Why I'm giving up on the BBC

[Jilly_in_VA]

Apparently now you have to subscribe to it to read most articles. I'm sorry, but I'll go broke subscribing to everything! So, regretfully, it's bye-bye to the BBC. I already subscribe to the Guardian, among others.

[mwmisses4289]

1. BBC seems to be going the way of the U.S media, which is really too bad.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. There's a limit to how much UK licence payers can run news for those abroad who don't contribute

In April 2005, the licence was £126.50 - £224 in 2025 prices. In 2025, the licence was £174.50. So the BBC has to look for revenue from other sources to make up for the licence not going up with inflation.

[mwmisses4289]

12. Apologies, I wasn't clear.

I meant the tone of their stories is starting to sound like u.s. news stories.

[Jilly_in_VA]

13. And there's a limit

to how many subscriptions I can possibly carry. So while the Guardian is by donation, I still donate. I subscribe (at the moment) to the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as my hometown paper in Tennessee (for kind of obvious reasons) and I donate to NPR and PBS. I'm just not picking up another one.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Oh yes, I don't blame you. It's just that the BBC has financial pressure

rather than it being "rich owner trying to get even higher".

[Hope22]

2. Check with your library.

Many publications are available through libraries for no fee. Our library even has a free pass that can be checked out to gain admission to a local arboretum. In our community all of this can be accessed online.

[Jilly_in_VA]

14. I don't go to my "local" library

It's 15 miles away and surprisingly not very good for a city of this size. There is a branch near me but it's awful.

[Hope22]

18. Your library should be on line.

I live in a village and mine is. No different than going out to DU. Choose a county library if yours is not online. Best wishes for success.

[TheRickles]

3. The Guardian is by donation, not a required subscription.

[WmChris]

4. NPR

Our locally available NPR stations run an hour of BBC news a couple times a day.

[wnylib]

7. Mine carries the BBC for 1 hour at noon and then

carries it overnight, from midnight to 5 am.

That's why I'm often up and posting here during the night. I stay up to listen to it, sometimes just for an hour or sometimes longer if they are covering something I really want to know more about from an international perspective.

(Also why I am not here on DU some mornings. Got to sleep sometime. )

[Joinfortmill]

5. Love the Guardian

[AllaN01Bear]

8. That is one o.f the reasons I qiuit news.

I also donjoin anything on line either

[Eddie18]

9. CNN as well

I'm done with them

[DavidDvorkin]

10. Here are two that I like a lot instead

https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097
https://www.france24.com/en/

I even find them both more useful for UK news than the BBC is now.

[leftstreet]

11. +1

[Celerity]

16. It is still free here in the EU. The US is the only country they now are charging in order to access their site, AFAIK.

[Celerity]

17. Also, the archive sites are your friend:

Trump and Xi conclude 'very successful' talks but no deals confirmed

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clypj01189lo

https://archive.ph/zdIff (no paywall)