MPs set for Llandudno visit to seek peoples views on broadcasting in Wales
Members of Westminster’s Welsh Affairs Committee will travel to north Wales next month to get the views of the public on broadcasting in Wales.
The MPs will visit Llandudno on 8 March to find out if people are happy with the TV and radio offerings available to them.
Views are being sought on streaming services such as Netflix, the quality of terrestrial TV and the radio programmes on offer.
The Committee is seeking to understand whether programmes available to people living in Wales are representative of their communities; and what the future may hold for TV and radio.
The Committee has been gathering evidence on the broadcasting landscape in Wales since it opened an inquiry into the sector in July last year.
To date, it has considered the future outlook of broadcasting amid the rise of streaming services, how political events and current affairs are reported, Welsh language content and the necessary jobs and skills needed for a thriving broadcasting sector.
Evidence base
Committee Chair, Stephen Crabb, said: “Our Committee is talking to people in Llandudno to build our evidence base about something we know can get people talking: TV and radio. From Welcome to Wrexham to Gavin and Stacey, there can be something for everyone.
“That is the crux of why we are holding this engagement event in Wales. Our Committee is keen to know whether what is on offer on TV and radio is enough. Are the programmes on offer representative – and is that important to us? Is more of what we want only available on streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix? What should the future hold for TV and radio across Wales?
“We invite people in North Wales to sign-up to attend our engagement event to give their opinions, which will then help inform our report to the UK Government on Broadcasting in Wales.”
Following the engagement sessions in Llandudno, a session with young people will be held in Swansea on 23 March.
For further details of the event, and to register attendance, members of the public are invited to contact the House of Commons Select Committee engagement team ([email protected]).
The deadline to sign up is Wednesday 22 February.
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With all due respect to the Welsh in Llandudno, they’re pretty much in the minority. Crabbe knows that the feedback he will garner there will be a skewed one; the Daily Mail point of view of Anglocentric retirees. If no further sojourns are made to more ‘representative’ parts of Wales, Crabbe’s initiative will have no validity whatsoever – although they’ll probably act upon the ‘findings’ to silence the voice of Wales in broadcasting, and savage the Welsh TV industry even further.
Andrew is right. Lots of retirees from east of Offa’s will be castigating S4C, whilst praising GB News.
…and point their aerial towards Winter Hill so that they can watch North West/Granada News instead of Welsh news, because the Welsh news is “all about South Wales”