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Peter Hain encourages everyone to have their say on news broadcasting in Wales

28 Jan 2010 03:12 PM  Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain has welcomed the chance for people in Wales to to have their say on the future of local news broadcasting in Wales. The Independently Funded News Consortia (IFNC) Pilots Selection Panel have announced that they will be visiting Cardiff on Wednesday 3 February to hold a public meeting with the three bidders for the Wales pilot.  The three bidders are:
  • ITN with Newsquest, Northcliffe Media, Tindle, Boomerang and ITV Wales news staff;
  • Tinopolis;
  • UTV with NWN Media Ltd.

The public meeting will take place from 3-4pm at the Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AL.

Mr Hain said: “This public meeting is a great opportunity for everyone to have their say on the future of news broadcasting in Wales.  It is vital that we continue to have diversity and plurality in Wales which includes quality news broadcasting on channel 3 and a buoyant and sustainable Welsh print/multi-media sector.  I would encourage people to come along on the 3rd February and have their say.”

Richard Hooper, Chair of the IFNC Selection Panel has said that this meeting will be an opportunity for local people to have their say about local news on television, radio, local newspapers and the web.  He also wants local people to be able to question the bidders about their proposals to deliver a new innovative local and regional news service across multiple platforms in Wales.  

Notes:

 To attend the public meeting in Cardiff please RSVP to: ifncpilots@culture.gsi.gov.uk by midday on 2 February.  The Panel is keen to canvas views from as many people as possible, so if you are not able to make this date and would like to feed in your comments about the IFNC pilot in Wales or about the IFNC pilots more generally, then please send them to the same email address: ifncpilots@culture.gsi.gov.uk.

Further information about the IFNC Pilots and the Selection Panel is available on the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/6549.aspx .