Media in Wales
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The media in Wales provide services in both
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and Welsh, and play a role in modern Welsh culture. BBC Wales began broadcasting in 1923 have helped to promote a form of standardised spoken Welsh,Davies (2008) p. 87 and one historian has argued that the concept of
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
as a single national entity owes much to modern
broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...
. The national broadcasters are based in the capital,
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
.


Newspapers and news magazines


History of newspapers in Wales

The initial growth of newspaper publishing in Wales was slow in comparison to that of urban England, mainly due to distribution problems caused by poor transport networks and in particular rail links.Davies (2008) p. 615 It was further hindered by taxes on paper, advertising and the newspapers themselves. This changed in the early 19th century when Wales experienced sweeping social changes due to the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
. A rapid surge in population growth, along with the adoption of radacalist political views and the growth of Nonconformity saw the development of newspapers publishing in Wales. However the market for newspapers in Wales was much smaller than in England and was also to some extent split between two languages. The first weekly newspaper in Wales was ''
The Cambrian The Cambrian, a weekly newspaper started by George Haynes and L. W. Dillwyn in 1804, was the first newspaper published in Wales. Its original publisher was Thomas Jenkins. The full masthead proclaimed ''The Cambrian and Weekly General Advertise ...
'', published in 1804 and based in Swansea. Printed only in the English language, it was initially restricted to circulation in the southern towns of Wales, but over time its distribution increased, reaching not just South Wales, but also the
West of England West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan ...
, America, India and the British colonies. The newspaper mainly covered local and general news, but also advocated mining, agricultural, and commercial interests. The success of ''The Cambrian'' was followed by other weeklies, including the '' North Wales Gazette'' ( Bangor, 1808) and the ''
Carmarthen Journal The ''Carmarthen Journal'' is a newspaper founded in 1810 in Wales and now based in Carmarthen, the county town of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The building housing the ''Carmarthen Journal'' asserts that the ''Carmarthen Journal'' is the oldest newsp ...
'' (
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
, 1910). The first Welsh-language weekly, ''
Seren Gomer ''Seren Gomer'' was the first Welsh-language weekly newspaper. The first number was published in 1814 in Swansea by the local Baptist minister and writer Joseph Harris (Gomer). Publishing history The weekly was intended to cover news from the w ...
'', was founded by
Joseph Harris (Gomer) Joseph Harris (1773 – 10 August 1825) was a Welsh Baptist minister, author, and journal editor. A Welsh language poet, he took the Biblical name of Gomer as his bardic name. On 1 January 1814 he launched the first Welsh-language weekly ''Seren G ...
in Swansea in 1814. It covered national, foreign, political and religious news, and also included literary contributions from notable Welsh Nonconformists. Although it had a considerable circulation, the tax on paper made the ''Seren Gomer'' unviable, and it stopped after 85 issues. It was relaunched as a fortnightly in 1818 and then a monthly in 1820. Few newspapers were established in Wales in the 1820s and 1830s. Both the ''Cardiff Weekly Reporter'' and the ''Newport Review'' were launched in Cardiff in 1822, and in 1836 the Welsh-language weekly ''Cronicl yr Oes'' (''The Chronicle of the Age'') began distributing from
Mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...
in North Wales. 1836 also saw the printing of a West Wales paper, the ''Cambrian Gazette: Y Freinlen Gymroaidd'' ("The Welshmen's Charter"), based in Aberystwyth. All four were short lived. More successful papers from that period included the '' Monmouthshire Merlin'' (Newport, 1829–91) and ''
The Welshman ''Y Cymro – The Welshman'' is a named passenger train of the Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway running between and . ''The Welshman'' was a named passenger train of the London, Midland and Scottish Ra ...
'' (1832-1984). In 1843, '' Yr Amserau'' (''The Times''), which was to become the first successful Welsh-language newspaper, was launched. Established across the border in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
by Gwilym Hiraethog, it was later bought by
Thomas Gee Thomas Gee (24 January 181528 September 1898), was a Welsh Nonconformist preacher, journalist and publisher. Gee was born in Denbigh, Wales. At the age of fourteen he went into his father's printing office, Gwasg Gee, but continued to atte ...
of Denbigh in 1859 and amalgamated with ''Baner Cymru'' (''The Banner of Wales'') (1857) to form ''
Baner ac Amserau Cymru The ''Baner ac Amserau Cymru'' (established in 1857) was a weekly Welsh language newspaper, distributed throughout Wales and in the Liverpool area. It contained local and national news and information. It was formed by the amalgamation of ''Baner ...
''.Davies (2008) p. 616 This became a powerful influence on Welsh life, and through its most notable contributor John Griffith, writing under his pen name ''Y Gohebydd'' (The Correspondent), the paper would champion radical causes, including the defence of Nonconformist views. When stamp duty on newspapers was abolished in 1855, the effect was a rise in the number of publications, and most of the denominational papers in Wales originated around this period. The
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
''
Seren Cymru Seren Cymru was a Welsh language newspaper. It was first published in Carmarthen in 1851 by Samuel Evans, but failed. It was more successful when it was re-established in 1856, with J. Emlyn Jones as editor. It contained local, national, and int ...
'' (''Star of Wales'') launched in Carmarthen 1851, but had a short run followed by a more successful launch when it re-established in 1856. This was followed by the Congregationalists' '' Y Tyst Cymreig'' (''The Welsh Witness'') (1867), the Calvinistic Methodists' '' Y Goleuad'' (''The Illuminator'') (1869), the
Wesleyans Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
' '' Y Gwyliedydd'' (''The Sentinel'') (1877) and the Anglican '' Y Llan a'r Dywysogaeth'' (''The Parish and Principality'') (1881). These religious papers were published nationally and reported on home and wider British news, though they also gave leadership on political and social issues. Outside of Cardiff and Swansea, two other towns in the south Wales, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, developed as newspaper publishing hubs in the mid- to late 19th century. Josiah Thomas Jones of Aberdare launched both '' Y Gwron Cymreig'' ("The Welsh Hero", 1854–60) and '' The Aberdare Times'' (1861-1902), while David Williams (Alaw Goch), Abraham Mason and William Williams (Carw Goch) also of Aberdare, published ''
Y Gwladgarwr ''Y Gwladgarwr'' ("The Patriot") was a liberal Welsh language newspaper, established in 1858, published weekly in Aberdare by Abraham Mason, and distributed around the districts of South Wales. Devoted to Welsh literature, the paper provided poet ...
'' ("The Patriot", 1858–82). The most important of these newspapers was '' Tarian y Gweithiwr'' ("The Workers' Shield"), which had a strong Liberal-Labour bias and stood for workers' rights; this made it popular with the coal miners and tinplate workers of the region. Merthyr Tydfil in turn was home to ''
The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian ''The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian'' was a weekly English language newspaper, supportive of conservative politics, which circulated throughout Glamorganshire, Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales ...
'' (1832–74), '' The Merthyr Star'' (1859-1881), '' Y Fellten'' ("The Lightning Flash", 1868–76), and two Chartist publications '' The Workman'' and '' Udgorn Cymru'' ("The Trumpet of Wales"). In the north, Bangor and
Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...
rose as important print towns. The '' North Wales Gazette'' was first published in Bangor in 1808 before changing title to the ''
North Wales Chronicle ''The North Wales Chronicle'' is a weekly regional newspaper based in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, owned by NWN Media. News coverage is mainly concerning north Gwynedd, including the city of Bangor and town of Caernarfon, as well as the Isle of Angle ...
'' in 1827. In direct conflict was the '' Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald'', whose editorials were Liberal and Nonconformist, in contrast with the support of the ''Chronicle'' for
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
ism and the Established Church.


Modern national newspapers

Unlike
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, the Welsh national press is limited. The only English-language Wales-based national newspapers are the ''Western Mail'', produced by Reach plc and The National produced by Newsquest. The Western Mail's Sunday counterpart is the ''
Wales on Sunday Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 20 ...
''. One study in the 1990s found that the most widely read newspaper in Wales was '' The Sun''. Despite the popularity of London-based newspapers in Wales, most UK newspapers do not produce regional editions for the Welsh audience, although until 2003 ''The Mirror'' was branded as the ''Welsh Mirror''. Since the 1970s, there has been a decline in the number of Fleet Street newspaper journalists based in Wales; now all national UK newspapers rely on the Press Association reporter in Wales.


Modern regional newspapers


Daily newspapers

The most popular local newspapers in Wales, as of 2018, are the ''Daily Post'', the Swansea-based ''
South Wales Evening Post The ''South Wales Evening Post'' is a tabloid daily newspaper distributed in the South West region of Wales. The paper has three daily editions – Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire – and is published by Media Wales, part ...
'', the Cardiff-based ''
South Wales Echo The ''South Wales Echo'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area. It has a circulation of 7,573. Background The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, ...
'' and Western Mail, and the Newport-based ''
South Wales Argus The ''South Wales Argus'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Newport, South Wales. ''The Argus'' is distributed in Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, and Torfaen. History The paper was founded as the ''South Wales Arg ...
''. The
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
edition of the ''
Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the ti ...
'' is distributed in that region. The ''Evening Leader'' is the main evening newspaper for North East Wales.


Weekly newspapers

''
Y Cymro ''Y Cymro'' (, 'The Welshman') is a Welsh-language newspaper, which was first published in 1932. It was founded in Wrexham, and succeeded other newspapers of the same name that had existed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is Wales' ...
'' ("The Welshman", Welsh pronunciation: ™ ˈkÉ™mrÉ” was Wales' last Welsh language weekly newspaper, first published in 1932. By the time of its cessation in 2017 its sales had dwindled to around 2,000 copies. It now shares content through social media and has applied for funding from the
Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...
for the resumption of physical publication.


Literature


Publishers

There are a number of large, medium, and small sized publishing houses across Wales, however the industry has seen contraction in recent years. The Wales Books Council states that there are 109 publishers in Wales. Funding for literature in Wales is dominated by the
Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...
in Cardiff and
Literature Wales Literature Wales is the Welsh national literature promotion agency and society of writers, existing to promote Welsh-language and English-language literature in Wales. It offers bursaries for writing projects, runs literary events and lectures ...
in Aberystwyth. * Gomer Press is the largest and oldest publisher of English and Welsh language books in Wales, established in 1892. It is based in Llandysul, and publishes around 120 titles a year. In September 2019 it was announced Gomer would be closing their publishing arm to focus on printing. Its 55 employees will be retained but will no longer publish new titles, of which it produced 36 in 2018. It marks the end of 127 years of publishing. * Publish & Print are publishers based in
Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
, founded in 2014 by Welsh writer Dave Lewis. * Accent Press are publishers based in Mountain Ash and Cardiff, founded in 2003 by Hazel Cushion. *
Parthian Books Parthian Books is an independent publisher based in Cardigan, Wales. It was founded in 1993 by Lewis Davies and Gillian Griffiths. An editorially-led publishing house, Parthian publishes a range of contemporary fiction, poetry, non-fiction and d ...
are Cardigan based publishers established in 1994 by Richard Lewis Davies and Gillian Griffiths. * Seren are Bridgend based independent publishers established in 1988. They are a subsidiary of Poetry Wales Press Ltd. * Dref Wen are Cardiff based publishers established in 1998 specialising in children's books written in both English and Welsh. * Welsh Academic Press are a publishing house established in 1994 focused on historical and political non-fictio. Their imprint St David's Press focus on leisure, sport and history. * Crown House Publishing are a Carmarthen based publishing company established in 1998. They specialise in literature about education, coaching, NLP, hypnosis, self-help and personal development * Graffeg are publishers founded in 2003 by Peter Gill specialising in illustrated children's and non-fiction books. * Deadstar Publishing are graphic novel publishers based in Cardiff established in 2011. *
University of Wales Press The University of Wales Press ( cy, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru) was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. The press publishes academic journals and around seventy books a year in the English and Welsh languages on six genera ...
were established in 1922 and publish 50 to 70 new titles each year. Their work focuses on the humanities, arts, and social sciences.


Modern magazines

''Around Town'' is a free lifestyle and events magazine which publishes four variant editions that serve
Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...
, Cardiff, Swansea and Rhondda Cynon Taff. ''
Golwg ''Golwg'' (Welsh for "View", ) is a Welsh-language magazine established in 1988. The magazine is published by the company with the same name on a weekly basis. It covers current events and features and claims a circulation of 12,000 a month, the ...
'' ("View"; Welsh pronunciation: ˆÉ¡É”lÊŠk is a Welsh-language magazine established in 1988. It covers current events and features and claims a monthly circulation of 12,000, the largest circulation of any magazine in Wales. ''Cambria'', which referred to itself as the 'National Magazine of Wales', was first launched in 1997 and was published bi-monthly. A glossy publication covering the arts, current affairs, topical subjects, history and lifestyle, it was aimed at
ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...
readers. It faced closure in 2015 after losing its funding from the Welsh Books Council, but was temporarily saved after a newly formed company, MegaGroup Newspapers, bought a half share in the publication. It printed its final issue in 2016 and MegaGroup was made insolvent in 2017. ''Planet'', a bi-monthly magazine covering the arts, literature and politics in Wales and the wider world, is produced in Aberystwyth. Each edition features poems and short stories alongside cultural reviews and political analysis. A Welsh edition of the ''
Times Educational Supplement ''Tes'', formerly known as the ''Times Educational Supplement'', is a weekly UK publication aimed at education professionals. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in ''The Times'' newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 19 ...
'', called TES Cymru, dedicates a number of pages to Wales' devolved education system, with a reporter based in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. South Wales Media Ltd produce local community magazines in the Swansea & Neath Port Talbot counties. The Ponty Mag which covers Pontardawe, Clydach Mag covering Clydach, Swansea East Mag and SA4 Magazine. The also produce Swansea City FC fanzine Jack Swan magazine. Furthermore, Wales has a network of local Welsh-language newsletters. Known as '' papurau bro'' ("local papers"), they are produced by volunteers and generally published monthly, serving a
hyperlocal Hyperlocal is information oriented around a well-defined community with its primary focus directed toward the concerns of the population in that community. The term can be used as a noun in isolation or as a modifier of some other term (e.g. new ...
market. The first such publication was ''
Y Dinesydd ''Y Dinesydd'' (Welsh for ''The Citizen'') is a monthly local Welsh-language newspaper (normally called a '' papur bro'') for Cardiff, Wales, established in April 1973.
'' ("The Citizen"), established in Cardiff in April 1973. There are currently over 50 ''papurau bro'', produced throughout Wales.


Zines

There are a large number of specialist
zines A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very smal ...
produced in Wales, including ''Gagged!'' (the South Wales anarchist newsletter), ''The Free Flyer'' (the free paper for "
Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
, Builth,
Crickhowell Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on the River Usk, on the southern edge ...
,
Hay on Wye Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the t ...
,
Llandovery Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon. Hi ...
, Llandrindod, Llanwrtyd,
Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century parish church and ...
and
Rhayader Rhayader (; cy, Rhaeadr Gwy; ) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Radnorshire. The town is from the source of the River Wye on Plynlimon, the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains, and is locate ...
"), and the ''Cambrian Snooze'' newsletter in Aberystwyth.


Digital

For 2019–20 the
Welsh Government , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...
has allocated a £200,000 budget to stimulate and continue digital and hyperlocal journalism in Wales. Golwg360
In 2009 Golwg launched Golwg360, a news website offering daily Welsh and international news in the Welsh language. It was initially launched with £600,000 funding from the Welsh Government, and is currently funded through the
Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...
. Senedd Home
Blogger Owen Donovan operates an extensive network of blogs covering a range of hyperlocal and national events. Three blogs are published, namely Senedd Home (reporting on business of the Senedd and Welsh Government), State of Wales (about Welsh national issues and developments), and Oggy Bloggy Ogwr, which reports on Local Authority matters in Wales. Nation.Cymru
Nation.Cymru is a national English language news service established in 2017 by Bangor University journalism lecturer and former
Golwg ''Golwg'' (Welsh for "View", ) is a Welsh-language magazine established in 1988. The magazine is published by the company with the same name on a weekly basis. It covers current events and features and claims a circulation of 12,000 a month, the ...
editor Ifan Morgan Jones, alongside its current CEO Mark Mansfield. The service states it aims to address the absence of a national print media in Wales, and provide pan-Wales reporting to better inform Welsh people particularly about politics, the Welsh Parliament (Senedd), and the functioning of the devolved Government. It has an agreement with Owen Donovan of Senedd Home to report on stories related to Welsh parliamentary business. Sports media
Other websites in the sphere include sports pages Dai Sport and Y Clwb Pel Droed. Business media and hyperlocal reporting
Business news is dominated in Wales by Business News Wales, and hyperlocal sites operate such as Caerphilly Observer, Wrexham.com, Deeside.com, Cwmbran Life, The Bangor Aye, We Are Cardiff, Cardiff Directory Wales and My Cardiff North.


Broadcasting


History

At 5 pm on 13 February 1923, 5WA Cardiff, a forerunner of BBC Radio Wales, first broadcast from a music shop at 19 Castle Street in
Cardiff city centre Cardiff city centre ( cy, Canol Dinas Caerdydd) is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway s ...
. Later that evening Mostyn Thomas sang
Dafydd y Garreg Wen Dafydd y Garreg Wen is a traditional Welsh musical air and folk song. There is a tradition that the tune was composed by David Owen (1712–1741), a harpist and composer who lived near Porthmadog in Caernarfonshire. He was known locally as ''D ...
, which was 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 ...
song to be broadcast. A commemorative plaque records the event. However 5WA Cardiff ended on 28 May 1923.


Television


Public service television broadcasting

BBC Wales is based in Broadcasting House,
Llandaff Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
, northern
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, and provides BBC One Wales and BBC Two Wales television channels. BBC Wales produces the most-watched Welsh news programme ''
BBC Wales Today ''BBC Wales Today'' is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television ne ...
'', current affairs programme ''Week In Week Out'', sports coverage in '' Scrum V'' and ''Sport Wales'', science-fiction programmes including '' Doctor Who'' and ''
Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'', and factual programmes such as ''X-Ray''. S4C is the main Welsh-language station and has its headquarters in
Llanishen Llanishen (Welsh language, Welsh Llanisien ''llan'' church + ''Isien'' Saint Isan) is a district and Community (Wales), community in the north of Cardiff, Wales. Its population as of the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 17,417. Lla ...
, northern Cardiff. The channel features around 10 hours a week of programmes made in Welsh by BBC Wales, such as ''
Newyddion ''Newyddion S4C'' (''S4C News'') is a Welsh-language news programme consisting of Welsh, UK, and international news, produced daily by BBC Cymru Wales and broadcast on S4C. Overview The main evening programme (branded ) is broadcast each wee ...
'' (News) and ''
Pobol y Cwm ''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and l ...
'' (a long-running soap opera) as well as programmes made by independent production companies.


Commercial television broadcasting

ITV Wales ITV Cymru Wales, previously known as Harlech Television and HTV Wales, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchise for Wales. The new separate licence began on 1 January 2014, replacing the long-serving dual franchise region serving Wales and the Wes ...
is based in
Culverhouse Cross Culverhouse Cross ( cy, Croes Cwrlwys) is a district straddling the boundary between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the community of Wenvoe. The district is centred on a major traffic roundabout that links West Cardiff to the M4 mo ...
, western Cardiff and produces regional news and factual programmes such as '' Wales Tonight'', ''Wales This Week'', ''Sharp End'' and ''The Wales Show''. In 2012 Chancellor
George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...
invited new local television licence bids in order to establish stations akin to US decentralized affiliate broadcasters. Since introduction, there have been two dominant companies who operate the majority of local licenses in the UK, specifically
Local Television Limited Local TV Limited (formerly Made Television) is a local television network in the United Kingdom, operating eight stations serving the Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, North Wales, Teesside and Tyne and Wear areas. The stations a ...
, who run Cardiff TV and North Wales TV, and
That's TV That's TV is a national television network in the United Kingdom, broadcasting via Sky, Freesat and Freeview. That's TV started off as the owner of a number of local television licences in several conurbations, but even though regional news ...
, who run the That's Swansea Bay station.


Radio


Public service radio broadcasting

The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
runs two national radio stations,
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
in English and
BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online. The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...
in Welsh. A third national service is provided by Heart South Wales and Global Plc cut a significant amount of its local programing across the UK, specifically stations branded as Capital, Smooth, and Heart, as well as those produced under license for Communicorp (owner of the Capital South Wales brand). The result is that a majority of content on five of the top ten Welsh radio stations is now produced in London, with the exception of
Capital Cymru Capital Cymru is a local Welsh-language radio station owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts to Gwynedd and Anglesey from studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham via the Arfon transmitting station. Previously, the station formed part of th ...
who retained local programming in order to meet their Welsh language obligations. The industry monitor Rajar has recorded a subsequent fall in listenership of these deregulated stations, and an increase in listenership for Capital's commercial competitors, including
Nation Radio A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...
and Dragon Radio Wales.


See also

* BBC Wales Drama Village *
Mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit informati ...
*
Media in Cardiff As the capital of Wales, media in Cardiff plays a large role in the city and nationwide. Employment in the sector has grown significantly in recent years, and currently provides employment for 2.1% of the city's workforce – higher than the level ...
*
Media Wales Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...


References


Sources


Primary sources

* * * *


External links


ICWales.co.uk

NewsWales.co.uk
{{Europe topic, Media of