Wales is fortunate. It has a strong mix of public service broadcasters, without whom it would be virtually invisible. Fully commercial broadcasters like Sky have few resources outside London and rarely carry Welsh stories other than the traditional news fare of murder and mayhem. As we move towards digital switchover we should strive to protect that mix – not least because it has delivered the largest agglomeration of production talent outside London in the UK, delivering hundreds of millions of pounds of economic benefit to Wales. But we need to move fast to ensure that our broadcasting mix does not leave some areas as broadcast poor and to guarantee that Welsh viewers in whichever language they choose get what they really want – programmes, channels, radio stations and on-line video and audio that they feel at home with but that challenge them. Broadcasting can showcase Wales to the world and it can inspire pride in Wales and in the UK but it must always challenge our soft assumptions, our easy parochialism and our ready group-think. The best of Welsh does just that.
S4C is a Welsh language channel, surely if english programmes were to appear on it it would lose its USP?
chris bryant, 2007-10-29 17:18:24
Tom. It's always had english programming. My concern is that if it only appeals to a fifth of wales it will die.
Blewyn, Oman 2007-10-30 09:51:03
Your comments about Wales being 'invisible' and 'showcased' reveal that you judge Wales and Welsh cultural life on the basis of it's image outside the country. S4C is not for London, it's for Wales. The solution is not for S4C to appeal to the monoglots by pandering to their ignorance, but for the English-speaking channels to switch their focus from London to Cardiff, and to start introducing Welsh.
