A Rose by any other name ...

You will recall, Gentle Reader, that the BBC is the Television Licensing Authority for the UK and responsible for making sure that every watcher of live TV programmes, whatever the source and however viewed, has paid the annual tax. This is an impossible task, as has been stated on many occasions in this log, because the activity the BBC wants to know about takes place in the privacy of people's homes to which it does not have access. To circumvent this problem the BBC engages subcontractors like Capita Business Services and a multitude of PR agencies to carry out its programme of bluster, intimidation and misinformation. So successful has the BBC been that the great British public thinks "TV Licensing" really exists, that it employs Officers and that these Officers have statutory powers ("interview you under caution"). Shame on it.

From time to time the main PR agency, Fishburn Hedges, launches a new campaign. Helpfully, the TV Licensing Website™, tvlicensing.co.uk, has a section labelled Media Centre from which you can link to these various campaigns. In passing, you'll recall that the domain name tvlicensing.co.uk is actually owned by the BBC and certainly not the non-existent TV Licensing™. Similarly, the domain name tvlicensing.info (as in "If you require any additional information, please email mediaenquiries@tvlicensing.info" on the Media Centre page) is owned by Fishburn Hedges.

Since June is Wimbledon month here in the UK, the latest campaign focuses on those who watch the tennis matches at work, whether on TV or by live streaming on a computer. Type the opening words "Millions of employees could tune into Murray-mania" into your favourite search engine to see how widespread and uncritical has been the uptake in the press.

Of course, no press release of this type from Fishburn Hedges would be complete without a word from a "spokesperson from TV Licensing" who is in reality a Fishburn Hedges "consultant", and this one is no exception. In the past we've had Julia Dudley, Victoria Sykes and Ian Fannon, but this time we have a new one in the person of Rose Beynon - hence the title of this particular piece. Let's hear it for Rose! She joins the other inhabitants of that murky world which goes by the name of TV Licensing™.

Incidentally, having mentioned Ian Fannon my mole reports that good old Ian has left Fishburn Hedges for pastures new. He is now Head of Communications at the MS Society. Watchkeeper offers sincere congratulations to Ian on obtaining this new post, where his talents will be far better employed than in promoting the misinformation which characterises TV Licensing™.