Why the Welsh have vision over our media, but some of their politicians don't

The people have spoken.
Yet, like Cnut trying to turn the tide, some Cardiff Bay and Westminster politicians still believe the great unwashed (AKA the Welsh voters) are still wrong to want the Welsh to regulate Welsh media.

I'm surprised some of them are not claiming a statistical error in the Silk Commission survey as a reason why Welsh people apparently want a devolution of Welsh media regulation. 

By the way, these are the same politicians that bemoan the "democratic deficit" in coverage of Welsh politics and hold worthy seminars about how it might be resolved, without resolving it. 

The answer to that problem is simple -if you want a voice, do want you can to make it heard. That is what the Welsh people want. They want regulation of our media devolved to Cardiff Bay because Westminster does not understand that Wales has different needs. 

If broadcasting regulation was devolved to Cardiff Bay, there would be far more local news and Welsh voices on local radio, as opposed to vast parts of our independent radio being run from a networked computer in London. 

If broadcasting regulation was devolved, the talented people that exist in ITV Wales would have more freedom and encouragement to produce more shows about Wales for Wales (and beyond). 

If broadband strategy was devolved to Wales, we would have one body working together to give the best hi-speed Internet for all in Wales -not the hotchpotch of different bodies and agencies that currently exist in Cardiff and London that are achieving precious little to resolve the problem. 

The Silk Commission survey shows the electorate are very clear what they want out of devolution. They are not afraid of asking for what's best for them. They have vision. 

With the growth of the web and mobile, Welsh people are finding their voice. 

Any Cardiff Bay politician that ignores them does so at their peril come 2016.

Let's create a Media Dinas in Cardiff to beat Salford

Now that the BBC have put the For Sale sign up over its Llandaff HQ, can I urge us Welsh media types to engage in something we are not renowned for -serious joined-up thinking?

Because today's news isn't just another BBC property sale -it is the key to unlocking the vast potential of all our creative industries by building a shared space which could rival Salford's Media City.

If all the creative industries in Cardiff worked together to move to one place -there is absolutely no reason why this could not happen.

It's great to hear that BBC Wales are already working with the Welsh Government and S4C to try and find a common location for their media services, but other people need to join the party too. ITV Wales need to be part of this as does Nation Radio. The Cardiff indies like Boomerang, Green Bay etc etc should also be part of this new space, and there should be incentives created for digital start-ups to be able to afford cheap incubator units there.

Indie companies based in other parts of Wales should be given free or cheap office space so they can be a part of the conversations there too. And what better home for Cardiff's new local TV channel?

As John Lennon once said, maybe I'm a dreamer...but I'm not the only one.

My dream here is that Wales can steal the mantle of the UK's new Media City if those with the power work together to build a zone of major media significance in Cardiff.

The reality is that - even in these hi-tech days of tele-working - businesses of a similar kind do better when they are located close to similar/rival businesses.

Cardiff has the constituent parts of being a major media city - but it needs to bring them together as the sum will always be greater than the parts. And the BBC's announcement can be the firing of the gun to reach that goal.

Here endeth the Lesson!

(PS - I haven't thought too much about a geographical location for a new Media City in Cardiff - but the smart money I suppose would be on the Bay. However, the Central Cardiff redevelopment by the train station would also be a great place.)

North Wales businesses are Real losers according to Competition Commission

Businesses in North Wales will end up paying a higher price for their advertising if Heart FM owners Global are allowed to buy Real Radio.

Not my words...but the initial findings of a Competition Commission inquiry into the proposed merger.

The body charged with competition issues uttered some damning words in its preliminary statement on the issue -

"The advertisers most likely to lose out from this deal are those who do not use national media agencies, and so includes smaller and medium-sized companies. These advertisers rely on the presence of competing commercial stations in order to negotiate a good deal."

The Competition Commission has identified seven areas where they are concerned the ownership of all of the local stations by one group raises significant concerns -two of those areas are Cardiff and North Wales.

The Competition Commission now want to hear from businesses and politicians in those areas on their thoughts.

To see what the report says and how to comment on it, click here
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/assets/competitioncommission/docs/2012/global-radio-gmg/summary_of_pfs.pdf

To see what remedies they suggest and to comment on them, click here
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/assets/competitioncommission/docs/2012/global-radio-gmg/remedies_notice.pdf

The internet isn't part of the High Street's problem..it's part of its solution

This week we have seen the holy trinity of shop closures on our High Street.
Jessops was the first to fall by the wayside, then HMV, now Blockbuster is in administration. It really is a case of "will the last person to leave the high street please turn off the lights!"
One thing is certain. Every time a high street store closes, people instantly start pointing fingers at those nasty old Internet companies. Undercutting on price, offering home delivery and robbing those poor little indefensible high street shops of trade that is 'rightfully' theirs.
But maybe we should start looking at the 'demon' internet as the SOLUTION to filling those vacant shops on the high street not as the cause of the problem?
After all, it is not technology's fault that consumers choose to shop where it is cheaper or more convenient. The trend we are seeing today was only replicated 20 years ago, when out of town supermarkets sucked the life out of the High Street. You could even go back over a hundred years, when handcart market traders were put out of work because shops were setting up on the High Streets where everyone chose to gather on a market day. Location change is nothing new to retail.
However, all these shops closing down does leave an expanding void and slowly chips away at the sense of community a High Street brings - leaving little behind bar charity shops, betting shops and pubs. By the way, I don't criticise bookies or charities for occupying that empty space -at least someone is filling them up and I believe that they could both play a role in keeping High Streets presentable and restoring a sense of community to them.
And there in lies my point. We have forgotten that the most important thing a High Street can be is a focal point for a community - not a harem of retail choice. A choice of shops does not make a community, but a place to meet, talk and share does.
And this is where -if the right people got their heads together on this - the internet could actually create that High Street community again, rather than be seen as the destroyer of it.
So, this is what I would do. When a shop closes down in the High Street, the council or town centre body (traders group) should take it over and turn it into a communications, conversation and collections centre.
Turn that empty shop into a place where people can come and pick up an order they have made on Amazon or Argos online or A N Other e-tailer. Put computers in there so those that cannot afford broadband at home can come into their town centre and participate in the digital world on the same level playing field as those better off than them can at home.
Shove a few Wiis or Xboxes in there and hold virtual fitness sessions; let kids come and play X Box games in there after school (because that's what they are doing on their own at home). Let people watch DVDs they have rented online there with friends over coffee.
If you build it, they will come - and then they will pop over to the butcher or the baker before going home.
The 'traditional' retailers that have done well get this. Look at Argos with their 'order and collect' service. In fact, you could even fold the Post Office and Library services into this place - securing their future for much longer too.
So, the question I hear you all scream is 'all well and good, but who is paying for this?' Well, the very people that will benefit from it in terms of extra business!
A lot is made about Amazon's corporate tax arrangements. I think the UK public (and the Government) could be and should be more forgiving to them if they were to fund these High St centres for the next 20 years. I think the same could go for Starbucks and Google who would all benefit from this retained community on the High Street. 
So, instead of 'gurus' launching forlorn campaigns to persuade retailers back into vacant shops, and us spending time on hand-wringing over the power of the web as a destroyer of a community, let's use the internet community to put the heart back into our high streets.

Huw Edwards, an adult film star and Bjork -30 people 'made famous' by S4C

A momentous event happened last week, although if you lived outside Wales it would probably have passed you by. To be honest, it probably passed by a fair few people in Wales too.

But, the 30th birthday of S4C (or 'the Welsh Channel 4' as it is known to some) is one of the things Wales can -and should - be proud of. And here's why...

Below is a list of actors/musicians/presenters and other such 'talent' who either got their  UK TV break on S4C or appeared a lot on S4C. They have now gone on to bigger things.

The list will shock you. Yes, Bjork made her UK TV debut on an old S4C show called Fideo 9. But look beyond that bizarre moment and see the long list of Hollywood actors and award-winning animation that have been introduced to the world by a channel much pilloried for its farming shows and people talking in a funny language.

S4C has quietly given the world a lot of talent. Its failing is being too engrossed in the little battles within itself to tell the world that.

So, here's the list in no particular order (although Superted is my favourite, so we'll start with him). Short explainers are given to perhaps the less well-known names.

1. Superted 
2. Fireman Sam
3. Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower and Hollywood actor)
4. Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Twin Town etc etc etc)
5. Huw Edwards
6. Alex Jones  (One Show)
7. Sian Lloyd (ITV Weather presenter)
8. Wynne Evans (annoying singer on Go Compare ads)
9. Duffy (appeared on S4C singing talent show, Waw Ffactor)
10. Guto Harri (former Boris Johnson spin doctor; now Head of Comms at News Int)
11. Bjork (made first UK TV appearance in music show Ffideo 9)
12. Sara Elgan (ESPN Rugby reporter)
13. Gethin Jones (ex Blue Peter presenter)
14. Super Furry Animals
15. Cerys Matthews 
16. Huw Stephens (Radio 1 DJ) 
17. Bryn Terfel 
18. Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Skins actress)
19. Huw Garmon (lead in Heddwyn; went on to be in Cadfael)
20. Matt Johnson (This Morning/lottery presenter)
21. Rhodri Meilir (Alfie in BBC sitcom 'My Family')
22. Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones & E4's Misfits)
23. Rod Richards (Former Tory MP and Welsh Assembly member)
24. Kai Owen (Rhys Williams in Torchwood)
25. Steffan Rhodri (Dave from Dave's Coaches in Gavin and Stacey)
26. Daniel Evans
27.Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters)
28. John Hartson
29. Stiffyn Parri (Brookside actor and West End star)
30. Lorna Morgan (the Welsh adult film star!)

My Welsh Digital Hero No. 2 -Louvain Rees

A couple of weeks ago, I started a feature on this blog called Welsh Digital Heroes. The aim was quite simple, to highlight the lesser-known achievers in Wales who are getting things done in the digital world and are making all our lives better. These people deserve as much publicity as possible for what they are doing and I hope that, after reading about my second Welsh Digital Hero, you will agree and share this link and visit her fantastic stuff online and on Facebook.

So, my second hero is actually a heroine. Ironically, a heroine who is using future technology to make us more aware of our past.

Let me introduce you to Louvain Rees. She is bringing local history into the 21^st Century with her wonderful content on her Hello Historia blog and through her ‘Remembering Bridgend’ page on Facebook.

She is no full-time historian. Yet she has managed to do very cheaply online what some renowned historical institutions have failed to do with mega-budgets. She has engaged a totally new audience in the past stories of their town by doing simple things, finding great content that makes things personal to people and showing and sharing it in a highly simple way.

She has reinvigorated my passion for my home town and opened the eyes of people much younger than me to how Bridgend was. And, as a result, she is getting people who have seen what she is trying to achieve offering her pictures of Bridgend for free to share with everyone.

By the way, we are talking about someone here who is much younger than me. I never ask a lady her age…but if she is older than 23 I’ll eat my hat. She is passionate about local history and she is using her youth to make people of all ages realise that where we come from can be relevant and exciting in a digital world.

It’s quite clear she is not doing this work for financial gain. But just look at the Facebook profile or the blog and you see she is creating something of worth to the community and our nation’s history online. I would argue she is achieving more for preserving our heritage in a digital domain than some government-funded organisations.

The popularity of her work grows day by day and I think as many people as possible should know about what she is doing. So please, go to the REMEMBERING BRIDGEND page on Facebook or visit her blog HELLO HISTORIA and say hello to my latest Welsh Digital Hero.

I'm a Real loser...Welsh voices removed completely from Welsh radio station by new owners

As of next Monday, Wales' biggest commercial radio station will have NO Welsh presenters on it at all during the whole of its weekday output.
Real Radio's new owners, Global, have decided that from the 5th of November, all of its daytime output will come from Manchester -with presenters from there getting all the jobs.
The breakfast show will broadcast from Cardiff, but it is presented by two English presenters.
This means you will not hear a single presenter with a Welsh accent or a single presenter from Wales on Real Radio Wales in day.
Irish radio stations have Irish accents. Scots stations have Scottish presenters. Even English stations are mainly using English presenters.
Real will be the only local station in Britain not to employ presenters for the nation it broadcasts to.
Whilst the new owners have promised to safeguard local news output, the fact that people will not be able to hear presenters with their nation's accents on their nation's radio station is unbelievable.
What does that say to the next generation of wannabe Welsh presenters? How can they build careers if they can't even get a break on the radio station of their own nation?
This is not about petty nationalism. There should absolutely be a diversity of voices on any station. But to eradicate the Welsh voices on a WELSH radio station shows commercial naivety at best, or a total disrespect for the Welsh at worst.
It suggests our accent is not god enough to be on our national radio station.
It seems, as of Monday, Wales REAL-LY will lose its voice.