[originaltext]M: You’re not still watching television, are you?W: I enjoy your

M: You’re not still watching television, are you?
W: I enjoy your television--I’ll have to watch lots more while I’m here. The camera-work was very good. It looked like the work of real experts. Er... how long has television been going in Britain?
M: Oh, since 1936.
W: Ah!
M:  Only in the London area at that time, though. There wasn’t any television during the Second World War. It started up again afterwards. The BBC was the organization responsible for it.
W: What do the initials BBC stand for?
M:  British Broadcasting Corporation. It’s a public corporation. It isn’t controlled by the government, but it’s not a private company either. That means that the government can’t use the BBC for propaganda purpose, and nor can private individuals or firms.
W: Is there any advertising?
M: Not on the BBC, ITV gets its money from advertising, though.
W: ITV?
M: ITV stands for Independent Television. It was started in 1954 again in the London area. It covers the whole country now, though.
W: What do people think of the advertisements on television?
M: It depends. A lot of people think it’s a good idea because it means that television can pay its way--the ITV gets all its money from the advertisements.
W: What about the BBC?
M: You have to pay a TV license of ￡7 a year that goes to the BBC. Or ￡ 12 for color. A lot of people don’t like having to pay and wish that there were advertisements on the BBC too. On the other hand, other people hate TV advertising because they think it’s an insult to their intelligence.