BBC Trust

BBC One was the most mentioned TV channel at the event, with some even questioning whether the BBC needed all the channels - BBC One to BBC Four. Others however appreciated the range,  recognised that the different channels catered for audiences of a different age, and recognised that it was important for the BBC to do this. There was only one dedicated BBC Three viewer at the event, but other participants recognised its value and said they had watched some content on BBC Three, when a particular programme had caught their eye while channel surfing. There were other participants who were strong fans of BBC Four with one saying “it’s really excellent – I can just watch it all evening”.

Variety was the strength of the BBC’s TV output, with several participants expressing the view that there was something for everyone – with Question Time as well as programmes such as Great British Bake Off and Countryfile being mentioned. The latter was however criticised for presented “too townie a perspective on rural issues”, with Welsh language output on Radio Cymru and S4C being considered a far more authentic portrayal of rural life. One contributor expressed his dislike for “trivial stuff like Cash in the Attic, Bargain Hunt and Strictly Come Dancing”. Question Time was criticised for “not using a local audience when the programme was broadcast from Aberystwyth – “I hardly knew anyone in the audience, whereas when Pawb a’i Farn was broadcast from Pontrhydfendigiad, I knew everyone in the audience.”

There were a number of participants who watched daytime TV, with programmes like Heir Hunters, Homes under the Hammer and Escape to the Country popular with some participants, though there was some concern about the lack of choice of programming during the day.

CBeebies and CBBC were appreciated – particularly amongst those participants who were parents or grandparents – with Mr Tumble eliciting particular praise for featuring children with physical or learning difficulties.

Several participants expressed their desire for a BBC One +1 service. Sport was a divisive topic, with some participants of the view that the BBC should do more to win sports broadcasting rights. Others were of the view that there was far too much sport on TV already. There was a consensus however that the BBC’s coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games had been excellent.

Drama was greatly appreciated, with period dramas specifically mentioned. One participant expressed the desire for more period drama. Music – such as the BBC’s coverage of the Glastonbury festival and S4C’s concerts from the National Eisteddfod – was greatly appreciated by many of the participants. Factual programmes were widely appreciated, with The Story of Wales, broadcast on both BBC Wales and BBC Network, being hugely appreciated, though there was a perception amongst participants that on the whole Wales was not portrayed extensively on Network TV.

iPlayer was a popular means of catching up on missed viewing amongst some participants, though the point was made that infrastructure issues – specifically slow broadband speed in much of the area – was a severe limitation on being able to use the BBC’s on-line services, and in particular the iPlayer.

There was widespread recognition that BBC News was amongst the most accurate and impartial news services, and Network News was extensively used by participants. Most participants said that BBC TV and Radio News bulletins were their primary source of news, though some participants said they also watched Channel 4 news and one said that he sometimes watched Sky News.

A frequent comment from a significant number of participants was that Network News seemed blind to devolution with the only lasting legacy of the King report being that stories were flagged as being ‘for England’ but little or no comparison of policies or situations across the different nations of the UK. Coverage of news stories in Wales on Network News was considered poor, with the situation in the other Celtic nations – Scotland in particular – being only marginally better. Participants felt that BBC News was failing in its citizenship duty in not covering matters such as health and education in Wales in its Network News output. The frustration felt at this situation was summed up perhaps in the words of one participant who said “a snowflake falls in London and the world’s end is nigh!”

The England-centricity was felt to be particularly prevalent in relation to sports news, with several participants complaining that they felt that there was an “actively racist” approach discernible in the BBC’s Sports News. Participants gave examples, including Radio 5 Live’s SportWeek which in relation to rugby “concentrated exclusively on the England rugby team, giving no attention at all to rugby players in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland”. One participant had complained on several occasions about this but had received what he considered to be patronising and dismissive responses. Some participants also felt that BBC News gave little or no attention to women’s sports in its news output.

There was a perception too that this was evident in relation to cultural events – with the National Eisteddfod seen as a prime example – Europe’s largest peripatetic arts and cultural festival and never mentioned on the BBC’s Network News output.

The balance between domestic and international news on BBC Network News was considered to be appropriate by most participants.

Social Media – and Twitter in particular – was used by several participants to keep up with news developments during the day and the links used to access stories on the BBC News website. The BBC News website was considered by many participants to be an exceptionally useful resource.

Concern was expressed by some participants at the ‘childish way’ graphics were used to present statistical information – “school stats are always presented in a graphic of a blackboard” – and some participants felt that they were overused. One participant felt that this was indicative of a general trend towards ‘lighter’ news and he expressed the view that he felt some news items failed to “get to the nub of the issue”.

The usefulness of the 6, and 10 o’clock news bulletins was a matter of debate, with some participants of the view that the hourly news bulletins on the radio during the day were enough to keep them informed about the news, while other considered the longer Network TV and radio bulletins useful.

Reception was an issue for some participants with some complaining that DAB reception was patchy, though FM reception was generally good. Several participants listened to the radio via their TV for reception related reasons. Some of those who could use DAB said they appreciated BBC 6 Music. Radio 4 was also appreciated by some participants, though the point was also made that it was impossible to listen to it all day, since its approach was so English rather than British.

Broadband speed was generally poor, which had an impact on the accessibility of BBC on-line services. However, several participants said they would visit the local BBC website before turning to the Wales and UK sites.

The majority of participants were Welsh speakers and there was a widespread appreciation of the BBC’s Welsh language content on Radio Cymru, on-line and on TV, with several making reference to Pobol y Cwm. BBC’s Newyddion broadcast on S4C was also considered popular and was considered to be more relevant to Welsh speaking Wales than BBC Wales’ Wales Today programme. There was a strong anticipation amongst a number of participants of an increased number of Welsh language programmes on the BBC iPlayer from 2014 onwards, and the hope expressed that BBC Cymru Wales content would soon be available for streaming through the BBC iPlayer. Participants warmly welcomed the co-commissioning of programmes by S4C and the BBC with Y Gwyll-Hinterland being strongly anticipated.

There was a consensus that the licence fee was very good value and an appreciation that it funded far more than just the BBC’s TV services. However, some participants expressed the view that there was a paucity of English language content about Wales on BBC Cymru Wales television. Others expressed their appreciation of BBC Wales programmes such as Rhod Gilbert’s work experience which they considered amusing and entertaining as well as fresh and new.