The Future of Welsh Television
By Ron Jones
Emyr Lewis could have chosen no better time to take up his appointment as a Senior Fellow in Welsh Law at Cardiff University. A new corpus of Welsh law is being developed before our eyes but seen by few. Meanwhile the relationship between our devolved and non-devolved administration responsibilities remains as one of the unresolved issues of devolution. For example, the Welsh Government’s frustration over its lack of powers relating to large-scale energy projects is a running sore, while, in other areas, disputes and issues are resolved in that old British way of informal deals and ad hoc compromise. Some matters fade into the shadows with no compromise and a nagging feeling within Wales that Welsh needs are not being adequately dealt with by the UK Government.
Get your research into overdrive Emyr, because – over the next few years – a non-devolved issue affecting the daily lives of everyone in Wales is up for grabs and will define broadcasting in Wales for a generation. Between now and 2017 decisions will be made on the new BBC Charter and the future of S4C and their future funding through the licence fee. The ITV licence is due to expire and the renewal process will redefine their public service obligations – if any – to Wales. The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) plans for local television may not be delivered in their present form but whatever emerges will impact on the media landscape in Wales.
The starting point for such a radical review is not ideal. We are awash with legacy issues peculiar to Wales that may not be high on the policy priorities as seen from DCMS. The easy answer to these challenges is to call for the devolution of broadcasting policies, but we should beware that achieving the apparently straightforward is full of pitfalls, particularly when it is not politically deliverable. Broadcasting is not a devolved issue and we need to get used to it. Besides do we really want a broadcasting environment where the portrayal of Wales stems entirely from Welsh-based channels? For a long as we are part of the United Kingdom we need services that are for and from Wales, but which also stand as a reflection reflection of Wales rightful place as an important part of the UK television service. As in other non-devolved areas, the way forward is to find governance and accountability mechanisms that deliver both.
Before we look at structures we need to seriously consider the nature of the public service television we need and expect. Can we compensate, for example, for the worrying lack of plurality and news in our written press through improved television and on-line services? What are the particular needs of a country committed to bilingualism? And how do we achieve fairness for both our language groups and the variety of fluency that exists? How should our news providers underpin our new Welsh democracy and society? We need a strategic review with public consultation and the involvement of all the stakeholders, including the DCMS, BBC Trust, S4C, the Welsh Government, the relevant NDPB’s (non-departmental public body also sometimes known as quangos), Assembly members and Welsh MP’s.
Such a needs-based analysis of the public service element must prioritise Wales’ news and newsbased programmes, current affairs, events and sport. However, if this is to also include a range of public service programmes from history to culture, many genres will have to go. Remember, public scrutiny can only assess and describe needs: it does not guarantee that everything is possible.
We must also bear in mind that from 2014 there will be a new licence for ITV, although there has been little indication from the Government as to how it intends to move on from the present regime. Whether or not ITV is required to compete for its licence, we do have an interest in its future provisions for a public service for Wales. The licence will almost certainly contain such provisions and Wales needs to call for service levels consistent with its needs. Previous licence conditions have been loosened by Ofcom without taking account of Wales, so should we demand a licence for Wales protected by an ownership structure such as Glas Cymru? The service could then be sub-contracted to suitable operators more tightly than the existing DCMS/Ofcom/ ITV arrangements.
With our lack of any major metropolitan areas the present DCMS proposals for local TV are probably not sustainable without public sector support. They could, nevertheless, be provided as a component of a network of services that we do need. The Welsh Government is investing large sums in ensuring that the whole of Wales has access to high-speed broadband, much of it wireless. The integration of local news, national news and the Government’s commitment to delivering public services and education over the internet could provide answers to many of our information needs in Wales.
Even before the BBC was charged with funding S4C from the television licence fee, the Corporation was the major player in Welsh broadcasting. Now its role is even more important – economically, journalistically and culturally. As an institution created to operate where the free market cannot succeed, the BBC can and must fulfil its public purpose in Wales. However, history suggests the ‘Beeb’ needs a hand in defining what we need.
This should not be a painful process for Wales or the BBC. It is familiar with defining its services through a series of Service Licences, so should there be one for Wales? In the case of S4C the new partnership arrangements will almost certainly follow the Service Licence approach. In that case, the present thinking is that – in recognition of its statutory obligation to support and develop the Welsh language – this will be agreed through discussions between S4C, the BBC Trust and DCMS after consultation with the Welsh Government. If so, this then opens the door to a similar approach being taken with English language services.
As with all non-devolved matters our voice is legally small. Our representatives in Parliament are sometimes less effective than we (and some of them) would hope to be. The Government in Cardiff inevitably has to prioritise its use of its political capital in London. Like it or not the media’s influence is pernicious. It describes the way we see ourselves and defines the way others see us. So do we still want to leave its fate to people in London?
gan Ron Jones
Reprinted from Cambria magazine Dec 2011
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