Angela Graham argues that Welsh Government engagement with broadcasting will need to remain high on the agenda during 2012
In his evidence to the Assembly’s inquiry into the future of the media in Wales Hywel Wiliam, on behalf of the IWA’s media policy group, argued that the Welsh Government should get involved in broadcasting, even though it was not a devolved matter. As he put it, “We have substantial amounts to gain, both in cultural terms and in terms of economic development, by getting involved now.”
He was responding to Peter Black’s observation that AMs are “hitting a brick wall all the time” whenever they raise this potential role with Ministers. He said their response was, “It’s not a devolved issue – they’re happy to pass it on to UK government ministers.”
Referring to the IWA’s backing – in its written evidence – for the establishment of a working group to consider the feasibility of devolving some aspects of media policy, Peter Black observed “neither the Welsh nor UK governments are committed to that.” This is what prompted Hywel Wiliam’s trenchant observation.
His colleague Aled Eirug, also presenting evidence on behalf of the IWA, emphasised that
“Unless there’s a serious effort to create some locus for the Assembly and the Welsh Government on media issues Wales won’t be part of the debate and won’t be listened to. The S4C/BBC deal is a classic example of the way that’s happened, to Wales’s cost, and although the Welsh government hasn’t made a play for powers in this area because of the belief that it’s all or nothing in terms of devolving powers, it’s a much more complicated and sophisticated landscape than that and that’s why… there needs to be much more detailed work in relation to what might be appropriate to consider partly, if not fully devolving.”
Indeed, aspects of broadcasting are already devolved, to a limited extent, in some parts of the UK. For example, the Scottish Government funds the Gaelic Media Service, while the Northern Ireland Government has an Irish Language Broadcast Fund. So the principle is established that, where appropriate, the devolution of some areas of the media is not a threat to the retention of some UK-wide responsibilities.
Considerations around partly devolving media policy go hand in hand with tackling the crucial matter of how the media at present fall between the two stools of Economy and Heritage. Listening to the discussions in the evidence sessions of the Assembly’s Task and Finish Group, it was striking how often these two areas were mentioned as being ill-served by the present situation and how the media, in turn, get a raw deal in Wales. With media in the Heritage basket there is insufficient link-up with Economy to the detriment of both. Meanwhile, there is no adequate system for simply knowing what is going on in the media sector, let alone devising appropriate responses.
No one in these sessions underplayed the fast-moving complexity of the media scenario. The proposal for the creation of a Wales Media Commission which would monitor developments (suggested by the Welsh Government’s Broadcasting Advisory Group in 2008) must surely be high on the agenda. OFCOM’s annual Communications Market reports track the development of Wales’s digital media economy but a qualitative account is essential to sit alongside these quantitative summaries.
It is much more challenging to tackle quality than quantity. What is to be the measure? Who are to be the arbiters?
This is a challenge that cannot be shirked. Whether via a Media Commission or a body such as the IWA or an academy/industry partnership, a mechanism must be found and funded. It should be one that allows Wales to shape its own media landscape in a way that, while not undermining the interests of the UK, does not leave us at the mercy of decisions made without public debate or an intimate understanding of Welsh media preoccupations.
A recent example of locals knowing what needs to be known about the way the wind is blowing is the IWA’s enquiry to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act about services for audiences in the three devolved nations. The BBC’s initial response demonstrated how difficult it is to get relevant information that is consistent across the three nations. This is dealt with in detail in the IWA’s response to the BBC Trust public consultation on Delivering Quality First.
We can no longer afford to stand back on the fringes of a conversation, where others talk on our behalf about how we are to be allowed to speak to each other.
Let’s make a start by owning and governing our own internet top level domain(s) (e.g. .cymru) instead of handing it all over on a plate to an entity outside Wales. See http://www.dotcym.org/home/
Wales, and the others that make up the united Kingdom, have an effective mechanism to influence the media, the mechanism is public approval; a political mechanism is as welcome as a rattlesnake in a lucky dip.
The talent of Wales is creative enough to construct a future without political fingers in the pie, unless of course there is an agenda. Why not put it to the taxpayers, ask them if they want to give any more of their hard earned wages to support your proposal, the taxpayers not a carefully constructed “focus” group.
A ‘Welsh communications/media observatory’ should not be limited to media in the narrow sense of broadcasting as noted in this post, but be wide enough in its remit to include non-professional internet and other digital media which are a key part of the media ecology and the growing symbiotic relationship between tradtitional froms and user led participation/production. Gaming is a media form which we can’t continue to ignore and hyperlocal media cannot be shunned only because it doesn’t fit into the economic models. The online networks people use to distribute, produce and consume media cannot be taken out of this picture either. These forms of media are an integral part of Welsh people’s lives and need investigating *more* than television, radio and newspapers if anything. Measuring the health of media in Wales now also means measuring the level and value of media activity by non-professionals.
John Tyler misses the point. It is not about political involvement in the media. It is about ensuring that there is sufficient monitoring and analysis of what is happening in the media in Wales to inform public and politicians alike, and to make for decision making that is more attuned to public need in Wales. Rhodri ap Dyfrig makes a sound point about the need for anyone analysing the media in Wales to take in all communications media activity/consumption – though some might question his inclusion of gaming.
Hear hear Rhodri. ‘Media’ must not be limited to the narrow sense of broadcasting.
Alas we have missed the opportunity for such an observatory/commission/partnership to shape Wales’s online landscape by means of Welsh ownership of .cymru and .wales internet TLDs. The Welsh Government has/will allow for an individual company outside Wales to own our TLDs.
The good people at dotCYM have just posted a progress report at :
http://www.dotcym.org/home/?p=166
on their attempts and demands to the Welsh Government. We should all support and get behind dotCYM and question the Welsh Government’s motives and methods.