Report calls for body to look at future of Welsh broadcasting

A new public body could push for improvements in the Welsh media, a report has said.

Experts commissioned by the Welsh government with Plaid Cymru say a shadow broadcasting authority could set out how the future of broadcasting should look here.

They warn the sector faces rapid changes with fewer people watching TV from broadcasters in Wales.

They warn there seemed to be "very little" thinking about what Welsh broadcasting might look like in the future.

A new authority could lay the groundwork for powers over broadcasting in Wales to be handed to Cardiff from London, according to the report's authors.

Plaid Cymru said the new authority would help "turbo-charge our democracy" but the Conservatives said it would amount to a "nationalist talking-shop".

Sources speaking to the BBC fear the Welsh government does not want to implement the recommendations, which would see a new organisation costing around £704,000 a year.

The Welsh government did not comment on the claims, pointing to a statement that welcomed the report and said the findings would be considered.

Advocates for the devolution of broadcasting have argued in the past that the current system, which is governed from Westminster, does not fully meet the needs of Wales' system of democracy.

They warn there seemed to be "very little" thinking about what Welsh broadcasting might look like in the future.

Viewing of TV channels has fallen by 37% since 2010, and in 2021 the time people spent watching TV from Welsh broadcasters fell by 12.6% compared to 2020.

BBC and ITV's Wales-based shows accounted for just 4% of total TV viewing time, with viewing heavily skewed towards the over-65s.

The report said that total viewing of Welsh networking programming fell 62% between 2010 and 2022 among those under the age of 45.

Because of that, 88% of those viewing Welsh network programming in 2022 came from the over-45s age group.

More than a quarter of adults access Welsh news through social media platforms, especially Facebook, it said.

The report says the next ten years will be "critical to the future of broadcasting and communications in Wales".

ITV's licence arrangements expire in 2024, and the BBC Charter - which sets out how its run - will come to an end in 2027.

Currently Welsh broadcasters - including S4C - are ultimately responsible to the UK government.

The Expert panel said it was concerned that making Welsh content more visible and more accessible to people living in Wales was "not being prioritized", and there seemed to be "very little future thinking or innovation to consider what broadcasting and communications might look like in Wales in the future".

"At present there is no organisation tasked with developing a strategic vision, specific to Wales", it said.

The experts say a shadow broadcasting authority could "seek to work with existing broadcasters", making the case that "network programmes and material produced specifically for Wales offer portrayal and storytelling which is relevant to audiences in Wales".

It added that "depending on the insight and findings" of the authority's work "there might be significant movement towards further devolution of broadcasting and communications to Wales".

If that happens the shadow authority should be reconstituted to an "official authority," it says.

The work was commissioned as part of the government's deal with Plaid Cymru.

The two had agreed to "explore the creation" of a shadow broadcasting and communications authority for Wales, to address concerns about the fragility of media in Wales and attacks on its independence.

'Distraction'

Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg welcomed the report.

Mirain Owen said: "There is an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of devolving powers over broadcasting and communications from London to the Senedd, and we’re glad that the Welsh government are making progress in preparing for that to ensure that in future, decisions on broadcasting in Wales are made in Wales.”

Tom Giffard, Welsh Conservative Shadow Culture Minister, said: “For the Labour Government to consider spending over £700,000 a year on a talking shop to discuss devolving broadcasting to Wales is nothing but a nationalist distraction.

“With the Labour Government’s inbox filling with self-inflicted issues like inhuman 2 year waiting lists, and the worst employment rates in the UK, this should not be a priority."

Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru's spokeswoman for broadcasting, said: “Decisions about communication and broadcasting matters for Wales should be made in Wales, and whilst power for much of Welsh media continues to reside in another country, under another government, Wales will be all the poorer.

“The onus is now on Welsh Government to implement the recommendations within the report and take immediate steps to establish a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority. This is too important a matter to delay.”

The BBC was among the broadcasters who gave evidence.

It said it would consider the report, and said its Across the UK scheme had seen "major progress in Wales in recent months, in seeking to improve the portrayal of Wales and the economic impact of the BBC".

Phil Henfrey, ITV Cymru Wales' Head of News and Programmes, said: "We welcome the recognition in the report of the important role that public service broadcasters play in Wales, and we look forward to engaging further with the Welsh government."

Pamela Morton, Wales organiser for the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), said: "The NUJ believes this is an important and interesting report and agrees with the expert panel that ‘journalism is a significant element of the broadcasting and communications landscape’, however... we see a better approach would be a Welsh Media Institute to protect and promote public service broadcasting, as well as in print and online."