BBC Audience Council Wales audience outreach event with students at Coleg Menai-Llandrillo, Bangor, January 2015

This was one of a series of audience outreach activities undertaken by the BBC Audience Council Wales to gather the views of audiences regarding BBC Three so as to inform the Council’s advice to the Trust as it conducts a Public Value Test to consider the BBC Executive’s proposals to make BBC Three an on-line only service. The Council member present also sought the views of the students on the BBC’s radio stations, so as to inform its advice to the Trust on the Service Review of the BBC’s speech radio stations which is currently underway. There was 1 Audience Council Wales member present. The discussion took place in one group and there were around 15 students present with all but three of them being young women.

BBC Three

A significant proportion of those present were regular viewers of BBC Three with one participant speaking for many when he said “it is the only thing available on the BBC for younger people”. The implementation of the BBC’s plans to transfer BBC Three to the on-line sphere only was met with scepticism, with many of those present tending to view it’s output as a result of ‘channel hopping’. The channel was so popular that a number agreed that it should start at 1700 each day, rather than 1900. The most popular programme amongst those present was Family Guy. The channel’s 60 Second News programme was considered very worthwhile, and a great introduction to the day’s news headlines. Some also mentioned the worthwhile Factual programmes broadcast on BBC Three, which investigated important social issues such as drug use in a way which struck a chord with young people. 

Other TV output

When asked about their viewing, participants listed such programmes as Call the Midwife, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Miranda, Masterchef, Doctor Who, Silent Witness, EastEnders and Top Gear (“The challenges are great!”). A number of S4C’s programmes were also mentioned, including Pobol y Cwm, Gwlad yr Astra Gwyn and Gwaith Cartref, emphasising perhaps the importance of drama and comedy for young people. S4C’s sports output met with polarised responses with some participants welcoming the sports coverage while others were concerned that “when I turn to it, there only ever seems to be sports on it”.

There was a consensus that the BBC’s natural history programmes were invariably an ‘appointment to view’, and of the highest quality, as well as being attractive to every generation within a family.

Radio

None of the participants made any mention of their radio listening. 

On-line and on-demand

A number of those present mentioned the cross-platform nature of the BBC’s coverage of music festivals and said that this was very good, – on TV, radio and on-line – and being of a high quality. The coverage of 2014’s Glastonbury festival was singled out for particular praise.

A small number said that they had installed the BBC News app on their smartphones, and checked it regularly during the day. None of those present had as yet installed the Cymru Fyw BBC app.

The participants paid tribute to the usefulness of the BBC’s on-line Bitesize provision. However, it was widely considered to have been more useful to them in their school work than it was now that they had reached further education.

A key element of the BBC’s TV and Radio output was the absence of advertising, according to the young people present at this event.