Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

This week, I asked a question in the Senedd during First Minister’s questions following revelations in the Western Mail that BBC Wales bosses are tasked with cutting 20% across the board as a result of the  license fee freeze and responsibilities concerning the future of S4c. Programmes such as Week in Week Out, the Wales Politics Show are among the programmes which are proposed to be axed. Here’s what I asked-

“Given the shocking news of cuts this morning from London to BBC Wales’ budget and to the programmes of BBC Wales as well as the uncertainties facing S4C, would you now ask DCMS [the Department for Culture, Media and Sport] to devolve broadcasting to Wales so we can protect programming here in Wales?’

The First Minister, later on in the day, committed to calling for a meeting with Jeremy Hunt, the Minister who is, quite frankly, hell bent on undermining Wales and Welsh broadcasting.

I called for broadcasting to be devolved to the National Assembly for Wales, so that we can have the control here in Wales over our media’s future. That doesn’t mean government will run the show in my view, but that decision making will be closer to the people that broadcasters cater for. I later floated the idea that BBC Wales, BBC Scotland and BBC Northern Ireland programming becomes a federal system, with network decisions happening centrally.  I am extremely worried that  these proposed cuts will have a detrimental impact on our identity here in Wales, will affect the discussion surrounding Welsh politics when we have only just had a referendum on further powers for Wales, and what this will mean for S4C.

The discussion on the future of Welsh broadcasting became even more urgent today, as the detail of the proposed cuts were revealed in the Western Mail. The BBC documents are printed in the paper, going through all the programmes in detail, with information on the scale of the cuts suggested, and the potential impact. Here are a few of them-

Programme: Politics Show

Saving: £173,000

Impact: Less reputational risk than the loss of any other political programming as it was always perceived as a vehicle better suited to English regions.

Programme: Ffeil

Saving: £391,000

Impact: High risk given the focus on S4C, ending Ffeil would also have a big impact because it is the only programme we target at a young audience.

Programme: am.pm (cut to one programme per week with presenter top and tail)

Saving: £210,000

Impact: Reputational damage with decision makers, reduction of political content at a time when devolved government attains maturity.

As you can see, this is very concerning, and I understand that anything is possible, with all options still on the table. The review of services will be carried out by the BBC Trust, and a public consultation will be launched in the Autumn I am told.

What is of interest to me in all of this is how the BBC is responding officially- they are stating that it is all ‘speculation’ and  that ‘ no decisions have been taken’. Nonetheless, I think its right for us to question this official response. Are they admitting the inevitability of these cuts, and if so, why is this not reflected publicly? Why are they not putting up a fight, and contesting this with BBC bosses in London?

Of course, we must look closely at how this will affect staff, and staff morale firstly, and how this will affect Wales and the future of Welsh broadcasting. Unfortunately we do not have a First Minister’s question session next week as it is half term, but I will certainly be writing to the BBC, to Jeremy Hunt, and seeking an urgent debate at the Senedd. We can’t sit back and wait for programming in Wales to be ripped to pieces. We have already seen services decrease on ITV Wales, the threat to S4C. Print media is also in decline, and so this matter must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

In so doing, we should look at the obligations of the BBC within the charter between the BBC and the Secretary of State. I have put the part in the charter most relevant to this issue below. What happens if this charter is broken? Is it re negotiated with the Secretary of State? This is an area that I am committed to looking in to as Plaid’s spokesperson on this in the Assembly.

9. Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities
(1) In developing (and reviewing) the purpose remit for representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities, the Trust must, amongst other things, seek to ensure that the BBC—
(a) reflects and strengthens cultural identities through original content at local, regional and national level, on occasion bringing audiences together for shared experiences;
and

(b) promotes awareness of different cultures and alternative viewpoints, through content that reflects the lives of different people and different communities within the UK.
(2) In doing so, the Trust must have regard amongst other things to—
(a) the importance of reflecting different religious and other beliefs; and (b) the importance of appropriate provision in minority language