Re: Apple Computer changes its name

[heuser.marcus@freenet.de]

Paul Schlyter schrieb:
> In article <1168554155.599100.136810@77g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>,
>  <bieling@terra.es> wrote:
> >
> > Although I see your point, and I agree that some "adjustments" may
> > be needed in this market's model, I can't stand by the side of the
> > ones that find it fair to enjoy all the music they like for 0$ a year.
> > Sorry, that's, more like, stealing.
>
> So e.g. listening to the radio only is stealing?  After all, you pay
> $0 to listen to the radio.....

Compare this to the situation in Germany:

After WW2 only the state had radio and TV stations, called
public stations.
Even to this day they are the biggest stations as the German
population ages rapidly and old people watch those stations
mostly. As is generally knewn, older people are not that re-
ceptive to advertising - more on that later.

To finance these stations and station chains the state invented
a department to get a fee from the citizens, called the GEZ.

Even though Germans love to pay taxes they don't love tolls
and fees and have to be convinced to do so. So the state claims
that these stations have a so called "order to inform and educate"
the public, for example by broadcasting news, documentations
and educational material. To a certain extent this is true.

Who has to pay? Everybody with a radio or TV set as he or she
technically *could* receive these broadcasts.

This includes radios & TV-sets in companies, cars and since
January 1, 2007 even computers as they could receive the
internet program of the stations (which is tiny and low quality
compared to their normal broadcasts - but hey, Germany's
youth hangs in front of their computers and not in front of the
TV-sets).

There are some rules as how and when to pay, of course, but
the majority of viewers and listeners has to pay a fee of around
35 Euros per month - please convert to your local currency...

In the eighties the market was opened for privately operated radio
and TV stations to give the public more choice (yeah, sure), have
competition, be able to compete with other European countries
(why?) etc.

However, private stations *don't* receive any money from the
GEZ as they don't have this "order to educate and inform".

They are financed completely by advertising and believe me:
They don't inform and educate the public! ;-)

Instead most of these "tit stations" (you can imagine, why
some stations are called like that) transmit crappy game,
talk and justice shows, Big Brother shows, low-to medium
quality Hollywood TV series and mostly violent action movies
with Seagal, Lundgren, Van Damme and other straight-to-
video matieral, sometimes cut beyond recognition but it's
the name of the title or star that counts.
Occasionally they have a real block buster, too, but interrupt
them for advertising even more often.

Public stations transmit advertising, too, but not nearly as
much and they usually don't interrupt movies.

TV-advertising is pricey, however, and the private stations
obviously get a large amount of money out of it as they are able
to compete buying the rights of sport events, for example the
Bundesliga which for many Germans is a reason to live...

Laws had to be made to enable the public to see those events
(partially) if private pay-per-view stations bought the rights to
transmit them to their customers (Germany only has a very
small pay-per-view market). Otherwise a public uproar would
be the result.

There you have it: In Germany everybody has to pay - regardless
of the stations he watches and regardless if the station receives
and money from the public.

bye
Marcus