Y Byd ''(The World)'' was an attempt to launch the first
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
daily newspaper. It was scheduled to be published five days a week, from Monday to Friday, as of Monday 3 March 2008. However, on 15 February 2008, the proposed newspaper's owners, Dyddiol, abandoned the plans, citing 'insufficient' funding from the
Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
.
Publication was initially held up by the need to find sufficient subscribers, causing several delays to proposed launch dates. Prior to the cessation of its plans, £300,000 worth of subscriptions had been placed and staff were being employed. The company was hoping to attract 5,000 subscribers ahead of the planned launch. The paper was due to employ 24 people from headquarters in
Machynlleth
Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a pop ...
and receive funding from
Powys County Council
Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells.
History
The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...
.
The editor for ''Y Byd'' was due to be Aled Price, a former
BBC Cymru journalist, with Catrin Rogers, a local newspaper editor in London, deputising.
The paper would have cost
70p daily, with Friday's copy — which would have included a weekend supplement — retailing at £1.20.
''Y Byd'' abandoned
On 5 February 2008, the Welsh Assembly minister for the Welsh language, heritage and culture
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
's
Rhodri Glyn Thomas
Rhodri Glyn Thomas (born 11 April 1953) is a Welsh politician. He was the Plaid Cymru National Assembly for Wales Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr from 1999 to 2016, when he did not re-stand for election. Following his retirement from the ...
, announced a subsidy grant of £200,000 to Welsh-language newspapers and magazines every year for the next three years. However, the grant was considerably short of £600,000 (for the first year) hoped by the owners of Y Byd.
Prior to this announcement, a review into the Welsh-medium press by the
Welsh Language Board concluded that there was not enough evidence for a viable daily newspaper in the Welsh language.
On 15 February 2008, a statement by Dyddiol announced that plans for ''Y Byd'' had been abandoned. In the statement, Ned Thomas, the chairman of Dyddiol criticised the Assembly government for not meeting a pledge to expand funding and support for Welsh-language press. The editor of ''Y Byd'', Aled Price resigned following the funding announcement by
Rhodri Glyn Thomas
Rhodri Glyn Thomas (born 11 April 1953) is a Welsh politician. He was the Plaid Cymru National Assembly for Wales Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr from 1999 to 2016, when he did not re-stand for election. Following his retirement from the ...
.
The company is now said to be considering other options for Welsh-language press.
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See also
* List of newspapers in Wales
This is a list of newspapers in Wales. It includes historical and current titles. Free newspapers are marked with a *.
West Wales Chronicle
* '' The Aberdare Leader''
* '' The Aberdare Times''
* ''The Aberystwyth Observer''
* '' Aberystwyth Time ...
*List of Celtic-language media
The list below contains information on the different types of media available in the Celtic languages.
All languages
Only a handful of media contain all the Celtic languages. An example is ''Carn'' magazine, which has contained columns in all ...
* Lá Nua - Irish language daily, based in Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
(7,000 circulation)
References
External links
Y Byd website
Welsh language paper is unveiled
''BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
'', 20 June 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byd, Y
Newspapers published in Wales
Welsh-language newspapers
2006 establishments in Wales