News

BBC must do more for Wales

Published

10 years ago

August 19, 2016

THE BBC must do more to to find ways to ensure audiences are kept informed about Welsh matters, according to a report by the BBC Trust

The report, BBC Trust’s Service review: BBC nations’ news and radio services, examined news and current affairs services on TV and online made in and for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

It concluded audience expectations of BBC news were extremely high and, while most rated its programming highly, occasionally it fell short of expectations.

The main conclusion was: “To improve its services, the Trust recommends the BBC should plan how it can provide more content online, examine how minority language services should evolve, and make meeting audience expectations on news output a specific part of the BBC’s overall annual performance assessment.” It noted that audiences across all the nations considered the BBC needed to get better at holding decision-makers to account over its news programmes.

The review found that the BBC’s performance in Wales was strong, but it also highlighted that these services faced challenges. It said: “Particularly within the context of a deficit of other sources of Welsh news, the BBC will need to find ways to ensure audiences are kept informed about Welsh matters and that their expectations in areas such as Welsh political coverage and holding decision-makers to account are fully met.”

Like the other nations, younger Welsh audiences were still proving the hardest to reach, with older audiences remaining the main consumers of BBC TV and radio services.

BBC Radio Wales, the only national radio station in the English language, had made various changes to strengthen its portrayal of contemporary Wales, said the report, with greater prominence for journalism and sport and some very popular comedy. The station reached 16 per cent of adults each week in 2015, but its reach was under pressure and has fallen since 2011.

Radio Cymru reached 30 per cent of fluent Welsh speakers, equivalent to 4.6 per cent of all adults in Wales. “While general impressions of quality are strong and average listening hours are high, its reach has declined since 2011,” the Trust said.

In line with trends for BBC TV overall, the reach of BBC Wales’ news and current affairs output fell from 54 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2015.

John Toner, national organiser Wales, said: “The NUJ welcomes the conclusion that the BBC must increase its efforts to inform audiences about Welsh matters and political coverage, and that the corporation has a vital role to play in holding decision-makers to account. In our Media Manifesto for Wales, the NUJ argued for a ‘strong publicly-owned, licence-fee-funded BBC and greater oversight and scrutiny of public service broadcasting in Wales by the Welsh Government and Assembly’. We remain adamant that such scrutiny by the democratically-elected Assembly is essential to deliver the service that audiences need.

“The BBC is the only provider of comprehensive Welsh language radio coverage and we would not wish to see it packaged into a minority language ghetto. Welsh is spoken by more than 500,000 people in Wales, largely concentrated in remote areas where people rely on the BBC for much of their coverage of news and current affairs. Any attempt to dilute Welsh language broadcasting will be damaging to the future of the language itself. In fact, ant move to dilute news and current affairs coverage on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru would be a retrograde step. We have arranged a meeting with Bethan Jenkins, Chair of the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee, to address these points, among others.”

Entertainment

Free screening to focus on climate and nature crisis

Published

49 minutes ago

May 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PUBLIC INVITED TO LETTERSTON EVENT HOSTED BY TRANSITION BRO GWAUN

A FREE public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing is to be held at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday, May 29.

The event, hosted by Transition Bro Gwaun, starts at 7:00pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm.

The screening will be introduced by Dr Sarah Beynon, of The Bug Farm, St Davids, and will be followed by a structured discussion on climate and nature risks and what they may mean for local communities.

The 50-minute film has been adapted from the National Emergency Briefing, held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025, where more than 1,200 MPs, peers, business leaders, cultural figures, faith representatives, sports figures and media leaders gathered to hear from experts on climate and nature risks.

The briefing, introduced by Chris Packham CBE, examines the potential impact of climate and nature breakdown on food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security.

Dr Beynon said: “We are in a biodiversity and climate emergency. We have destroyed over half of our wildlife. In my late father’s lifetime, we have destroyed 97% of our wildflower meadows.

“Over 80% of our habitats are in poor condition. Over 60% of our rivers are not in good health and one in five species is at risk of extinction.

“How do we want to leave this planet for future generations? Then ask yourself if you are prepared to act. If you are, the first step is to understand the issues facing us, and this film is a vital part of understanding the situation we are in so we can all step up and do something together.”

The People’s Emergency Briefing was launched nationwide in April and is now being screened in communities across the UK. Organisers say more than 300 showings have already taken place, with around 1,000 scheduled over the summer.

Further local screenings are also planned for Solva and Cardigan in June.

Transition Bro Gwaun said the Letterston event comes at a time when communities in Pembrokeshire are facing increasing pressure from severe weather, flooding, dry spells and wildfire risks.

November and December 2025 saw flooding affect many areas, with the Met Office confirming rainfall was more than 50% above average during that period.

The group said the event was not intended to be “doom and gloom”, but would also focus on practical and hopeful responses.

Henry Tufnell MP, Pembrokeshire county councillors and town and community councillors have been invited to attend.

Tom Latter, trustee at Transition Bro Gwaun, said: “TBG welcomes the opportunity to host one of many Emergency Briefing events around the UK, addressing the climate and nature crisis.

“Co-ordinated restorative action is urgently needed, and understanding of the urgency for honest commitment to resilience planning from all branches of society.”

Free tickets are available through Transition Bro Gwaun, and refreshments will be provided.

Climate

Free screening to focus on climate and nature crisis

Published

52 minutes ago

May 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair