Media of Wales
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Culture of Wales |
---|
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The media in Wales provide services in both
Newspapers and news magazines
History of newspapers in Wales
The initial growth of newspaper publishing in Wales was slow in comparison to that of urban England, mainly due to distribution problems caused by poor transport networks and in particular rail links.
The first weekly newspaper in Wales was The Cambrian, published in 1804 and based in Swansea.[4] Printed only in the English language, it was initially restricted to circulation in the southern towns of Wales, but over time its distribution increased, reaching not just South Wales, but also the West of England, America, India and the British colonies.[3][4] The newspaper mainly covered local and general news, but also advocated mining, agricultural, and commercial interests.[4] The success of The Cambrian was followed by other weeklies, including the North Wales Gazette (Bangor, 1808) and the Carmarthen Journal (Carmarthen, 1910).[3] The first Welsh-language weekly, Seren Gomer, was founded by Joseph Harris (Gomer) in Swansea in 1814.[3][5] It covered national, foreign, political and religious news, and also included literary contributions from notable Welsh Nonconformists.[5] Although it had a considerable circulation, the tax on paper made the Seren Gomer unviable, and it stopped after 85 issues.[3] It was relaunched as a fortnightly in 1818 and then a monthly in 1820.[3]
Few newspapers were established in Wales in the 1820s and 1830s. Both the Cardiff Weekly Reporter and the Newport Review were launched in Cardiff in 1822, and in 1836 the Welsh-language weekly Cronicl yr Oes (The Chronicle of the Age) began distributing from
When
Outside of Cardiff and Swansea, two other towns in the south Wales, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, developed as newspaper publishing hubs in the mid- to late 19th century. Josiah Thomas Jones of Aberdare launched both Y Gwron Cymreig ("The Welsh Hero", 1854–60) and The Aberdare Times (1861-1902), while David Williams (Alaw Goch), Abraham Mason and William Williams (Carw Goch) also of Aberdare, published Y Gwladgarwr ("The Patriot", 1858–82).[7][8] The most important of these newspapers was Tarian y Gweithiwr ("The Workers' Shield"), which had a strong Liberal-Labour bias and stood for workers' rights; this made it popular with the coal miners and tinplate workers of the region.[7][9] Merthyr Tydfil in turn was home to The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian (1832–74), The Merthyr Star (1859-1881), Y Fellten ("The Lightning Flash", 1868–76), and two Chartist publications The Workman and Udgorn Cymru ("The Trumpet of Wales").[7]
In the north, Bangor and Caernarfon rose as important print towns. The North Wales Gazette was first published in Bangor in 1808 before changing title to the North Wales Chronicle in 1827. In direct conflict was the Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald, whose editorials were Liberal and Nonconformist, in contrast with the support of the Chronicle for Toryism and the Established Church.[7]
Modern national newspapers
Unlike
Rank | Newspaper | Circulation (2019) better source needed ]
|
---|---|---|
1 | The Western Mail | 12,000 |
One study in the 1990s found that the most widely read newspaper in Wales was
Modern regional newspapers
Daily newspapers
The most popular local newspapers in Wales, as of 2018, are the Daily Post, the Swansea-based South Wales Evening Post, the Cardiff-based South Wales Echo and Western Mail, and the Newport-based South Wales Argus.[14] The North Wales edition of the Liverpool Daily Post is distributed in that region.[14] The Evening Leader is the main evening newspaper for North East Wales.[citation needed]
Rank | Newspaper | Circulation (2019) better source needed ]
|
Region population
|
Reach percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daily Post | 18,007 | 687,937 | 2.62% |
2 | South Wales Evening Post | 16,000 | 573,600 | 2.79% |
3 | The Western Mail | 12,000 | 1,481,570 | 0.8% |
4 | South Wales Echo | 12,000 | 1,481,570 | 0.8% |
5 | South Wales Argus | 9,000 | 337,400 | 2.67% |
Weekly newspapers
Rank | Newspaper |
---|---|
1 | Western Telegraph |
2 | Wales on Sunday
|
3 | Carmarthen Journal |
4 | Llanelli Star |
5 | Glamorgan Gazette |
6 | Tivyside Advertiser |
7 | Cynon Valley Leader |
8 | North Wales Weekly News |
9 | South Wales Guardian |
10 | Monmouth Free Press |
11 | Caernarfon & Denbigh Herald
|
12 | Barry & District |
13 | Merthyr Express |
14 | Rhondda Leader |
15 | Pontypridd Observer |
16 | Gwent Gazette |
17 | Abergavenny Chronicle |
Literature
Publishers
There are a number of large, medium, and small sized publishing houses across Wales, however the industry has seen contraction in recent years. The Wales Books Council states that there are 109 publishers in Wales. Funding for literature in Wales is dominated by the
- Gomer Press is the largest and oldest publisher of English and Welsh language books in Wales, established in 1892. It is based in Llandysul, and publishes around 120 titles a year. In September 2019 it was announced Gomer would be closing their publishing arm to focus on printing. Its 55 employees will be retained but will no longer publish new titles, of which it produced 36 in 2018. It marks the end of 127 years of publishing.[17]
- Publish & Print are publishers based in Pontypridd, founded in 2014 by Welsh writer Dave Lewis.
- Accent Press are publishers based in Mountain Ash and Cardiff, founded in 2003 by Hazel Cushion.
- Parthian Books are Cardigan based publishers established in 1994 by Richard Lewis Davies and Gillian Griffiths.
- Seren are Bridgend based independent publishers established in 1988. They are a subsidiary of Poetry Wales Press Ltd.
- Dref Wen are Cardiff based publishers established in 1998 specialising in children's books written in both English and Welsh.
- Welsh Academic Press are a publishing house established in 1994 focused on historical and political non-fictio. Their imprint St David's Press focus on leisure, sport and history.
- Crown House Publishing are a Carmarthen based publishing company established in 1998. They specialise in literature about education, coaching, NLP, hypnosis, self-help and personal development
- Graffeg are publishers founded in 2003 by Peter Gill specialising in illustrated children's and non-fiction books.
- Deadstar Publishing are graphic novel publishers based in Cardiff established in 2011.
- University of Wales Press were established in 1922 and publish 50 to 70 new titles each year. Their work focuses on the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
Modern magazines
Around Town is a free lifestyle and events magazine which publishes four variant editions that serve
Golwg ("View"; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡɔlʊk]) is a Welsh-language magazine established in 1988. It covers current events and features and claims a monthly circulation of 12,000, the largest circulation of any magazine in Wales.[citation needed]
Cambria, which referred to itself as the 'National Magazine of Wales', was first launched in 1997 and was published bi-monthly. A glossy publication covering the arts, current affairs, topical subjects, history and lifestyle, it was aimed at ABC1 readers.[19] It faced closure in 2015 after losing its funding from the Welsh Books Council, but was temporarily saved after a newly formed company, MegaGroup Newspapers, bought a half share in the publication.[20][21] It printed its final issue in 2016 and MegaGroup was made insolvent[clarification needed] in 2017.[22]
Planet, a bi-monthly magazine covering the arts, literature and politics in Wales and the wider world, is produced in Aberystwyth. Each edition features poems and short stories alongside cultural reviews and political analysis.[23]
A Welsh edition of the
South Wales Media Ltd produce local community magazines in the Swansea & Neath Port Talbot counties. The Ponty Mag which covers Pontardawe, Clydach Mag covering Clydach, Swansea East Mag and SA4 Magazine. The also produce Swansea City FC fanzine Jack Swan magazine.
Furthermore, Wales has a network of local Welsh-language newsletters. Known as papurau bro ("local papers"), they are produced by volunteers and generally published monthly, serving a hyperlocal market. The first such publication was Y Dinesydd ("The Citizen"), established in Cardiff in April 1973. There are currently over 50 papurau bro, produced throughout Wales.[24]
Zines
There are a large number of specialist
Digital
For 2019–20 the Welsh Government has allocated a £200,000 budget to stimulate and continue digital and hyperlocal journalism in Wales.[27]
Golwg360
In 2009 Golwg launched Golwg360, a news website offering daily Welsh and international news in the Welsh language.
Senedd Home
Blogger Owen Donovan operates an extensive network of blogs covering a range of hyperlocal and national events. Three blogs are published, namely Senedd Home (reporting on business of the Senedd and Welsh Government),[29] State of Wales (a pro-independence blog about Welsh national issues and developments),[30][29] and Oggy Bloggy Ogwr, which reports on Local Authority matters in Wales.[29]
Nation.Cymru
Nation.Cymru is a national English language news service established in 2017 by Bangor University journalism lecturer and former Golwg editor Ifan Morgan Jones, alongside its current CEO Mark Mansfield.[29] The service states it aims to address the absence of a national print media in Wales,[31] and provide pan-Wales reporting to better inform Welsh people particularly about politics, the Welsh Parliament (Senedd), and the functioning of the devolved Government. It has an agreement with Owen Donovan of Senedd Home to report on stories related to Welsh parliamentary business.[32]
Sports media
Other websites in the sphere include sports pages Dai Sport and Y Clwb Pel Droed.[33]
Business media and hyperlocal reporting
Business news is dominated in Wales by Business News Wales, and hyperlocal sites operate such as Caerphilly Observer, Wrexham.com, Deeside.com, Cwmbran Life, The Bangor Aye, We Are Cardiff, Cardiff Directory Wales and My Cardiff North.[33]
Broadcasting
History
At 5 pm on 13 February 1923, 5WA Cardiff, a forerunner of BBC Radio Wales, first broadcast from a music shop at 19 Castle Street in Cardiff city centre. Later that evening Mostyn Thomas sang Dafydd y Garreg Wen, which was the first Welsh language song to be broadcast. A commemorative plaque records the event.[34] However 5WA Cardiff ended on 28 May 1923.[35]
Television
Public service television broadcasting
S4C is the main Welsh-language station and has its headquarters in Llanishen, northern Cardiff. The channel features around 10 hours a week of programmes made in Welsh by BBC Wales, such as Newyddion (News) and Pobol y Cwm (a long-running soap opera) as well as programmes made by independent production companies.
Commercial television broadcasting
In 2012
Radio
Public service radio broadcasting
The BBC runs two national radio stations, BBC Radio Wales in English and BBC Radio Cymru in Welsh. A third national service is provided by Heart South Wales and Heart North and Mid Wales. Thereare also a number of commercial and community radio stations throughout the country which broadcast in both Welsh and English.
Commercial radio broadcasting
In 2019, UK radio conglomerate
The result is that a majority of content on five of the top ten Welsh radio stations is now produced in London,
Name of conglomerate | Number of stations owned[37] |
---|---|
Nation Broadcasting | 7 |
Communicorp |
2 (with 4 regional outputs) |
Bauer Media Group | 2 |
The industry monitor Rajar has recorded a subsequent fall in listenership of these deregulated stations, and an increase in listenership for Capital's commercial competitors, including
Rank | Radio station | Broadcast office location | Weekly reach (Q2 2019) | Reach change (Q2 on Q1 2019)[38] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Heart South Wales |
Global Studios, London[36] | 394,000[38] | |
2 | BBC Radio Wales | New Broadcasting House, Cardiff[36] | 365,000[38] | |
3 | Capital South Wales | 231,000[38] | ||
4 | Nation Radio Wales | Cardiff (Bay) | 145,000[38] | |
5 | Capital North West and Wales |
Wrexham | 140,000[38] | |
6 | The Wave |
Gowerton | 115,000[38] | |
7 | Radio Cymru |
New Broadcasting House, Cardiff[36] | 112,000[38] | |
8 | Heart North and Mid Wales | Global Studios, London[36] | 108,000[38] | |
9 | Smooth Wales | Global Studios, London[36] | 81,000[38] | |
10 | Smooth North Wales | Global Studios, London[36] | 67,000[38] | |
11 | Dragon Radio Wales
|
Cardiff | 49,000[38] | |
13 | Greatest Hits Radio South Wales | Gowerton | 40,000[38] | |
14 | Radio Pembrokeshire |
St Hilary[39] | 35,000[38] | |
15 | Radio Carmarthenshire | St Hilary[39] | 30,000[38] | No change |
16 | Bridge FM |
Bridgend | 22,000[38] | |
17 | Easy Radio
|
Swansea Bay | 21,000 [38] | |
18 | Nation Radio Wales | St Hilary[39] | 14,000[38] |
See also
- BBC Wales Drama Village
- Mass media
- Media in Cardiff
- Media Wales
References
- ^ Davies (2008) p. 87
- ^ Davies, J. (1994) Broadcasting and the BBC in Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Davies (2008) p. 615
- ^ The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Davies (2008) p. 616
- The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- The National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Newsbrands - National & Regional - ABC | Audit Bureau of Circulations". www.abc.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e "The Welsh Media III: Where are people getting their news? – State of Wales". 28 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ Mackay, H. and Powell, A. (1997) "Wales and its Media. Production, Consumption and Regulation". Contemporary Wales vol. 9, pp. 8-39.
- ^ Williams, K. (2000) "No Dreads, only Some Doubts: The Press and the Referendum Campaign" in Barry Jones, J. and Balsom, D. (eds) The Road to the National Assembly for Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
- ^ a b Thomas, Huw (1 March 2018). "Newspaper circulation figures decline by up to 28%". BBC News. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ "Papur Y Cymro ar werth am y tro olaf". BBC (in Welsh). 29 June 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ Richards, Ruth (4 July 2017). "DYFODOL CALLS FOR ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR Y CYMRO | Dyfodol i'r Iaith". Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "Book publisher to 'wind down' publishing". 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
- ^ "Around Town (Home page)". On Target Magazines Ltd. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Cambria Magazine Vacancy". pembrokeshire-herald.com. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- Welsh Books Council. July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ Sharman, David (20 May 2015). "'National magazine of Wales' saved after regional publisher steps in". holdthefrontpage.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Megagroup Newspaper Ltd: Company number 09430434". companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Planet (Home page)". Planet. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
- ^ a b Read all about it, Inquiry into News Journalism in Wales (PDF) (Report). Cardiff: National Assembly of Wales: Welsh Language and Communications Committee. May 2018. p. 18.
- ^ "Gagged! (Home page)". wordpress.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "ADX/885: Cambrian Snooze and other underground press ephemera". Archifdy Ceredigion Archives. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Independent community journalism in Wales given a £200,000 boost". GOV.WALES. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "News website in Welsh is launched". BBC News. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Interactive map of ICNN member publications". Centre for Community Journalism. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "About State of Wales". State of Wales. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ^ "Setting up Nation.Cymru". Setting up Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "Nation.Cymru and Senedd Home to work together to deliver better Welsh politics coverage". Nation.Cymru. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ a b "The Welsh Media V: The Welsh News Deficit – State of Wales". 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ Prior, Neil (13 February 2013). "Broadcasting in Wales: 90 years since BBC went on air". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ "5WA Cardiff Listings". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Capital and Heart cull local radio shows". 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "The Welsh Media VI: Radio". 2 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "#RAJARWales Q2/2019". Twitter. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ a b c "Local radio stations to relocate". 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
Sources
Primary sources
- Davies, John (1994). Broadcasting and the BBC in Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1273-X.
- ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- Medhurst, Jamie (2010). A History of Independent Television in Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-2308-3.
- Read all about it, Inquiry into News Journalism in Wales (PDF) (Report). Cardiff: National Assembly of Wales: Welsh Language and Communications Committee. May 2018.