{"id":51771,"date":"2022-02-04T07:39:58","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T11:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=51771"},"modified":"2022-02-04T07:39:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T11:39:58","slug":"radio-waves-bbc-license-fee-frozen-battling-rfi-warning-to-rtl-sdr-users-in-ukraine-and-wrd-special-broadcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/radio-waves-bbc-license-fee-frozen-battling-rfi-warning-to-rtl-sdr-users-in-ukraine-and-wrd-special-broadcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: BBC License Fee Frozen, Battling RFI, Warning to RTL-SDR Users in Ukraine, and WRD Special Broadcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio<\/h2>\n

Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s<\/em> Radio Waves<\/em>, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0<\/strong>Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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BBC\u2019s funding system under fire (Marketplace)<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n

In the United Kingdom, you need a license to drive a car, fly a plane, practice medicine and watch TV.<\/p>\n

The \u201cTV license\u201d is what Brits call their system for funding their world-famous broadcaster, the BBC. Currently, it costs the equivalent of $216 a year and is compulsory. Anyone in the U.K. caught watching or recording programs broadcast on any television channel or livestreamed on an online platform without a license is likely to be prosecuted.<\/p>\n

The BBC \u2014 the Beeb, as it\u2019s known \u2014 derives around $5 billion a year from this source. That\u2019s 75% of the total revenue it needs to run a vast media empire, comprising 10 national TV channels and 10 national and 40 local radio stations as well as its World Service broadcasts and a global news website.<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: The Beeb is a content partner for Marketplace.<\/p>\n

But the license fee is under attack. The government just announced that it\u2019s freezing the fee at the current level for two years and not increasing it in line with inflation \u2014 a decision that could cost the corporation nearly $400 million. The government has also hinted that it would like to eventually scrap the license fee altogether. [Continue reading at Marketplace…<\/a>]<\/p>\n