Public Service Television in Wales

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of public service broadcasting and its broadcasters in Wales. Public service broadcasting plays a crucial role in enhancing citizens' understanding of their culture, history, and political system. In Wales particularly, there is a limited range of news sources about devolved politics. A 2016 survey in Wales found that many readers relied on news produced in England, or UK-wide news, which has limited information about Welsh affairs. Therefore, while the provision of an effective public service broadcasting service is crucial throughout the UK, it is central to the future of a well-informed citizenry and publicly accountable government in Wales. One of the biggest changes in television provision in Wales relates to English-language programming. With the significant decrease within both the BBC and ITV in terms of both output and spend, there has been a narrowing of programmes and genres in Wales.

The future of public service broadcasting: Grim or bright?

“…The diversity of voices coming not only from academic and policy circles is something to be treasured, as the book offers a platform for sharing the views of the audience, trade unions, industry organizations and artists. The complexity of the media landscape and the vast variety of concerns, which PSM must address, become particularly evident by the regional perspectives from Wales and Scotland (Beveridge, 2018; Noonan and Powell, 2018). The book is rounded up with some distilled recommendations as to what is seen as the appropriate future of the British PSB system (Tryhorn, 2018) as well as the recommendations extracted from the Puttnam Report with regard to the major PSB channels in the UK, funding public service content, regions and nations, genres and content diversity, talent development and training.…”