It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are two types of News International managers: those who have been arrested and those who should be. — Mark Thomas
I find it offensive that every year the BBC is forced to hand over tens of millions of pounds of our money to Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB, under a hugely unfair law unprecedented in any other country.
These unbelievable regulations cost our public broadcasters up to £100 million a year. Rather than being paid for their valuable content, they actually have to pay BSkyB to show their programmes. This extortion is unprecedented in any other Western country, is a sign of Murdoch’s power and influence.
In the coming days, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will decide whether to renew this obscene deal. With daily exposures of his papers corrosive influence on British culture, do we really want him to be getting his hands on public money, especially at a time of public austerity and belt tightening? Our pressure has stopped Murdoch in the past and we can do it again, we can stop this BBC robbery.
Pressure is mounting on Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to end this outrage. Please add your voice to the on-line petition objecting to our money going to line Murdoch’s pocket.
These are our millions , handed over in license fees to fund British content, not to boost Murdoch’s profits. But an unfair system of “retransmission fees” designed by Murdoch leaves the BBC and other broadcasters with no choice. They are forced to pay BSkyB to show their channels, even though they add huge value to the satellite platform , accounting for 41% of all shows watched on BSkyB and vastly increasing customer retention.
Surely should it not be the other way on, Murdoch pays them to carry their channels? Is this not a case of a pirate being paid to pirate other companies intellectual property?
Murdoch is the first to bleat about piracy, but not it seems when he is lining his own pocket at our expense.
Amazingly, Murdoch has argued the exact opposite in the US . In the US, he charges cable TV companies over $250 million a year to show his content. With the same deal Murdoch gets in the US, our public service broadcasters would have hundreds of millions of pounds extra every year to invest in quality content. This money would allow the BBC to reverse its cuts to World Service, BBC Four and local radio overnight.
For years, Murdoch has had a sleazy, cozy relationship with our politicians. It is such an association that has won him this outrageous UK scheme, but his power is starting to crumble, and together we can end it. Labour has already registered their opposition to this deal, and Culture Secretary Hunt is about to make his decision in his communications review.
Send your message now to make sure he stops this outrage:
We have to once an for all destroy the Murdoch mafia. Last year public pressure blocked his proposed takeover of BSkyB, forced the closure of The News of the World, forced press inquiries he didn’t want, press inquiries which are daily exposing the sordid practices of the Murdoch Empire
Now, we can stop the BBC robbery. By continuing to challenge his corrupting influence where ever it appears, we can destroy the Murdoch Empire for good.
This morning several journalists working for The Sun were arrested in dawn raids.
