Television licence fee is a rip-off
JUST AS the utterly bleak month of January passed without any major incident February opened with the grim arrival of my television licence renewal notice.
Yes, I knew it was probably on the way somewhere around this time of year but I'm always filled with a sense of disgust when it lands. Why, I hear you ask?-even though I suspect of you readers feel exactly the same way-because I feel it is one of the most unjustified bills in life.
These days there is only a fraction of content worth tuning in for on terrestrial channels and the rest of the time the hefty old Sky bill is to be paid for the pleasure of having the option of repeat after repeat of the same rubbish. I would safely say that I have never even tuned in to 70 per cent of the digital channels and don't intend to any time soon. That would be time wasted I will never get back!
A few weeks ago I noted that the movie viewing highlight on a weekend night on RTÉ was none other than the 1994 ' blockbuster' Maverick. Come on!
Don't we at least deserve something a bit more up to date? Instead they wheel out the old classics in the hope that we are so broke and bored in January that we will just tune in regardless of what the content is.
January, especially is particularly poor in television terms. It's probably the one month of the year when folks cut back on their socialising, that is, if they can even afford to go out anymore.
We resolve to stay put and purify ourselves. If ever there was an incentive to go out for a run, then this barrel-scraping viewing is it. For the pleasure of having oh so many ' home grown' programmes at our disposal we are obliged to pay the princely sum of €160.
I think it's a rip off and I'm fairly certain that it costs a lot more than that to bring some poor sucker to court and mortify them if they don't pay. Let's be honest, isn't that the real reason most of us pay? To save face? How many of us have pretended not to be home in case the ' TV licence inspector', who incidentally has heard all the excuses (in case you didn't know!), turns up for a chat?
If all that isn't enough now Saorview is on the way forcing anyone who doesn't already have a digital set up to shell out at least another €200. Worry not though, the good news it's only a once off payment, until your box or telly breaks down.
- DEBORAH COLEMAN
