Senedd on the Box

The National Assembly recently debated the future of public service
broadcasting, with a possible Ofcom review in mind. But did AMs
fundamentally misunderstand what PSB is?
(Pic : digitalspy.co.uk)

Despite saying they don't want to discuss non-devolved matters, on Tuesday the Welsh Government held a debate on the importance of public service broadcasting/broadcasters (PSB).

Regular readers will know I covered the issue of broadcasting (both within the context of the Silk Commission and independence) around this time last year (Broadcasting Wales VI : Public Broadcasting & Media Regulation). Most of the debate went over things I covered then, as well as previous Assembly committee inquiries and debates.

It's worth returning to this because we have a new deputy minister – who crucially has journalistic experience – in charge of (what can laughably be called) the Welsh Government's "media and broadcasting policy".

It looks like Senedd TV have fixed the autoplay problem too – see, I do have leverage – so I can use it how I wanted to use it, which is all the more timely considering the topic.

Public Service Borecasting



The new Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates (Lab, Clwyd South), started off by saying PSBs play an increasingly important role in Welsh life, and support the creative industries, in light of a "weak print media". He said we're no longer constrained by technological factors and are only held back by ambition. Although broadcasting and media isn't devolved, he said the Welsh Government does have "influence".

Ken said broadcasting aimed at Welsh audiences "has been under considerable pressure", with a 23% reduction in first-run programming – mostly in English. Therefore, Welsh needs have to be considered in any future Ofcom review of PSB. Ken underlined the importance of S4C having sufficient funding and editorial independence, and the Welsh Government are concerned that the funding picture for 2016-17 is unclear in terms of contributions from the UK Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

Ken said he expects the Welsh Government to be "fully involved" in the renewal of the BBC's royal charter, and the charter should ensure that programming in both English and Welsh receives sufficient funding. On ITV, he said the Welsh Government welcomed the creation of a Welsh Channel 3 licence, but regretted that the terms of the licence weren't extended beyond the current requirements.



Peter Black AM (Lib Dem, South Wales West) said PSB should be "protected and developed in a devolved Wales as part of a devolved settlement" that falls short of full devolution of broadcasting due to the complicated financial and technical arrangements. He echoed what was said about BBC and S4C having the funding to continue to provide Welsh language programming and that S4C maintains editorial independence.

Further on, he pointed out the importance of community radio stations – which was picked up in an Assembly media inquiry. Peter said licencing requirements should be based on local needs, not the current system that applies across the whole UK. He also said that Wales was "crying out for more political coverage" and reiterated his support for a Welsh version of Newsnight, and for the Assembly to subject broadcasters themselves to scrutiny.



Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.) said broadcasters should reflect "the cultural, social and political identity that is unique to Wales", calling for the Welsh Government to market Wales as a place to produce high-quality programmes, and called for a stronger Welsh presence in Ofcom to ensure challenges specific to Wales are dealt with – like those related to community radio licencing.

However, he said the Conservatives are opposed to the devolution of radio licensing because of the costs involved – though they weren't opposed to it in principle. Paul emphasised that any changes to PSB arrangements should avoid creating more bureaucracy, though he appeared to be open-minded on whether S4C/Welsh-language broadcasting should be devolved, saying that if it were, then similar statutory commitments to those currently used needed to be put in place.


Bethan Jenkins AM's (Plaid, South Wales West) response started with disappointment that responsibility for culture had been "demoted" to a deputy ministerial position, believing the role's importance meant it should've retained a full cabinet post. Plaid want broadcasting devolved, and she flagged up Silk II's recommendations on broadcasting, which includes some representation on BBC boards and contributions to S4C's finance.

Bethan believes the Assembly is better placed to understand the relevance of broadcasting to Wales, and that devolving broadcasting would have a "practical purpose" because Welsh broadcasting is "threatened by a number of factors" – like cuts to S4C by DCMS. She repeated what the Llywydd has said about a "democratic deficit" developing as a result of "insufficient outside scrutiny of the National Assembly and Welsh Government".

As UK radio broadcasters centralise and syndicate their programming from London for commercial reasons, this has impacted Welsh radio stations. Bethan said bodies like Ofcom should've done more to prevent "service downgrades" to Welsh radio, exemplifying the takeover of Real Radio by Global (there've been Competition Commission rulings on this too – more here – which would've also affected things, but Ofcom wouldn't really have been able to do anything about it).

She finished by saying Wales-produced programmes like Hinterland "shouldn't be a one-off" and programmes should be made across Wales to better reflect Welsh life.

Alun Davies AM (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) spoke well and at length raising many key points. He said since the last Ofcom review of PSB, we've seen digital switchover, and a "destructive response by the UK Government towards S4C" which he describes as, "the most ruthless bullying of a broadcaster I've witnessed in Western Europe in my life".

He made the key point that technology has undergone a transformation and the new media has grown, meaning people's viewing and consumption habits have changed. Despite this, he says "linear broadcasting" (fixed-schedule programming) remains "remarkably resilient" – though services like Netflix and Youtube will inevitably become more popular.

Alun said PSB is arguably of more importance to Wales than any other part of the UK due to the weak print media, poor communications between communities and dual-culture. He also said there's been "little appetite to create hyper-local services", but the opportunity remains there. He rounded up by saying we needed "visibility of Wales, and for Wales" that accurately reflects daily lives, more effective news coverage from all broadcasters and a "plurality of news voices".

Aled Roberts AM (Lib Dem, North Wales) said we needed "to raise awareness of Welsh issues", and to be able to do that there needed to be "constitutional change in BBC and Ofcom" to better reflect Wales. He also pointed out that in parts of South Clwyd and Wrexham, only English-based programming from Manchester and Birmingham was available since digital switchover, despite calls for improvements.

Aled reiterated concerns expressed earlier in the debate that the funding situation for S4C post-2016 hasn't been resolved by DCMS, though he believes the current funding arrangement (where S4C receives licence fee payments) was "a good compromise".

Ken Skates finished the debate by saying he hopes the Assembly, "can speak with one voice....on this crucially important area." He said linear broadcasting was here to stay, but a "generation gap was emerging in the way content is consumed", though he's keen for new media opportunities to deliver jobs and growth to Wales.

Any changes to S4C funding arrangements – including its devolution – will need to be conditional on "safeguards on continued overall funding". He said the Welsh Government doesn't believe the devolution of broadcasting would be sensible, but it doesn't mean PSBs should be exclusively accountable to the UK Government.

The unanswered question : "What is 'Welsh' public service broadcasting?"

No this isn't a jibe at AMs....
Shows like Sesame Street, and S4C's Cyw programmes probably
fills the PSB remit a hell of a lot better than most shows like Casualty.
(Pic : Globed)

What this debate lacked (though Alun Davies came closest), is a discussion on what PSB is, and what it should look like in the 21^st century. They focused too much on the broadcasters not the broadcasting.

The radio stations which were mentioned, like Real Radio, community radio etc. are independent commercial stations that are prey to market forces - they're not really PSBs despite (or in spite of, even) the licensing requirements set down by Ofcom.

Coincidentally, today marks the 40^th anniversary of the launch of Swansea Sound – the first Welsh commercial radio station – and there's a good article from Marc Webber on Click on Wales about this and the state of Welsh radio generally.

When it comes to television, despite mentions of Hinterland/Y Gwyll, Doctor Who and Sherlock during the debate, none of them qualify as PSB programming. They could all, very easily, be provided by commercial broadcasters like Sky or HBO. Shows like this are, ultimately, commercial shows that subsidise the real PSB output through merchandising and rights sales to foreign broadcasters.

Nobody mentioned children's programming, educational programmes, religious output, party political broadcasts, weather forecasts.... News or current affairs programmes barely got a mention - though you can see what I think of Question Time here.

It's the content that matters; not how many people consume it, its commercial appeal or what it does to "reflect Welsh life" (whatever that means in practice). It's not entirely about whether a channel is publicly-funded or its economic impact either.

It looks like AMs don't understand what PSB is. That's not a criticism, as it's becoming harder for anyone to define PSB as technology and consumption habits change.

A stopgap 21st century model for public service broadcasting is closer than you think.
In fact, it's probably staring at you right in the face. Now.
(Pic : spiceworks.com)

A universal definition would probably be "non-commercial broadcasting" in all accessible formats – stuff that caters for minority, educational or civic interests, and generally "has to" be broadcast because it can't be provided for-profit (as it wouldn't make any money). Hinterland would only qualify because it was originally made in Welsh. The English version is just a bog standard crime drama, which are ten a penny nowadays.

Do you want an example of a 21st Century model for public service broadcasting?

Me.

Laugh all you like, but - even if, unsurprisingly, there was no mention of internet-based PSB during the debate - a large chunk of the stuff here (as well as other blogs and sites like Click on Wales) easily falls under the definition of "public service broadcasting" whether AMs like it or not ("indifferent" being their more likely reaction)....and probably suits the PSB definition more so than Casualty and Doctor-bloody-Who. This post itself is an example.

I've done some work on the abacus, and based on going rates (~£275 per [average]1,000 words per post x 552 posts)....I work it out to be around £150,000 worth of PSB I've provided over the last three and a half years - pennies per click! Bargain!

I believe I'm due some backpay. I'm sure AMs will chip in to cover the costs, because they've been so enthusiastically supportive of my efforts; efforts which have garnered hundreds of thousands of clicks for independently-sourced articles educating and informing people - domestic and global audiences - about their service to Wales. Who do I send the bill to?

What's that? Blogging's not good enough for you, eh!? You're expecting me to do it for free?

It was all for nothing then. "Taken for granted" doesn't begin to describe it. Harrumph.

As I'm never going to see my internet money, it's worth seriously assessing what might happen next. It wouldn't surprise me if broadcasting is "administratively devolved" to Wales in the constitutional fallout resulting from the Scottish referendum result. By "administratively devolved" I mean some aspects like the BBC and S4C will be held to account in Cardiff and/or have specific Welsh representation (like a Welsh BBC Trust). That's a prospect AMs raised themselves.

Regulatory powers over broadcasting won't come. Every party except Plaid Cymru opposed full devolution of broadcasting during the Silk Commission, so there's little appetite for it politically.

I doubt this is the last we've heard of it though.