Why even bother with BBC or ITV Wales.

If you watched Television last night apart from S4C you would be hard pressed to have seen any programme about or relevant to Wales

 

You nay have recently seen Kate Humble  host of Off the Beaten Track - a documentary series filmed across Wales.

The show sees the popular presenter explore the Welsh countryside with her dog Teg,

But it could have been about anywhere in the UK 

As I have said all to often BBC Wales seems to more interested in claiming that programmes are "Made in Wales"  rather than produce anything "For Wales".

As for ITV Wales it apart from the news will be indistinguishable  from Yorkshire in the programme context.

 

 Movie star Rhys Ifans and singer Gwenno Saunders are among a string of Welsh artists and academics who are calling for broadcasting to be devolved.

A letter to Theresa May claims the system is "far too dependent" on the BBC, as others cut local programmes.
The situation was "not healthy for our local or Welsh democracy, nor for the flourishing of the Welsh language".
The UK government said it was right to retain responsibility for a sector with such economic and cultural importance.

How can the cultural importance of broadcasting not be passed down to those who live there,

Already S4C is experiencing a death of a thousand cuts, and memories  of a film like Hedd Wyn being anointed for an Oscar are fading.

Today we are expected to celebrate "Sherlock" or "Dr Who" winning a Bafta as a victory for Welsh broadcasting.

I have this image that when Russell T Davies  the reaction was  "At last we can stop mentioming Cardiff all the time".

Actress Sharon Morgan, musician Euros Childs of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci fame, ex-Plaid Cymru leader Lord Wigley and the children's poet of Wales Casia William were also among more than 40 prominent figures who signed the letter.

"We believe that we need many more opportunities for us in Wales as a nation, as a people, to speak to each other, to have discussions and to debate: discussions which are inclusive of the whole diversity of Welsh experience and placed in the context of our history as a nation," the letter said.
"At present, those opportunities are very limited because powers over broadcasting are retained by Westminster.
"There is a lack of media scrutiny of every level of government in Wales: the current system is failing and is far too dependent on one broadcaster.
"The present situation is not healthy for our local or Welsh democracy, nor for the flourishing of the Welsh language.
"We are concerned by the significant fall in the number of broadcasting hours from ITV Wales over the last twenty years, as well as the 36% cut to the budget of S4C since 2010 and the present uncertainty about its financial situation.
"Furthermore, we are concerned by the drop in local and Welsh language provision by commercial radio and the very fragile provision of local and Welsh language content by local television stations."

We also have learned that  the new owners of Swansea's local TV station have been urged not to cut staff or reduce programming.

Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Jenkins called for Bay TV's new owners to "abide" by licence commitments that mean it must show 20 hours of new programmes a week.
The UK's largest operator of local TV channels, That's TV, bought the channel from the previous owners in December.
The BBC understands it has asked regulator Ofcom to reduce the number of programmes it must produce in Swansea.
Under its current licence agreement, Bay TV is required to provide 20 hours of local programming a week which is due to rise to 25 hours in its third year of broadcasting.
That's TV has not responded to requests for comment.
Ms Jenkins, chairwoman of the Welsh assembly's communications committee, said: 

"If you are going to get a big company buying out these local TV networks we need to ensure, if there are obligations to provide local news and local interest programmes, that it stays at the level that it is at now.
"We don't want to see a diminishing of that at all."

This is of course what happened to HTV Wales  which was a mirror of the above but even in its heyday HTV was part of the  Wales and West of England licence and programmes for Wales were few and far between.

I am not arguing that Politicians should determine Programme content but surly we need to see that all of Wales can see quality programmes "Made in Wales" are about and for Wales>