BBC Trust

There were some Radio Wales and Radio Cymru listeners amongst those present, and the point was made more than once that both stations were hampered to some extent by the breadth of content expected of them as the national radio stations of Wales in English and Welsh. It was particularly felt by some that “Radio Cymru could do with a second Welsh language station”. However, Radio Cymru was praised for the breadth of its news coverage which was considered broader than Radio Wales’s news coverage of by some participants. The view was also expressed by some that the stations were stymied to some extent by being “neither properly national nor sufficiently local” and this was a particular issue, according to some participants, in the north-east corner of Wales, since a number of large cities, such as Manchester and Liverpool, were close by and were natural foci of activities for many residents in the area. As one person put it “We need a national brand to bind us as a country, but also need to see local interests reflected”.  News, travel and weather information was particularly appreciated. Some participants also made reference to the long disappeared “Radio Clwyd”, the Radio Wales opt-out service which had been on air many years ago, and expressed the view that this particular service had been great in terms of fulfilling the particular needs of the residents of north-east Wales.

In terms of BBC Network radio stations, Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live were all mentioned, with music being the big attraction of Radio 1,2 and 3 and the speech content and sports coverage being the main attractions of Radio 4 and 5 Live respectively. The BBC World Service was also popular listening amongst some participants, both in terms of regular listening while they were at home and while travelling abroad. As one participant put it “it is a real source of good and spreads knowledge and news with real integrity across the world”.

A number of participants said they scheduled their listening to be able to hear music from specific eras, with Radio 2’s Sounds of the Sixties being a popular choice for some. Radio 3’s coverage of the Proms concerts had been particularly appreciated by some of those present and some felt that the musical coverage during the Christmas season was also noteworthy and of a high quality.

While many praised the range and quality of music played by BBC Radio stations (with coverage of festivals – from Glastonbury to the National Eisteddfod – particularly appreciated) it was felt that more attention could be given to the “local music scene” in various parts of Wales. As one contributor put it “I never hear about local music, and I know that the music scene in Cardiff, for example, is absolutely fantastic”. Other participants expressed the view that they “were too old for Radio 1, but too young for Radio 2” and criticised the “repetitive” nature of the playlists on the BBC Network’s popular music stations.

Radio reception issues were raised by a number of those present, with breaks in coverage an all too frequent occurrence while travelling by car according to some participants. Another person said “When I step into my Nana’s house, all signal dies – no signal at all”. There were few references to DAB radio or digital only radio stations, though one participant said that he enjoyed listening to BBC Radio 6 Music at the weekends, because of the quality of the music played.

The role of radio in terms of developing talent was also praised, with “risk taking radio” welcomed – particularly in the sphere of comedy – “without taking risks you get nothing new” - and some of those present felt that the BBC had lost the lead in this context, with Channel 4 being praised for taking risks with such programmes as The Last Leg.

There was a wide variety in the level of TV viewed amongst participants, with the younger people present claiming to watch very little TV, while the older ones perhaps watching more. However, drama was an important genre for all viewers with Doctor Who, Sherlock, Luther and Happy Valley specifically mentioned. Continuing drama such as Casualty was also enjoyed by some of those present.

Factual programming was also important with natural history programmes by the BBC considered “spectacularly good”. These were also appreciated as bringing together the three key elements in the BBC’s provision – to inform, educate and entertain. As one participant put it “inform, educate and entertain are not three separate things – they all need to go together – and programmes like Who do you think you are? encompass all three principles” and history programmes more widely were also considered to be a successful staple of the BBC’s provision. Another participant said “Yes, the BBC does need to produce TV programmes that no-one else does, but it’s absolutely essential that they retain the vision of educating, informing and entertaining their audiences”. More frequent magazine programmes were also appreciated with The One Show mentioned. A number of those present also said that they enjoyed Songs of Praise.

Coverage of live events was also appreciated, with the BBC’s multi-platform provision from the National Eisteddfod appreciated by a number of those present, and BBC Four’s music-related documentaries

A key issue was the matter of portrayal of Wales and its people which it was felt was lacking in the BBC’s TV output and on the rare occasions it did occur, was felt too often to be stereotypical. A number of participants felt that this was a matter that should be addressed with some urgency. The portrayal of north-east Wales was felt to be particularly poor. However, there was appreciation of BBC Wales’ programming, despite many of those present tuning in to BBC north-west of England content, as a result of reception issues.

BBC Three was discussed, since participants were aware of the BBC’s proposals that is should become an on-line only service. Some participants said that they usually watched the BBC’s visual content on-line in any event and so the change would make little impact on them. Others felt that it would be a retrograde step since they preferred to watch content on their TV screen. As one participant put it, “I can watch stuff on the tablet, but it’s annoying rather than pleasurable.”

Sports coverage was considered an important part of the BBC’s output, with rugby and particularly football very important indeed for many participants. As one person put it “I never miss Match of the Day”.

CBBC was praised for its children’s programmes and many participants felt it provided a very worthwhile service for younger viewers.

The BBC News’ national, Network and international services were considered very trustworthy and the first choice for many of those present, with the TV being the main way in which it was accessed by the older participants present. Younger people present tended to access news via the BBC News app, via Facebook (with friend recommendations of news stories being a key source) or through the BBC News website.

Radio 4’s Today programme, and Jeremy Vine’s discussion programme on Radio 2 were praised – though a view expressed by some that the discussion topics on the latter were simply too superficial on occasions. The view that some news items were too superficial was also expressed regarding BBC News more generally. As one participant put it “who cares how much a particular footballer is paid”.

While BBC Wales Today was a popular viewing choice for many participants, the reception issues referred to above meant that some of those present watched the local north-west of England opt-out service. However, it was recognised that BBC Wales had an important role in informing Wales’ citizens about issues relating to them, and an awareness that the demographic profile of Wales meant that south-east Wales had the greatest population density and so was likely to generate more news stories. There was a perception too that BBC Breakfast had improved since being presented from Salford, and wasn’t as ‘metropolitan’ in its outlook since this had occurred. 

When asked about other sources of news, a number of those present mentioned the Wrexham Leader Live website as a source of local news for them, though very few of the participants bought local or Fleet Street newspapers.

In the international context, some of those present felt that there was a paucity of coverage from some parts of the world, with areas of Asia, such as South Korea, specifically mentioned.

The BBC iPlayer was a very popular means of accessing BBC content amongst the younger people present, with one or two saying that this was the main way in which they accessed TV programmes.

The BBC website was also a significant source of news and information for many of those present with one person, speaking on behalf of many when she said “The BBC homepage, is the homepage on my computer’s web-browser”. A number also said that they used the BBC News app, which was praised for providing the key points of news stories, though some felt that on occasion, it would be helpful if the app could provide greater depth.

BBC on-line was also recognised a valuable learning resource.

There was a very strong perception that the BBC truly did strive to ‘make the good popular and the popular good’ and that in doing so, it had a crucial role to play both in the national life of Wales, and in that of the wider UK. The Licence Fee was on the whole considered good value for money, and the perception of its value for money or otherwise was primarily linked to the extent the individuals present accessed the BBC’s services. As one participant put it “The BBC is like the NHS – it is always there for you, a national public service, and what you pay is excellent value compared to Sky.”