percent, which will bring the annual fee to £169.50.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, said: "The controversial TV licence fee hike has led many to question its value, especially given the rise of streaming services. With abundant options such as Netflix, which millions of pensioners already subscribe to, many Brits can access shows and movies easily without the licence fee.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"What we are now seeing is growing fatigue with people paying to watch terrestrial TV, instead they are relying solely on streaming platforms for their TV and movie viewing. But while streaming services do offer better value for money in comparison, there are ways for pensioners to keep costs down."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-12005836620200714572024-02-27T09:56:00.005+00:002024-02-27T09:57:53.650+00:00BBC Mobile Phones and Premium Rate Call Costs<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIa4AGI2OiuZg8WQQihGScASU6Y_ubmQGeK6vDtHheHzqE9GEo1nCODqVyEQOEV-5CZoTmUflHCZKrdJ_uR4-3hZuY66UeZjzbvjdI2gSf2lgAsJv39mOacrk7WQHeOSsxTAS-NHkcj30ChX91frXVeQsDuDzKfdRHWOZ0zSSuQl7uZkP6Zo_wQerdh4/s1500/BBC%20Mobile%20Phones%20and%20Call%20Costs.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIa4AGI2OiuZg8WQQihGScASU6Y_ubmQGeK6vDtHheHzqE9GEo1nCODqVyEQOEV-5CZoTmUflHCZKrdJ_uR4-3hZuY66UeZjzbvjdI2gSf2lgAsJv39mOacrk7WQHeOSsxTAS-NHkcj30ChX91frXVeQsDuDzKfdRHWOZ0zSSuQl7uZkP6Zo_wQerdh4/s400/BBC%20Mobile%20Phones%20and%20Call%20Costs.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The BBC has told the TV Licensing Blog that around 11,000 of its staff are issued with a work smartphone.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The standard issue smartphone is the <a href="https://amzn.to/3SSTKuy" target="_blank">Apple iPhone SE 128 GB</a> (aff. link), which is allocated to "the vast majority of users".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Staff engaged in production work are issued with the <a href="https://amzn.to/3OUvKGb" target="_blank">Apple iPhone 13 128 GB</a> (aff. link), which the BBC claims is only allocated when there is "strong business justification".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Using the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we also asked the BBC to provide details of mobile calls made to 084, 087 and 09 prefix premium rate numbers. Calls to these numbers can cost up to 67 pence per minute <u>in addition</u> to an access charge of up to £6</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given some of the BBC's previous antics, we reasoned that the number and cost of calls made to these numbers could be excessive.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On this occasion there is no smoking gun, with only a modest number of premium rate calls being made:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>In the financial year 2022/23 there were 15,667 minutes (261 hours) of calls made at a cost of £9,406.</li><li>In the financial year 2023/24 (to Dec) there were 9,458 minutes (157 hours) of calls made at a cost of £6,921.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given those figures it would appear that the BBC does have some oversight of the responsible use of smartphones.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You can view the BBC's full response <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HpcLToVa23KF_5gzXF0RO8labR2d_a7H/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-29648785053808167272024-02-25T09:28:00.001+00:002024-02-25T09:28:52.647+00:00BBC Boss Davie Boasts About Institutional Wokism<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVQbamUjY4O5K7f263UBDu5exLBj0rMQ7UAAIyWYxHv2zM5Twf1MPrFZKVcrynTRKhMrVOpmxqskvlY3mNQPzmPKyXwWkulE5URkLPrHRPM6APvndeE0K0G2MiBcHPtMDwjNu_367BGHoPtAy9cgZxf8xnCAzpTG8cDPS6qR9iuVLx3dy8A_3s4cQhJU/s733/BBC%20Broadcasting%20House%202014.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="679" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVQbamUjY4O5K7f263UBDu5exLBj0rMQ7UAAIyWYxHv2zM5Twf1MPrFZKVcrynTRKhMrVOpmxqskvlY3mNQPzmPKyXwWkulE5URkLPrHRPM6APvndeE0K0G2MiBcHPtMDwjNu_367BGHoPtAy9cgZxf8xnCAzpTG8cDPS6qR9iuVLx3dy8A_3s4cQhJU/s400/BBC%20Broadcasting%20House%202014.JPG"/></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Barely a week goes by when the BBC is not over-representing some obscure minority or another, which has led to swathes of viewers turning off at the national broadcaster's perceived level of wokism.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It would appear that wokism infests the BBC from the top downwards, with Director General Tim Davie <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1870528/bbc-boss-admits-proud-woke-leaked-recording" target="_blank">recently telling colleagues</a> that it was a matter of pride that the Corporation was "progressive" and "diverse".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC's woke credentials were further reinforced by the introduction of its Director of Creative Diversity role. Toothy presenter June Sarpong, who clearly ticked the BBC's diversity boxes, was the inaugural holder of the £269k three-day-a-week position. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">During a recent online question and answer session, Davie was asked how he would respond to accusations that the BBC "hasn't done enough to tackle impartiality, that we need to de-woke."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Davie replied: "We do a reasonably good job of walking along the joyous tightrope of the culture wars where, being progressive, diverse, doing the things we should be proud of, is not woke. But meanwhile, we’ve got to make sure that we are clearly representing views from across the board."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When challenged on the remarks, a BBC spokesman said that Davie meant progressive "in relation to areas like market-led technological change" and that "any other interpretation is wrong".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Responding to Davie's comments, Dame Priti Patel, former Home Secretary, said: "The BBC once again have serious questions to answer over their political bias and culture.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"The public expects this taxpayer-funded broadcaster to be impartial, balanced and fair. But these latest revelations show they are obsessed with promoting a liberal metropolitan elitist agenda that most of the country disapproves of."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-85818644000079192402024-02-24T19:54:00.007+00:002024-02-24T21:03:08.475+00:00TV Licensing Goons Wearing Body Cameras<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ-oofca-z6hTiS0FJDlkiFHaKbpwCMD850WxE8lSzyR2itl3-udHzU0yO52JzCmczKf7-Nc2RC4Um5spjeezSVuKWPGS1TKeDSuu0f-rqOtto91vtAfD99mwhyphenhyphenn8QiNsPun9NCzaBXqOARW3Gwndwdm5qJVuGg0nIKD44KwG-GjXqCHHpvHgtm3u894/s1500/TV%20Licensing%20Goons%20Wearing%20Body%20Cameras.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ-oofca-z6hTiS0FJDlkiFHaKbpwCMD850WxE8lSzyR2itl3-udHzU0yO52JzCmczKf7-Nc2RC4Um5spjeezSVuKWPGS1TKeDSuu0f-rqOtto91vtAfD99mwhyphenhyphenn8QiNsPun9NCzaBXqOARW3Gwndwdm5qJVuGg0nIKD44KwG-GjXqCHHpvHgtm3u894/s400/TV%20Licensing%20Goons%20Wearing%20Body%20Cameras.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Last week we shared a new YouTube video showing a <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2024/02/dejected-south-wales-tv-licensing-goon.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing goon visiting an address in Neath</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The video caused quite a stir over at TV Licence Resistance forums, because it was the first time people had noticed that TV Licensing goons are now equipped with <a href="https://amzn.to/3I9OKNd" target="_blank">body cameras</a> (aff. link).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The use of cameras is not actually that new, with Capita first issuing cameras to TV Licensing goons in mid-November 2022. The official TV Licensing website contains <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ311" target="_blank">an FAQs page</a> about the deployment of the cameras.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">According to TV Licensing, the cameras are intended to safeguard the health and safety of goons and deter physical and serious verbal assaults against them. The camera can be activated by a goon when they anticipate their health and safety might be at risk, say for example if they receive verbal abuse during a visit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, TV Licensing also states that "in standby mode", which is presumably when the camera is turned on but not activated, the device records for 90 seconds over-writing in a continuous loop. This is so events leading up to an activation are also recorded. <u>In other words the camera is gathering footage the whole time, although it will only be retained on the device in the event of an activation</u>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing adds that people will be aware a camera has been activated from the red light it displays. It adds that a goon should also tell anyone present that the camera is recording, unless it is impractical to do so.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Camera recordings are erased when they uploaded to a <a href="https://amzn.to/48o8asc" target="_blank">server</a> (aff. link) at the end of the goon's shift. The data is retained on the server for 31 days and then deleted, unless it is required for investigation purposes. Data retained for investigation purposes is held for as long as required and for up to 6 months after the conclusion of the investigation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Concerns have been raised that recording in this manner might allow TV Licensing to gather footage in people's private properties. TV Licensing claims that this is allowed, as long as the recording can be justified as being necessary and proportionate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Anyone whose voice or image is captured by a TV Licensing goon camera can request a copy of the data by making a subject access request to Capita.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We are aware of several instances of TV Licensing goons perpetrating physical and verbal assaults on members of the public, so it is to be hoped the cameras might also deter goon criminality and malpractice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-7694931752046242952024-02-22T11:12:00.001+00:002024-02-22T11:12:54.810+00:00BBC Scotland Announces News Overhaul<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv-cxCNZLdjwsc0PmGSCz5RaRKnHakCRQEvV-iqivPkNH2xf4HbD6vuuqIg15f31NvQJeNjJYauPdZFtjtgBFGWet4ziH-X7J7KBVIIzDCh3eehxN5mGgYSlT35X3RQgBu3ETDlKS5tcvuZAmHyV81QuX57dQZOgl3sE2o8mR2zGrHKpqz_H8ize0m6w/s944/BBC%20News%20Scotland.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="944" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv-cxCNZLdjwsc0PmGSCz5RaRKnHakCRQEvV-iqivPkNH2xf4HbD6vuuqIg15f31NvQJeNjJYauPdZFtjtgBFGWet4ziH-X7J7KBVIIzDCh3eehxN5mGgYSlT35X3RQgBu3ETDlKS5tcvuZAmHyV81QuX57dQZOgl3sE2o8mR2zGrHKpqz_H8ize0m6w/s400/BBC%20News%20Scotland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>BBC Scotland <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/bbc-scotland-broadcast-news-digital-impact" target="_blank">has announced an overhaul</a> of its news and current affairs programming.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">According to the Corporation, the changes are designed to grow the impact of broadcast news services in Scotland whilst offering audiences more ways to watch and listen to news and current affairs output across its services.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It notes that this will be a busy news year, with the forthcoming General Election and 2024 UEFA European Football Championships.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The proposed changes, some of which are subject to Ofcom approval, include:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Launching a new 30 minute news programme at 7pm on the BBC Scotland Channel. This will replace The Nine. The new programme, following Reporting Scotland at 6.30pm on BBC One Scotland, will have coverage from across Scotland, the UK and the world.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Launching a new topical current affairs series which will be published as a podcast on BBC Sounds and also be available to audiences on BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland channel and BBC One Scotland.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Regularly extending Reporting Scotland on BBC One for a number of hour-long special editions across the year.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Extending the series run of Debate Night this year, increasing from 24 episodes to 30 episodes.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Increasing the frequency of 'live' online reporting and explanatory articles on the News website and News App, as part of the BBC's overall strategy to strengthen its online news offer.</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC has committed to maintaining the six-and-a-half hours of weekday radio news programmes; building on the success of The Sunday Show; and further investment in the work of its Disclosure investigations team.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Gary Smith, Head of News & Current affairs says: "It's going to be a busy year for news with a UK election, an American election, and Scotland's trip to Germany for the Euros.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"We need to make sure we keep changing our output as audience habits change, so that we provide the best possible service for our audiences in the formats and on the platforms they want.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I'm very proud that The Nine has produced such great journalism and developed such great talent over the past five years, and I’m confident that our new offer to audiences will continue to meet those high standards."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Steve Carson, Director BBC Scotland says: "In launching new shows and developing our digital services, these changes play to our strengths as an innovative broadcaster that delivers high quality journalism to audiences across all our platforms - from TV and Radio to online news, iPlayer and Sounds."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-73380157258621592442024-02-20T20:43:00.003+00:002024-02-21T08:57:20.982+00:00Journalists: Further Probing of TV Licensing Unjust Prosecutions Required<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G9WZSsWXfo3ufGtelBnyPWEyJunYZAzTf-3UbrMEvX2_b0A8cpfFqMoI07bse41rJ7rABE5uTZXb5U_x2oSkSHnDA034BdzlvZaV8pf6UhmHaxaCClg5c56aBzPvex8AD6OvfSeawKNzxtjWdqKticBeqJHbCElRay82Rzgj4TOBkm55Xhyl2XNgVV0/s1500/TVL178%20Self%20Incrimination.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G9WZSsWXfo3ufGtelBnyPWEyJunYZAzTf-3UbrMEvX2_b0A8cpfFqMoI07bse41rJ7rABE5uTZXb5U_x2oSkSHnDA034BdzlvZaV8pf6UhmHaxaCClg5c56aBzPvex8AD6OvfSeawKNzxtjWdqKticBeqJHbCElRay82Rzgj4TOBkm55Xhyl2XNgVV0/s400/TVL178%20Self%20Incrimination.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>TV Licensing has been getting <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1868479/bbc-licence-fee-fury-blind-woman-fine-gary-lineker" target="_blank">a well deserved media battering</a> for prosecuting vulnerable people where there is absolutely no public interest in doing so.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, owing to the way <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-single-justice-procedure-notice-its.html" target="_blank">the Single Justice Procedure</a> works TV Licensing has been able to claim that it was unaware of the unique mitigating circumstances in the cases highlighted.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But is that really the case? Did TV Licensing really not know that it was prosecuting a 62-year-old Sunderland woman who was severely sight impaired and had brain damage? Did it not know that it was prosecuting a 71-year-old West Bromwich man who was suffering from depression, is housebound and who understands little English?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well the answer, in our opinion, is that despite its denials TV Licensing probably did know at least something about the personal circumstances of these individuals.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We base that on the fact that the <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/tv-licensing-tvl178-record-of-interview.html" target="_blank">TVL178 Record of Interview form</a>, on which <u>every</u> TV Licensing prosecution depends, specifically asks the question "are there any personal circumstances that you would like us to be aware of?"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is entirely likely the Sunderland woman informed TV Licensing of her circumstances when she was asked that question by the goon interviewing her on her doorstep. Similarly, it is entirely likely the West Bromwich man informed TV Licensing of his circumstances when he was interviewed on his doorstep.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Maybe TV Licensing didn't get the full story from these individuals when they were interviewed, but they were probably told enough to suggest that these cases were worthy of closer scrutiny in relation to the public interest test.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If there are any journalists reading who are able to take this further, we would ask them to get hold of the completed TVL178 forms in each of these cases and see if it really is true that TV Licensing was told nothing about personal circumstances of these individuals.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A decade ago if you said the Post Office was a corrupt organisation prepared to fit up its own employees in the criminal court, people would have looked at you as if you had two heads.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do not be under any doubt at all about TV Licensing's inherent dishonesty and propensity to tell lies when it finds itself in a tight corner.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-42607748541812680452024-02-19T20:31:00.002+00:002024-02-19T20:31:47.890+00:00BBC Boss Davie Gloats as Commercial Rivals Struggle<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGppcZoSTm-6Q7qn88bn8apEhq5yuClC9CddtB0RlK86PF9KeutNphePxOKmi03bJBJ6qWccnXbEt0CDVb_h4_tMgF184pmtWcThtGyBPwA3iRiG029JgJ31vr8T4ZX4fhynemHFgK-cWWHnyNdliRD2cwIeTpvFARaCdyz4CqRZ78Eqwtggnw2HnCe8/s1226/Tim%20Davie%20BBC.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGppcZoSTm-6Q7qn88bn8apEhq5yuClC9CddtB0RlK86PF9KeutNphePxOKmi03bJBJ6qWccnXbEt0CDVb_h4_tMgF184pmtWcThtGyBPwA3iRiG029JgJ31vr8T4ZX4fhynemHFgK-cWWHnyNdliRD2cwIeTpvFARaCdyz4CqRZ78Eqwtggnw2HnCe8/s400/Tim%20Davie%20BBC.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/19/bbc-chief-licence-fee-deal-tv-ad-downturn-tim-davie" target="_blank">has told MPs</a> that he welcomes the financial security of the TV licence at a time when the wider industry is struggling.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Appearing before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, Davie said: "In the context of the broader market it is something we welcome because it allows us some certainty despite very significant challenges... in terms of making the budget meet."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">He added: "There is not a media organisation in the world, certainly a traditional so-called broadcast organisation, that doesn't need to fundamentally look at its model and make sure [it is] in the right place."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After imposing a two year freeze, the Government agreed that the annual cost of a TV licence, currently £159, would rise in line with inflation from 1st April 2024.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, with the annual CPI rate of inflation standing at 9 percent, the Government decided to amend the terms of the deal so that the lower September 2023 rate of inflation was used. This means that the TV licence fee will rise by £10 in April, instead of the £15 it would otherwise have been.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC is seeking to make £500 million in annual savings, which has resulted in the merger of its domestic and global news channels and several radio stations moving to an online-only format.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-59679159008726825102024-02-19T05:00:00.001+00:002024-02-19T05:00:00.160+00:00BBC Prom Invites for Members of Parliament: More Opaque Transparency<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1p3cIQdJXveihHVXEVokjRszZj-6O4Yhj77L-6MsCcoy8CbGLHrnbyYdtAfXzCWAJhNwTVXV9SqfUGxdJXUalOxFetU7qCTBYzXeimei1frA9-J3P2ZTgp1TXCjDIqbUHmKfgwQ83tBAg7WAKIFnRWhHVVcdFObXfI9IkHghWx0NPOFt7qEw8de-jDQ/s1280/england-927991_1280.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1p3cIQdJXveihHVXEVokjRszZj-6O4Yhj77L-6MsCcoy8CbGLHrnbyYdtAfXzCWAJhNwTVXV9SqfUGxdJXUalOxFetU7qCTBYzXeimei1frA9-J3P2ZTgp1TXCjDIqbUHmKfgwQ83tBAg7WAKIFnRWhHVVcdFObXfI9IkHghWx0NPOFt7qEw8de-jDQ/s400/england-927991_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The BBC has begrudgingly provided details of Members of Parliament who received complimentary tickets to the 2023 season BBC Proms classical music concerts.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On 15th August 2023, WhatDoTheyKnow.com user David Grey <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/refusal_to_respond_to_request_rf#outgoing-1538981" target="_blank">used the platform</a> to make a Freedom of Information request to the BBC.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Grey sought information in the following terms: "Please can you provide details of any complimentary tickets provided to MPs for the 2023 proms season."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Taking into account the August Bank Holiday, the BBC was under a statutory duty to respond to his request by 13th September, but in characteristic fashion it failed to do so.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On 17th October 2023, having been stonewalled for another month by the BBC, Mr Grey <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/refusal_to_respond_to_request_rf#outgoing-1538981" target="_blank">made a follow-up request</a>, again via the WhatDoTheyKnow.com platform.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In his follow-up he sought information about the BBC's processing of his 15th August request. In particular, he sought correspondence, both internal and external, made in relation to his original request.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Clearly frustrated that the BBC, by this time, had failed to provide details of the MPs in question, Mr Grey highlighted the public interest in the beleaguered national broadcaster potentially using the Proms concerts and associated hospitality as a vector for lobbying MPs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On 1st November 2023, some 35 working days later than required by the legislation, <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/complimentary_tickets_provided_t#incoming-2459300" target="_blank">the BBC finally responded</a> to Mr Grey's original request. In doing so it disclosed a list of sixteen MPs who had received complimentary tickets to a 2023 season BBC Proms concert. That list is shown in the image below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa4JDg4O_7xn5xz-eKx7aWpQ91_UMQk5WSfd3o3hc1QVy0wp0gJpVmavkpkvOSav0Q0uNRf75RhNKIxg1WYWB8UHZP-B_gB9cCp69CTQ965HPUxz_muEIYLZvgchWhyphenhyphenxNNz5fPuyks-03gaQ0WxiN0fLS3oanhVCWiNct-l8IKwnMvmIX0SHsW80v2No/s1077/MP%20Complimentary%20Tickets%20BBC%20Proms%202023.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1077" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa4JDg4O_7xn5xz-eKx7aWpQ91_UMQk5WSfd3o3hc1QVy0wp0gJpVmavkpkvOSav0Q0uNRf75RhNKIxg1WYWB8UHZP-B_gB9cCp69CTQ965HPUxz_muEIYLZvgchWhyphenhyphenxNNz5fPuyks-03gaQ0WxiN0fLS3oanhVCWiNct-l8IKwnMvmIX0SHsW80v2No/s400/MP%20Complimentary%20Tickets%20BBC%20Proms%202023.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Two of the named MPs received complimentary tickets to two BBC Proms concerts - Lucy Frazer MP, the Secretary of State for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (the Government department overseeing the BBC); and Rachel Reeves MP, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On 8th November 2023 <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/refusal_to_respond_to_request_rf#incoming-2463848" target="_blank">the BBC responded</a> to Mr Grey's follow-up request. The BBC's response included an email trail between BBC lawyers, which shows divided opinion on whether or not his initial request (of 15th August) was out of scope (OOS) in terms of providing the information requested.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that allows the BBC to refuse requests if the relevant information is held for the purposes of journalism, art or literature. The BBC relies very heavily on this exemption, which is referred to as the derogation. The derogation is given very broad interpretation by the BBC, being a regular fallback option to avoid the disclosure of potentially embarrassing or damaging information.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It would appear, from the email trail disclosed, that despite the clear public interest in knowing which MPs had been <strike>bribed with</strike> gifted complimentary BBC Proms tickets, the Corporation was reluctant to say.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In an email dated 1st September, one BBC lawyer states: "We could argue that this information (about MP tickets) falls under information that supports and is closely associated with our creative activities as it relates to ticket allocation."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Such a comment, clearly seeking to avoid disclosure, is hardly a glowing endorsement of the BBC's pretence towards transparent accountability.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuHZ1RJ-s3CyXyVU6qhs38eMZQ6dFNxAmrZNCn-V83kItB7ela1oTv76ekAFiikUzxk9fEatI6k8Egp9dCfar5p33Wke43RIQwduHewjATSlebOBEF_EulirGgKijXFCtwe39CGnrscC6U6mxZXLmo0eoirrrFzviq93bd7UScsMlr_M9L0nuPhC0hTg/s1500/BBC%20Freedom%20of%20Information%20Skeletons.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuHZ1RJ-s3CyXyVU6qhs38eMZQ6dFNxAmrZNCn-V83kItB7ela1oTv76ekAFiikUzxk9fEatI6k8Egp9dCfar5p33Wke43RIQwduHewjATSlebOBEF_EulirGgKijXFCtwe39CGnrscC6U6mxZXLmo0eoirrrFzviq93bd7UScsMlr_M9L0nuPhC0hTg/s400/BBC%20Freedom%20of%20Information%20Skeletons.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It is the TV Licensing Blog's position that the BBC regularly frustrates the Freedom of Information process in an effort to avoid the disclosure of information it prefers to keep buried.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-80247189045749724672024-02-18T05:00:00.001+00:002024-02-18T05:00:00.258+00:00TV Licence Reminder for Amazon Fire TV Users<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ht8W3TLfboUbVDfmnnhhdb2eke214u4Lx4pMdk2YIOiNdw2x94cmBCvnuJLPZHvGGrkblUFAVaQC4G6tfVNgNCBxBD8yeqEIxv356RUW6HmodQ1IGgQGiHbtkdmwDs4gnXsOMDnwQ2xDRKDSBQmyfTFIciOX1mU9kUJGZ3LioIel73oR_EmThBl-K8Y/s1549/TV%20Licence%20Reminder%20for%20Amazon%20Fire%20TV%20Viewers.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1549" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ht8W3TLfboUbVDfmnnhhdb2eke214u4Lx4pMdk2YIOiNdw2x94cmBCvnuJLPZHvGGrkblUFAVaQC4G6tfVNgNCBxBD8yeqEIxv356RUW6HmodQ1IGgQGiHbtkdmwDs4gnXsOMDnwQ2xDRKDSBQmyfTFIciOX1mU9kUJGZ3LioIel73oR_EmThBl-K8Y/s400/TV%20Licence%20Reminder%20for%20Amazon%20Fire%20TV%20Viewers.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Every so often TV Licensing's PR harlots direct the gospel according to TV Licensing towards a particular demographic.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For example, you may have noticed regular TV Licensing press releases about the number of black and white TV licences still in force; the annual reminder to pubs about showing football and rugby matches; and the annual reminder to students about when they need a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On this occasion <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/25803759/amazon-fire-stick-tv-licence-rules/" target="_blank">TV Licensing is targeting its attention towards users of Amazon's Fire TV service</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fire TV, for those that don't know, is an alternative way of viewers enjoying predominantly on-demand content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Dailymotion.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Users watch this content using (aff. links) <a href="https://amzn.to/3uC3tgB" target="_blank">smart Fire TV sets</a> or a <a href="https://amzn.to/3uAZPUi" target="_blank">Fire TV streaming device</a> like a stick or a cube that plugs directly into a normal TV set.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Most content available via Fire TV, being on-demand from providers other than the BBC, does not legally require a TV licence. It is, however, possible to watch some "live" broadcast TV programmes and BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer, which would require a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A Reddit user recently recounted how a visiting TV Licensing goon had asked if he had a <a href="https://amzn.to/3ORrPd5" target="_blank">Fire TV stick</a> (aff. link), because it could be used to watch "live" broadcast TV programmes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The miscreant goon clearly thought he was going to catch the occupier out, but in reality even a positive reply that "yes, I do have a Fire TV stick" is no evidence whatsoever that a TV licence is legally required.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is because a previous House of Lords appeal (Department of Trade and Industry Ex Parte Rudd (1987) 2All ER553) has determined that a TV licence is only needed if a device is actually used to watch "live" broadcast TV programmes, or BBC on-demand programmes, instead of merely being available for that purpose.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You can read more in our article "<a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2015/09/tv-licence-evasion-rudd-defence.html" target="_blank">TV Licence Evasion: The Rudd Defence</a>".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-40555044917386889482024-02-17T22:52:00.002+00:002024-02-17T22:54:48.015+00:00Dejected South Wales TV Licensing Goon Walk of Shame<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKBevmICzTo96dU3E30Pk2v3e9_ZS7GJk-VMu__QY3Y789MVNSsfdU-OqMqhT3Q64C8e7Fs59gXb_mGKmTrwP1S-7H6oz9s5Mci-5EPEDtlqp8x8XM61aeuWKg3qYpkbBTr0kRrpV6X_JZgQcPFk5ZwxHcNcvj8WT8ZFEt6E9Y1pUppLPZFpjyC9dwg4/s1548/Dejected%20South%20Wales%20TV%20Licensing%20Goon%20Walk%20of%20Shame.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKBevmICzTo96dU3E30Pk2v3e9_ZS7GJk-VMu__QY3Y789MVNSsfdU-OqMqhT3Q64C8e7Fs59gXb_mGKmTrwP1S-7H6oz9s5Mci-5EPEDtlqp8x8XM61aeuWKg3qYpkbBTr0kRrpV6X_JZgQcPFk5ZwxHcNcvj8WT8ZFEt6E9Y1pUppLPZFpjyC9dwg4/s400/Dejected%20South%20Wales%20TV%20Licensing%20Goon%20Walk%20of%20Shame.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKRJ0m8Qv10" target="_blank">New TV Licensing goon footage</a> was recently uploaded to YouTube.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The minute-long clip, captured in crisp HD resolution with a <a href="https://amzn.to/3OP239s" target="_blank">Ring doorbell</a> (aff. link), shows the Capita TV Licensing goon visiting a property in Neath, South Wales, last week.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The goon rings the bell and an occupant, although not the householder, answers the door. The goon begins with TV Licensing's usual opening gambit: "Do you live here?"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The occupant, who is presumably the son of the householder, confirms that he does. The goon then asks him to seek one of his parents, which he does taking the sensible precaution of closing the door on the goon outside.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A few moments later a second person, presumably the householder, returns and opens the door with the line: "You're TV Licensing. I'm not interested" [slam].</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The dejected goon then reaches into his pocket for a We Said We'd Call card, which he shoves through the letterbox. He then starts to walk away from the property.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A few moments later we hear the door reopen and see the calling card being flung outside.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To give him his due, the Capita TV Licensing goon in this video is perfectly polite throughout the short interaction and there are no concerns about his conduct.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is a good example of how to deal with TV Licensing. <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2015/06/15-tv-licensing-goon-recognition-tips.html" target="_blank">As soon as they are identified</a>, close the door and leave them outside in the cold.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Legally-licence-free people are under no obligation at all to assist TV Licensing and we discourage them from doing so.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-34272004849382352422024-02-17T09:59:00.006+00:002024-02-25T09:33:42.390+00:00Warning: TV Licensing Email Scammers at Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2OfJxv5QHcfWNfa0ZH5xZELlBvzThojyAWVknexSxOXOnTkFlLvyA4B55C7Rpfa161EgZOQj5yqd2szyKmhkMhoeTxDKYJ4I1uanTQatraxKav0bkeddvfPpLMZLIcRNR0KtfPXq7vdkY1NcZ18jej4TxHuQTdN2Q39vneajIcHsKLro11V13fbdWbY/s1500/TV%20Licensing%20Email%20Scams%20TV%20Licensing%20Blog%2017%20Feb%202024.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2OfJxv5QHcfWNfa0ZH5xZELlBvzThojyAWVknexSxOXOnTkFlLvyA4B55C7Rpfa161EgZOQj5yqd2szyKmhkMhoeTxDKYJ4I1uanTQatraxKav0bkeddvfPpLMZLIcRNR0KtfPXq7vdkY1NcZ18jej4TxHuQTdN2Q39vneajIcHsKLro11V13fbdWbY/s400/TV%20Licensing%20Email%20Scams%20TV%20Licensing%20Blog%2017%20Feb%202024.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>A few days ago we heard the news that the UK economy had shrunk for the second consecutive quarter, indicating the nation is again in recession.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the cost of living already very high, it perhaps comes as little surprise that cyber ne'er do wells are out in force trying to capitalise on other people's misery.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Over the last couple of months there has been a boom in scam emails purportedly coming from TV Licensing. These emails typically inform the recipient that their TV licence has expired and warns them that immediate action is required to avoid prosecution. It urges them to buy a new licence as a matter of urgency. If the recipient clicks-through on the links in the email they will be directed to a fake payment page, which collects their payment details for criminal purposes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Scammers often portray a false sense of urgency in their emails, as they want to scare a person into making an irrational decision. It is an unfortunate fact that legitimate TV Licensing emails use exactly the same, scammeristic tone in order to brow beat people into buying a TV licence. However, there are a few other tell tale signs that should help people identify a real TV Licensing email from a fake one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>If you are in any doubt at all that an email is from TV Licensing, then you should visit the official TV Licensing website for further information. Do this by typing the URL directly into your web browser. Do not click on any links in the body of the suspect email.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tell tale signs of a scam TV Licensing email:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">A scam email will usually address the recipient in a generic way like "Dear Customer", whereas a legitimate TV Licensing email will usually address the recipient by their correct name and title.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">The sent from address may not be an official TV Licensing email address. You have to be careful here, as nowadays it is very easy for scammers to spoof an email address so that it appears genuine.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">The current value of the TV licence fee might be incorrectly stated. You should compare that value against that given on the official TV Licensing website.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing NEVER offers any sort of discount on a standard TV licence. Legally, TV Licensing is not in a position to do that. TV Licensing is also in the business of extracting money from people. It is absolutely loathe to give money back.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A TV licence ALWAYS expires on the last day of the month. If an email indicates any other expiry date, then it is definitely a scam.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A TV licence number ALWAYS contains ten numerical digits. A TV licence number NEVER contains letters. If an email indicates any other TV licence number format, then it is definitely a scam.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Any TV licence number stated should ALWAYS correspond to that of your previous TV licence (if expired).</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A scam email may lack the usual corporate branding you would associate with TV Licensing.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A scam email may contain typographical errors. TV Licensing, for all its many faults, usually gets its spellings correct. TV Licensing would always spell the word "licence" correctly; it would never forget that Direct Debit, as a proper noun, has capital letters; it would never send an email in the year 2024 that finished with a copyright statement dated 2020.</li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;">I will conclude by referring back to the statement I bolded earlier. If there is any doubt at all, close the suspect email and visit the TV Licensing website directly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-22921321138831739302024-02-14T18:51:00.002+00:002024-02-14T18:53:16.319+00:00TV Licensing Conviction of Woman With Down's Syndrome Quashed<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPdX__c0s_1p82wVxhPczIPd9s-v_DqvWx-zqgOXrAuVVUOgsdpB7MwU9LONZKgnXylNi5pYXcgVIvDkbwEwGZRbeEAnPBoD0drfQkp-0XAe_xTJW8Akyq_xe_1q6InTrmLhMnaRQZ7Um4GcWWbL8OpJa-V5BewpR7cYA6iOdIXdoK2ipwnfhw73P03g/s1500/The%20BBC%20is%20TV%20Licensing.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPdX__c0s_1p82wVxhPczIPd9s-v_DqvWx-zqgOXrAuVVUOgsdpB7MwU9LONZKgnXylNi5pYXcgVIvDkbwEwGZRbeEAnPBoD0drfQkp-0XAe_xTJW8Akyq_xe_1q6InTrmLhMnaRQZ7Um4GcWWbL8OpJa-V5BewpR7cYA6iOdIXdoK2ipwnfhw73P03g/s400/The%20BBC%20is%20TV%20Licensing.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The TV licence evasion conviction of a woman with Down's Syndrome <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/tv-licence-conviction-overturned-downs-syndrome-greenwich-single-justice-b1138609.html" target="_blank">has been quashed</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is quite astonishing that Capita TV Licensing, prosecuting on behalf of the BBC, considered there was any public interest in pursuing the prosecution in the first instance.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Over the last few months Evening Standard journalist <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2023/10/more-tv-licensing-dirty-tactics-exposed.html" target="_blank">Tristan Kirk has been exposing</a> some of the many unjust prosecutions brought by TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In this particular case, the 57-year-old woman from Charlton, who lacks mental capacity, wasn't even in control of her own finances, but that didn't deter the pariahs at TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In common with every other case prosecuted by TV Licensing, the woman was <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2013/07/tv-licensing-tvl178-record-of-interview.html" target="_blank">interviewed under caution by a goon visiting her home</a>. She disclosed to the goon that she was disabled and unaware that her Direct Debit payments had failed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Instead of probing any further, TV Licensing took that as an admission of unlicensed television reception and proceeded to prosecute via the <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-single-justice-procedure-notice-its.html" target="_blank">Single Justice Procedure</a> (SJP).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">An official from Greenwich Council, which is responsible for her guardianship, entered a guilty plea on her behalf and submitted mitigation to the court in relation to her mental health and finances. The Council confirmed that it should have dealt with the woman's affairs and had now made payment.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, as TV licence evasion is a strict liability offence, the Magistrate dealing with the matter elected to convict her instead of referring the matter to a full court. The woman was handed a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £26 surcharge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For its part, TV Licensing claims that it was unaware of the woman's extensive mitigation due to the fact that SJP correspondence is dealt with by the court.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a result of the Standard's investigation, the woman's case was recently reopened at Willesden Magistrates' Court. This means that the court set aside her original conviction for reconsideration. The Capita TV Licensing prosecutor, known as a Court Presenter in TV Licensing parlance, declined to offer any evidence, so the case against the woman was dismissed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In our opinion <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-missing-pieces-of-sjp-jigsaw.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing prosecutions via the SJP are systemically unfair</a>. If the prosecutor remains unaware of a defendant's full mitigation, how can they possibly determine the public interest in pursuing the matter? Not that TV Licensing has ever considered the merits of pursuing individual prosecutions anyway.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-78683993757812501232024-02-07T10:59:00.004+00:002024-02-07T11:50:06.767+00:00The Missing Pieces of the SJP Jigsaw<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs939q_NqzwHdT638Vrz2yag7sRJWox_YFxuM08eNLzytjDq6UqxQIqign8l2UUGNmGSAWNgrrDiv9j8gUARoqSwx7-CHAVft_3vXKOAtMWlKprboYPYAO4cPBOJgFcDs6REIgkxcI-jR4mTw_8hIq1Lo2OJjQ2nncoW9fBGazJg6AJLXhM1TAq4JVCvo/s960/The%20Missing%20Pieces%20of%20the%20SJP%20Jigsaw.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs939q_NqzwHdT638Vrz2yag7sRJWox_YFxuM08eNLzytjDq6UqxQIqign8l2UUGNmGSAWNgrrDiv9j8gUARoqSwx7-CHAVft_3vXKOAtMWlKprboYPYAO4cPBOJgFcDs6REIgkxcI-jR4mTw_8hIq1Lo2OJjQ2nncoW9fBGazJg6AJLXhM1TAq4JVCvo/s400/The%20Missing%20Pieces%20of%20the%20SJP%20Jigsaw.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>As has previously been mentioned, all TV Licensing prosecutions in England and Wales are dealt with via a process called the Single Justice Procedure (SJP).</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It has been a while since I last mentioned the SJP, so I'll start with a reminder of some of the key details.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Key information:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The SJP allows a single Magistrate to deal with certain non-imprisonable, summary offences on the basis of written evidence. TV licence evasion is one such offence commonly dealt with via the SJP.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A person accused of TV licence evasion (who I'll refer to as the defendant) is sent a <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-single-justice-procedure-notice-its.html" target="_blank">SJP Notice</a> in the post, which requires them to provide one of the following responses within 28 days:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Either, admit the allegation as described in the Notice and proceed via the SJP route: If they do this the court will convict them and a single Magistrate will consider the case and sentence them;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Or, admit the allegation as described in the Notice and proceed with a full court sentencing hearing: If they do this the court will convict them, but they will appear before the court in person to be sentenced;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Or, deny the allegation as described in the Notice and proceed with a full court trial hearing: If they do this then they will need to attend a trial to determine the matter. They will be entitled to full disclosure of TV Licensing's evidence - this means everything TV Licensing will rely on as evidence at the trial, as well as any additional evidence (referred to as "unused material") it holds that might undermine its own case.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Significantly, for reasons that will become apparent, any response is made directly to the court and not to TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If the defendant fails to respond to the Notice, then the prosecution will proceed via the first of those routes by default. This is the worst position to be in, because only TV Licensing's evidence will be taken into consideration.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Barring some glaring error or omission on the part of TV Licensing, this will invariably result in the conviction of the defendant. Furthermore, the lack of response means the court will not be able to consider the defendant's mitigation or financial circumstances, so they will likely receive a higher fine than they should have done. Failure to respond also means there will be no credit for an early guilty plea.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is TV Licensing's choice to use the SJP as the default prosecution method, as it invariably results in a faster turnover of cases and less scrutiny of each individual case.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The prosecutor is not present during SJP cases, which means there is no opportunity for case-damaging questions being aimed in their direction.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As SJP cases can be heard by any Magistrate, sitting at any court in England or Wales, the system is also cheaper and more efficient to manage from the court's point of view.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Strict liability offences:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV licence evasion is a strict liability offence. In simple terms, this means the offence is committed merely by the act of not having a TV licence when one is needed, irrespective of the defendant's intent or reasons why.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Evidential and public interest tests:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">TV Licensing claims to use the same prosecution standards as the Crown Prosecution Service. This means that a prosecution should only be brought if:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">The evidential test is met: This means the prosecutor believes its evidence is sufficient to secure a conviction;</li><li style="text-align: justify;">The public interest test is met: This means the prosecutor believes there is sufficient public interest in pursuing a conviction. Further details of the factors considered are given in the <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/code-crown-prosecutors" target="_blank">CPS Code for Crown Prosecutors</a>.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">If either of these tests fails, then the prosecution should not be pursued.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Criticism of the SJP:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In recent months, thanks mainly to the tenacity of Evening Standard journalist Tristan Kirk, some serious flaws have emerged with the SJP.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As mentioned earlier, any SJP responses are sent directly to the court. This means that TV Licensing remains unaware of any mitigation put forward by the defendant - mitigation which, if it were known, should cause TV Licensing to reassess the public interest in pursuing the prosecution.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tristan has highlighted a number of cases where people suffering from serious physical disabilities, mental incapacity, admitted to hospital who have been prosecuted by TV Licensing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is no public interest in prosecuting first-time offenders in this category yet TV Licensing, despite pretending prosecution is a last resort, is seemingly very comfortable in doing so.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The whole SJP system, in its current format, stinks from the head downwards.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The way TV Licensing abuses the criminal justice system, just as the Post Office did, is an affront to justice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-10857179903423910822024-02-06T12:43:00.003+00:002024-02-06T12:45:12.290+00:00Rekindling the Lost Art of TV Licensing Goon Fishing: Now With Added TV Simulation<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPiqFblNHjGnldhfONlJHJONRRnTjh59TtCS2g0_Y63Yeelbr-B4c9PJ4NrzhzUgijQGrzLg7sUsuoOJ3thsQKvds5THvI9llWU4odbHq_R9PpZwtDNMn75Vp_i9ZnHXXEVEPTIAFoUXWVKHonpBS9GrQN4b5Y4Q16tTEmZ_bPcmM_aqZXlNI3-Hd11k/s1393/TV%20Licensing%20Goon%20Fishing%202024%20Update.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPiqFblNHjGnldhfONlJHJONRRnTjh59TtCS2g0_Y63Yeelbr-B4c9PJ4NrzhzUgijQGrzLg7sUsuoOJ3thsQKvds5THvI9llWU4odbHq_R9PpZwtDNMn75Vp_i9ZnHXXEVEPTIAFoUXWVKHonpBS9GrQN4b5Y4Q16tTEmZ_bPcmM_aqZXlNI3-Hd11k/s400/TV%20Licensing%20Goon%20Fishing%202024%20Update.png" width="400" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Picture the scene.</b></div></b><p style="text-align: justify;">A cloudless blue sky. The gentle rustle of leaves in the soothing cool breeze. The calming sound of bird song dancing through the air. The pungent smell of freshly mown grass wafting all around. You cast your bait upon the surface. Wait in eager anticipation...</p><p style="text-align: justify;">...and BANG - you just landed yourself a TV Licensing whopper!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And boy, do TV Licensing have some whoppers. Absolute chodes of the highest magnitude.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2013/07/goon-fishing-important-update.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing goon fishing</a>, the sport of kings, is back!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Goon fishing is a sport only for those truly dedicated to the legally-licence-free cause. Anyone not willing to dip their toe into the murky waters of goon fishing, should revert to our default position of staying silent and immediately closing the door on any TV Licensing goon that calls (read more about <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2015/06/15-tv-licensing-goon-recognition-tips.html" target="_blank">identifying TV Licensing goons</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Budding goon anglers need to be aware of the real possibility they might come toe-to-toe with their prey the Yellow Bellied, Pox Riddled Capita TV Licensing Goon, <i>goonus bullshitus</i>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For that reason, their own legally-licence-free status needs to be absolutely watertight, as I'm sure it will be if they've read the <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">TV Licensing Blog</a> thoroughly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A quick reminder of how the art of goon fishing works:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">1. Every goon angler needs to be familiar with <i>goonus bullshitus'</i> preferred habitat - unlicensed properties that have ignored TV Licensing's caustic missives. That's where they need to cast their bait. Just as there's no point trying to catch a salmon in some brown-coloured Merseyside canal, there's no point trying to catch a goon at a property covered by a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">2. The angler casts some ground bait into the waters they are fishing. This needs to be quite heavy, as <i>goonus bullshitus</i> are well known bottom feeders. We recommend the goon angler installs a <a href="https://amzn.to/3wfdKj5" target="_blank">TV simulation device</a> (aff. link) in prime position at the front of their property. They should also recruit an anonymous friend to call TV Licensing (0300 790 6096) and report the strange nocturnal flickerings they regularly see through the living room window of the goon angler's property. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">3. Ideally, the angler's unlicensed property should be well covered by <a href="https://amzn.to/42rtYBZ" target="_blank">audio recording CCTV</a> (aff. link). Failing that the angler at least needs a fully charged camera or mobile phone close at hand for when an unsuspecting <i>goonus bullshitus</i> takes the bait.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">4. Sooner or later a TV Licensing goon is going to swim by and take an interest in the bait. There are a few particularly feeble specimens that only nudge the bait with their noses and then swim away in terror, but a few of the bolder, more institutionalised examples take the bait hook, line and sinker. These are the keepers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">5. As soon as the bite is confirmed, the angler should start reeling the TV Licensing goon in. This is best achieved by opening the front door, starting to record and staring vacantly in their direction. The goon will start to flap and ask ridiculous questions like "are you the occupier?" and "is this number 43 Coronation Street?" The goon angler should play the line by staring blankly, camera rolling and saying nothing. Hopefully the goon will be so distressed at being hooked it will start to fight back. The angler shouldn't be too perturbed by this - they should just keep playing the line until the goon eventually tires.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">6. Once the goon has tired, close the door. Head straight to your computer and upload the footage to YouTube for others to relive the experience and admire your catch.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">7. If the <i>goonus bullshitus</i> makes any threatening comments as they are reeled in, please let us know and report it to the police.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-36097742244426306192024-02-05T13:35:00.004+00:002024-02-05T13:40:51.103+00:00Poacher Turned Gamekeeper: Ex-BBC Lawyer Suing TV Licensing Over Threatograms<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2IDGvv12n5tAsdIdubaDoP1vr1VJ1U5Qa-y1IaUf_x3foSwEomJLQBPivIWKBz-SZee_iJaEmjU-btuLocXfMr_9TnWoFHYjx0RBVq_bwTwUsOpvVhghFAc3V248MHMzm9sBbJCju_6f3bf-3ZIPQ9MCNcMLV-WzA7d3i710km_oHwrMNH-DEPFdWvc/s748/Alistair%20Bonnington%20Ex%20BBC%20Lawyer%20Sues%20TV%20Licensing.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="569" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2IDGvv12n5tAsdIdubaDoP1vr1VJ1U5Qa-y1IaUf_x3foSwEomJLQBPivIWKBz-SZee_iJaEmjU-btuLocXfMr_9TnWoFHYjx0RBVq_bwTwUsOpvVhghFAc3V248MHMzm9sBbJCju_6f3bf-3ZIPQ9MCNcMLV-WzA7d3i710km_oHwrMNH-DEPFdWvc/s400/Alistair%20Bonnington%20Ex%20BBC%20Lawyer%20Sues%20TV%20Licensing.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/alistair-bonnington-sues-tv-licensing-chiefs-over-threats" target="_blank">A retired BBC Scotland lawyer is suing his former paymasters</a> after he was innundated with TV Licensing threatograms despite having a TV licence.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alistair Bonnington, 71, from Berwick-upon-Tweed, previously lived in Glasgow.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In December 2022 he moved to the Northumberland market town of Berwick, which is a few miles away from the England-Scotland border.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">During the move he cancelled the TV licence at his Glasgow property and set up a new licence for his Berwick home.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Almost immediately he began to receive <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2012/09/tv-licensing-letters-focusing-beyond.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing's caustic correspondence</a>, falsely accusing him of not having a TV licence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">He made contact with TV Licensing to explain the situation, but his correspondence was ignored.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In an interview, Alistair said: "They have hounded me and made threats but because of my legal background I wasn't intimidated, although it was unpleasant.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"For others - for example, a parent of young children or an elderly and vulnerable person - it's not hard to imagine that they would just say, 'Fair enough, I'll pay this, to put an end to it, even though they'd already paid.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"The problem is that TV Licensing did not respond to most of my emails or letters, or listen to what I was telling them, so something that could have been resolved easily drags on for many months."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alistair explained that he had emailed and written to TV Licensing on a number of occasions, including sending them letters by recorded delivery.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">He is now suing TV Licensing through the County Court.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A TV Licensing spokesman said it would be "inappropriate to comment on the next steps" whilst legal proceedings were ongoing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alistair has hit the nail on the head with his observation that most people would think 'fair enough, I'll pay this, just to put an end to it'. The whole TV Licensing enforcement model relies heavily on scaring people into compliance, as it is a darn sight cheaper than doing any proper investigatory work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In this case, just like in the case of our reader Phil (read how <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/10/tv-licensing-where-theres-muck-theres.html" target="_blank">he sued TV Licensing</a>), the bottom-dwellers at TV Licensing have bitten off more than they can chew.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We really would encourage anyone with a bit of legal nouse and tenacity to take the fight to TV Licensing. You can read more about <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/standing-up-to-tv-licensing-harassment.html" target="_blank">standing up to TV Licensing by taking legal action</a> in our earlier article.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Best of luck to Alistair.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> or </span><a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-70451136347050464032024-02-01T14:42:00.003+00:002024-02-05T11:42:13.025+00:00Minister Draws Parallels Between TV Licensing Prosecutions and Post Office Horizon Scandal<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqxxZ3FmkhRtRalQWopwtlOUOZ25VahGVd7ATWyndxhWVuENzNnqeVvx6a7Aw5wBa6VPVoGI1cB5RHLH04HCl3fr9jilw-2H6MZvI9V0uBpVhSZNtcouRWCVUyEd28jQWCvRrMcSu7X0zzMXhc1NAZUBvwvVf39wmhT3mHS2jxG7npRpfMDMfxwqGuv4/s800/Andrew%20Griffith%20MP.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqxxZ3FmkhRtRalQWopwtlOUOZ25VahGVd7ATWyndxhWVuENzNnqeVvx6a7Aw5wBa6VPVoGI1cB5RHLH04HCl3fr9jilw-2H6MZvI9V0uBpVhSZNtcouRWCVUyEd28jQWCvRrMcSu7X0zzMXhc1NAZUBvwvVf39wmhT3mHS2jxG7npRpfMDMfxwqGuv4/s400/Andrew%20Griffith%20MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>A Government Minister has compared the way that TV Licensing both investigates and prosecutes alleged licence evaders to the way the Post Office investigated and prosecuted hundreds of innocent subpostmasters in the Horizon scandal.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Andrew Griffith MP, the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1861027/bbc-licence-fee-science-minister-culture-secretary" target="_blank">made the comparison</a> in a recent <a href="https://www.andrewgriffith.uk/news/andrew-griffith-train-travel-and-bbc-licences" target="_blank">blog article</a> and newsletter to residents in his Arundel and South Downs constituency.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Post Office Horizon scandal was recently catapulted into the headlines thanks to the screening of acclaimed ITV drama "<a href="https://amzn.to/3Uq2SJy" target="_blank">Mr Bates vs. The Post Office</a>" (aff. link).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Between 1999 and 2015 the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of subpostmasters for stealing from the business, when actually the deficiencies were due to well-known bugs in the Horizon computer system.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Despite knowing there were issues, rather than acknowledge the fact there was a problem the Post Office continued to prosecute innocent subpostmasters regardless.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Writing on his blog, the MP said: "Last year the BBC spent £136 million collecting its licence fee with enforcement contracted to the private outsourcing company Capita.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"They employ an army of more than 1,000 people to enforce licence fee payment, including door-to-door enforcement officers and solicitors to prosecute cases.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Licence fee evasion cases are prosecuted by the BBC's TV Licensing arm. Last week, Lord Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions, said they should instead be dealt with by the independent Crown Prosecution Service.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"He drew comparisons to the Horizon scandal, in which Post Office investigators gathered the evidence for their own prosecutions."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Crown Prosecution Service was established in 1985 to overcome the clear conflict of interest that arose from the police investigating and prosecuting its own cases.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The CPS will only prosecute cases where the evidential and public interest tests are met, but recent experience shows that TV Licensing - despite claiming to follow CPS prosecution standards - ignores the public interest by prosecuting the most meritless of cases.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The TV Licensing Blog has long been concerned about the conflict of interest between TV Licensing investigating and prosecuting alleged instances of TV licence evasion. Quite simply, more prosecutions means more TV licence sales, means more revenue generated for the gluttonous BBC.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We are also extremely concerned that Capita TV Licensing enquiry officers receive bonus payments for any TV licence sales they generate - sales that can only be generated if a prosecution interview also takes place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-52531472403552722562023-12-04T09:41:00.002+00:002024-02-05T11:42:02.751+00:00Government Poised to Block 9 Percent Hike in BBC TV Licence Fee<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2sw9DU9_VBUh7QT_258zJj2o_dwk3h-00-VY0bxmfR8EaysaBDwcHhI1ThWdGzYu1xujck6wjWE9a6X_qdx7AQ41elNThiLDeIXWAAkBohK5SWofcPx6r3n9wZLYnxUrm5klIY8Fis-kgw7BD-pf2vY1jWuXKHSuR_lRC7-BSfrE8yhIMHqLLTSqOzs/s1296/The%20British%20Broadcasting%20Corporation%20Sign.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2sw9DU9_VBUh7QT_258zJj2o_dwk3h-00-VY0bxmfR8EaysaBDwcHhI1ThWdGzYu1xujck6wjWE9a6X_qdx7AQ41elNThiLDeIXWAAkBohK5SWofcPx6r3n9wZLYnxUrm5klIY8Fis-kgw7BD-pf2vY1jWuXKHSuR_lRC7-BSfrE8yhIMHqLLTSqOzs/s400/The%20British%20Broadcasting%20Corporation%20Sign.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Government is planning to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/12/03/sunak-set-to-block-9pc-increase-in-bbc-licence-fee/" target="_blank">block a proposed 9 percent increase</a> in the BBC TV licence fee.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Under current arrangements the annual fee, which has been frozen at £159 since April 2021, is set to increase in line with inflation from 1st April 2024. The hike, which would be the largest in forty years, would see the TV licence fee increase to £173.30.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As the legislation currently stands, a TV licence is needed to watch or record "live" TV programmes (e.g. at the time they are broadcast) on any TV channel, even though the licence fee is used almost exclusively to fund the BBC. A TV licence is also needed to watch BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are, however, several perfectly legal ways of viewing without a TV licence. No TV licence is needed to watch on-demand programmes on Amazon Prime Video (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/primesignup?tag=tvlb-21" target="_blank">30-day free trial</a> - aff. link), Netflix or YouTube etc.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Speaking at the recent COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "Final decisions haven't been [made], obviously, but the BBC should be realistic about what it can expect people to pay at a time like this."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC is said to be terrified at the prospect of further real-time cuts, with a source telling the Telegraph: "We get that there are cost of living challenges, but some of our competitors have put up our costs by over 30 per cent.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"The BBC isn't expecting anything like that, but we would argue that we are important to the UK and we offer excellent value for money, and every penny in investment in the UK is good for the wider economy."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The BBC's financial woes are compounded by the fact that an increasing number of viewers are choosing to ditch the TV licence. Last year around 500,000 fewer TV licences were purchased than the year before, which cost the national broadcaster around £79 million in lost revenue. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This decrease can mainly be attributed to the decline in the number of viewers watching normal (licensable) TV programmes and choosing on-demand (non-licensable) streaming services instead. People are also becoming disillusioned with the BBC as a whole, given the multitude of skeletons emerging from the corporation's closet.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain this morning. She was asked about whether the TV licence evasion should remain a criminal offence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Getting straight to the point, Ms Frazer said: "I don't think it is appropriate that a person should be prosecuted for not paying the TV licence fee. That is something we will be looking at come charter renewal."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">
If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-65570058084463271182023-10-28T09:03:00.003+01:002023-10-28T09:07:14.766+01:00More TV Licensing Dirty Tactics Exposed: False Assurances Given to Vulnerable Customers<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRUZjB-bsvjbBwrkXtoQdmHLyfH5x33zQinbHyco8bYsRf-PWaDimbuemFqMv5hMJBItNgjmSR_azxEN37rGqkZZ2jbghFXzumpA7KZtISyTBZFJHLIMxS-ZxCzyScYBRuDsQaiuK-6tQtoz8lAJtAzKBAX0O0Ffl1sYuG4AEGjqMZzrAIezsiH82E7U/s1500/TV%20Licensing%20Pork%20Pies.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRUZjB-bsvjbBwrkXtoQdmHLyfH5x33zQinbHyco8bYsRf-PWaDimbuemFqMv5hMJBItNgjmSR_azxEN37rGqkZZ2jbghFXzumpA7KZtISyTBZFJHLIMxS-ZxCzyScYBRuDsQaiuK-6tQtoz8lAJtAzKBAX0O0Ffl1sYuG4AEGjqMZzrAIezsiH82E7U/s400/TV%20Licensing%20Pork%20Pies.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Evening Standard court reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/kirkkorner/status/1717981688179966404" target="_blank">Tristan Kirk</a> has been doing a splendid job recently of exposing more TV Licensing dirty tactics.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">He seems to have been paying a particular interest in uncontested prosecutions via <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-single-justice-procedure-notice-its.html" target="_blank">the Single Justice Procedure</a>, having obtained various examples of mitigation provided by customers accused of TV licence evasion.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tristan has published the mitigation sections from two completed Single Justice Procedure notices.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first relates to a single mother from Middlesbrough, who was interviewed under caution by Capita TV Licensing goon Julie Snowball.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5Ti2BnejqI2SawdmeXHsr43g1EQ79_UDU_WaUAgDX6YE86HaUm9bRcdKNeMF-jleA0j9X1isJO2KR656EAeiIcjlXc80IgpCYO9yOG6vBQqnYC9honEPy_y-FZrzKdqfS9qZWzC65lTCQdzlcrjenwWYFLaoY9cobxZdUX5gHoTpIZGa0rHTpbOFAj8/s1158/Middlesbrough%20Single%20Mother%20Mitigation%2028%20Oct%202023.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="1158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5Ti2BnejqI2SawdmeXHsr43g1EQ79_UDU_WaUAgDX6YE86HaUm9bRcdKNeMF-jleA0j9X1isJO2KR656EAeiIcjlXc80IgpCYO9yOG6vBQqnYC9honEPy_y-FZrzKdqfS9qZWzC65lTCQdzlcrjenwWYFLaoY9cobxZdUX5gHoTpIZGa0rHTpbOFAj8/s400/Middlesbrough%20Single%20Mother%20Mitigation%2028%20Oct%202023.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Her mitigation reads as follows: "I did not realise that my TV licence had ended when Julie Snowball told me when she came to my address.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I set up a payment plan for fortnightly payments. I received an email on 20th September with my payment plan dates. I was on the understanding that I would receive a payment card in the post, which I have not.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I am a single mother on Universal Credit and Child Benefit. If any outstanding balances can be taken from my benefit please can I arrange that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I should have kept track of payments, hence why I wanted fortnightly payments with a card."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It would appear that this unfortunate lady has been given false assurances by the TV Licensing goon that visited her property - "set up a payment plan now and that'll be the end of the matter" - despite TV Licensing policy being quite clear that no such assurances can be given.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A second case relates to the case of a disabled Hull woman.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLb1pzZIaaSGfIZTmUlPKM-GhsQxHwYVXoNJDAv8mETEm7oTKMSJBYs4xbG7v5iXvUxmCxjKt9sJUvcPRM7jhUSlHu1Nub_ScIrotFVUSjNi9oxzc8_mwBr7yWr1WRDKGPwKCuz8Kr-mD5mCKd2z37sDU78H6p1IjUfGqrY8OaryQa92Jd07pF39_HlQ/s909/Disabled%20Hull%20Woman%20Mitigation%2028%20Oct%202023.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="909" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLb1pzZIaaSGfIZTmUlPKM-GhsQxHwYVXoNJDAv8mETEm7oTKMSJBYs4xbG7v5iXvUxmCxjKt9sJUvcPRM7jhUSlHu1Nub_ScIrotFVUSjNi9oxzc8_mwBr7yWr1WRDKGPwKCuz8Kr-mD5mCKd2z37sDU78H6p1IjUfGqrY8OaryQa92Jd07pF39_HlQ/s400/Disabled%20Hull%20Woman%20Mitigation%2028%20Oct%202023.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Her mitigation reads as follows: "When the man came to my house I didn't have the TV on.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I only missed a couple of payments and he said that was fine and he would start me on a new payment scheme.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I got the letter through the post about how much to pay and I paid £15 on 25-8-23 and I am paying the same every month.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I get ESA of £220 a fortnight and I also get PIP as I am classed as disabled."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Again, it would appear that the goon who visited this lady gave her the false assurances that all would be well if she set up a new payment plan.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Despite TV Licensing claims that prosecution is a last resort, no out of court alternative was offered in either of these cases.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tristan highlights that this sort of unscrupulous behaviour is not uncommon. He questions the public interest in prosecuting individuals who are vulnerable and in cases of genuine oversight or financial hardship.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Time and time again we have heard cases of TV Licensing goons telling downright lies on the doorstep, some of which make it as far as their completed Record of Interview forms presented in court as evidence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-lies-told-by-tv-licensing.html" target="_blank">TV Licensing simply cannot be trusted</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It employs some throughout unscrupulous individuals, who have <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2014/11/tv-licensing-unfairness-of-goon.html" target="_blank">a clear pecuniary advantage</a> in obtaining "evidence of evasion" by fair means or foul.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If a TV Licensing goon calls at your address, by far the best option is to totally ignore them and immediately close the door.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do not be lulled into a false sense of security of make the mistake of trying to assist TV Licensing with its enquiries.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We'd refer any newbies to the unscrupulous world of TV Licensing to <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/p/quick-guide.html" target="_blank">our Quick Guide page</a>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">
If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959111893158321335.post-65299655185240307972023-07-12T18:58:00.006+01:002023-07-12T19:04:43.850+01:00Huw Edwards Revealed as BBC Star at Centre of Sex Pics for Cash Scandal<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK5SeX7fqE5CiKq_0XnjzYAADZoTG0FLjgLpGk5hB6jEt5e6M_HVbnWYRHcT0sWUNWUv_W9Sst33EgME6-wXg4euz4gKIyx3Z3Xm0Z1jx9rAy7MejIgq1RWkUQ5Q73SNGHry682s65gsIWQ-LiYe3WAAU2tLYMLgcMJaKS1qxoMemj95LcLCb9Ci4Y6s/s1201/Hugh%20Edwards%20BBC.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK5SeX7fqE5CiKq_0XnjzYAADZoTG0FLjgLpGk5hB6jEt5e6M_HVbnWYRHcT0sWUNWUv_W9Sst33EgME6-wXg4euz4gKIyx3Z3Xm0Z1jx9rAy7MejIgq1RWkUQ5Q73SNGHry682s65gsIWQ-LiYe3WAAU2tLYMLgcMJaKS1qxoMemj95LcLCb9Ci4Y6s/s400/Hugh%20Edwards%20BBC.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Well knock me down with an <a href="https://amzn.to/3PNlmkO" target="_blank">inflatable dinosaur</a>.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">BBC News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards has been revealed as the high profile presenter at the centre of the <a href="https://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2023/07/more-sordid-bbc-scandal-and-cover-up.html" target="_blank">sex pics for cash scandal</a> currently playing out in The Sun newspaper.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I never saw that one coming.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Vicky Flind, Edwards' wife, released <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66180799" target="_blank">the following statement</a> via the BBC this afternoon: "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"In the circumstances and given Huw's condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In related news the Metropolitan Police has said that it will be taking no further action in relation to the original allegations, that Evans had obtained sexual images from a 17-year-old male.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given Evans' current predicament I won't be commenting again for the time being.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the short term, I hope he gets the treatment he needs and wish him a speedy recovery.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">
If you've found this article useful please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tvlicensingblog" target="_blank">following us on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-book.html" target="_blank">downloading our free ebook</a>.</p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0