S4C 'second-class citizen' warning against budget cuts

Richard Harrington stars in crime drama Y Gwyll/Hinterland on S4C and BBC Wales TV

S4C needs fair funding and must avoid becoming a "second-class citizen", the broadcasters bosses have told AMs.

They called for an independent assessment of the Welsh-language television channel's funding needs.

S4C says it has lost 36% of its income since 2010, when UK ministers transferred responsibility for most of its budget to the TV licence fee.

Culture Secretary John Wittingdale has said it is "reasonable" to expect S4C to make the same cuts as the BBC.

The broadcaster is waiting for two big political decisions: the chancellor's comprehensive spending review, later this month, and the review of the BBC's charter, due to be completed in 2016.

In evidence to an assembly committee, S4C said more cuts could mean more repeats, less drama and fewer documentaries, and fewer original children's programmes.

Repeats already account for more than half its output.

Newyddion 9 is one of the programmes made by BBC Wales for S4C

Chief executive Ian Jones said he did not want decisions about S4C's future "to get lost" in the debate about the BBC.

Looking at all sources of funding, he told the assembly's communities committee, which is holding an inquiry into the BBC's charter review: "I'm not saying that there are cuts, but at the highest level across everything you could look at a cut of about 50% to S4C's budget over a four, five-year period.

"There really needs to be fairness, and fairness for us is taking account of the 36% cuts we've had to date, and fairness is not from today onwards."

He added: "What we don't want to be is a second class citizen."

S4C receives 90% of its funding - around £75m from the licence fee.

About 8% comes from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the rest from advertising and commercial sources.

It also gets about £19m worth of programmes from BBC Wales.

In a statement, DCMS said: "We are committed to the provision of minority language broadcasting, and this includes S4C."