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Home , BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, CF99, Louise Elliott, Margaret John

Wales management review 2009/10

a introduction from director, cymru in a year when digital switchover swept across the country, the role of wales’ national broadcaster has never been clearer.

some said that digital switchover would change everything. by beaming countless additional channels into every home across wales, some warned it would accelerate the fragmentation of viewing, weakening the social and civic ties that bind us together. and yet take a look at what actually happened. in 2009/10, almost a million viewers – the highest figures for at least five years – tuned into programming each and every week. on top of this success, our network output continued to attract worldwide attention, including ’s stunning debut on and ’s captivating Last Chance to See. that success is of course a tribute to the skills and resilience of our talented production teams – both in-house and across the independent sector – and many of their achievements are rightly “ this year’s success is a powerful reminder of captured in this review. our audience’s demand for high quality and our success this year is a powerful reminder that in an age of apparent digital plenty – with all its countless distractions – our audience’s demand for high quality and distinctive national programming distinctive national programming.” is as strong and robust as ever. menna richards, it is, needless to say, a challenge and responsibility we relish. director, bbc cymru wales

Menna Richards Cover image director, bbc cymru wales presenter eddie butler tells the story of a 5th or early 6th century carved sandstone, part of a trail of historical objects inspired by our history of the world project, and which can be seen at the national museum wales in . to find out more about what the museum has to offer visit www.museumwales.ac.uk

01 introduction from 18 key priorities for director next year 02 two minute summary 19 contacts 04 service performance 20 management 12 l ooking ahead

1 approval of the bbc in wales (mean score out of 10) two minute summary source: pbts/tns performance, output and expenditure. General impression of the BBC Value for money of the licence fee bbc cymru wales facts and figures. 07/08 6.77 07/08 4.79 08/09 6.68 08/09 4.93 09/10 6.86 09/10 5.08 television weekly reach source: barb (based on 15-minute reach)

BBC Cymru Wales English language programmes BBC Cymru Wales on 07/08 870,000 07/08 193,000 08/09 856,000 08/09 166,000 09/10 947,000 09/10 167,000 radio weekly reach (adults) 517,000 source: /ipsos mori adults in wales who listened to either wales and/or each week in 2009/10. BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Cymru 07/08 440,000 07/08 152,000 66% 08/09 435,000 08/09 155,000 percentage of adults in wales who access the internet at least once a month. 09/10 411,000 09/10 147,000 bbc cymru wales english bbc cymru wales on s4c 947,000 language tv average number of viewers to bbc wales english language programming each week in 2009/10 (based on 15-minute reach). Hours of origination Hours of origination 07/08 766 07/08 566 6,470,000 08/09 721 08/09 590 the average uk audience on bbc one for each episode of Torchwood: 09/10 706 09/10 690 Children of Earth in July 2009. tv output from wales for bbc tv networks (broadcast) Further facts and figures for 2009/10 available at www.bbc.co.uk/wales/info * b ased on definition of qualifying network tv production from the nations.

Hours of origination Expenditure £m (under Ofcom definitions*) 07/08 107 07/08 29 08/09 101 08/09 25 09/10 134 09/10 39 website weekly unique users please note: figures issued in 2008/09 annual review included global users.

BBC Cymru Wales English language sites BBC Cymru Wales sites 07/08890,000 07/08 27,000 08/09 1,325,000 08/09 30,500 09/10 1,423,000 09/10 26,500 2 PLEASE NOTE: USE APPROPRIATE CO LOUR REF FOR CO LOUR MODE AND APPLICATION

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C 0 M 97 Y 100 K 0

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R 221 G 26 service performance B 12 bbc wales broadcast 14 hours of original programming each week on and . on average, 947,000 viewers watched our english language programming each week (2008/09: 856,000).

this was an historic year, as wales became the a range of programmes – including a popular our news and current affairs output continued our education and learning programming also first uk nation to switch completely to digital ‘reality’ documentary format – examined the to make waves. Who Cares in Wales was an made a major contribution across the year. tv. there were those who said this migration environmental challenges facing wales over the important investigation into the regulation of Telly Tales brought classic myths, legends and might accelerate the fragmentation in viewing. next few years, and there was related output care homes, and Why Do You Hate Me? was a fairy-tales to life for young viewers in a colourful instead, viewing to bbc wales output was up and debate across our radio and online services. revealing exposé of the prejudice sometimes mix of live action and animation. 11% year-on-year to the highest recorded level in march 2010, a moving documentary faced by people with disabilities. our current bullying was the subject of our social action for five years. Afghanistan: Five Welsh Families provided a timely affairs team also produced an illuminating profile campaign this year, with ’s aled across a range of output, our aim was to reminder to our viewers of the impact of the of the retiring wales first minister rhodri haydn Jones making an emotional journey back reflect modern wales, exploring, investigating, war here at home. it was followed, later the morgan. sport has also played a central role, to his hometown of to look for and often celebrating the rich diversity of same night, by a debate held in the garrison with Scrum V continuing to deliver an answers to his big question – Bullying: Why Me? outstanding service to rugby followers. contemporary welsh culture and society. town of . as with Green Wales there the campaign was supported by content on the in late autumn 2009 we launched an was extended coverage across all bbc a number of important series reflected a bbc headroom website, with factsheets and environmental season – Green Wales – to wales services. changing wales throughout the year. Crash was education packs aimed at 11-14 year olds sent provide a welsh context for the deliberations an innovative six-part drama featuring a group to all secondary schools in wales ahead of the of the world climate summit in copenhagen. of junior doctors embarking on their careers. national anti-bullying week in november. it provided a great platform for emerging welsh writing, acting and production talent. Wales and 1 2 the History of the World brought history to a broad audience on bbc one wales as part of the wider pan-bbc History of the World in 1. Crash. 100 Objects. 2. Wild Welsh Zoo with Anna we also showcased the cream of welsh Ryder Richardson. entertainment talent, including ’s 3. Jonathan Davies on Scrum V. Christmas Cracker, Margaret John: National 4. Green Wales season. Treasure on st david’s day, and Rhod 3 Gilbert’s Work Experience. 4 arts programming this year was rich and varied with popular appeal. it ranged from a five part series to coincide with BBC Cardiff Singer of the World to only men aloud’s tim rhys evans presenting a series looking at Welsh Tenors.

4 5 Service performance continued

BBC on S4C , the mainstay of s4c’s evening BBC Cymru WaleS on the on radio, our drama team contributed a On average, BBC Wales provided 14 hours schedule, showed once again how it can address netWorkS major series to ’s long-running of programming to S4C each week. 167,000 major social issues with sensitivity, impact and in an outstanding year for bbc cymru wales Writing the Century strand which explores watched our programming on S4C each week real creative flair. the drama was awarded a network production, there were many the 20th century by dramatising the diaries (2008/09: 166,000). mind mental health in the media award for its extraordinary creative and popular successes. and letters of real people. our contribution with the completion of digital switchover in depiction of a single mother overcoming post- our factual team excelled with Last Chance to featured the diaries of sir glanmor williams, wales in march 2010, s4c became a fully welsh natal depression. See on bbc two, as stephen fry and naturalist an eminent historian and a member of both the language service for the very first time. this has over 150 hours of output were produced from mark carwardine set out on a worldwide of governors and the broadcasting proved an appropriate time to expand the bbc the national eisteddfod of wales which took journey in search of animals teetering on council for wales. other highlights included news service on s4c to offer audiences a range place in bala during the first week in august the edge of extinction. the factual team also an Afternoon Play for bbc radio 4, Against the of daytime and late evening bulletins. 2009. competitions and activities in the main spearheaded a moon season on . Grain by cardiff writer charlotte greig and an adaptation by frances byrnes of guy de the weekly politics programme, CF99, pavilion, literature pavilion and around the among its many highlights, Being Neil Armstrong event field featured in live output and nightly saw andrew smith, author of the best selling maupassant’s Bel Ami as a bbc radio 4 continued to offer a robust forum for debate, classic serial. while our current affairs strandTaro 9 and review programmes. Moondust, journeying across america to (the daily news bulletin for children) built our flagship sport programmeY discover the real neil armstrong. bbc wales’ music team provided outstanding on their distinctive journalistic strengths and maintained its high production standards on bbc one, our major drama Torchwood: tv coverage of two of the uk’s major music expertise. Pawb a’ Farn broadcast live from and popularity with the audience. along with Children of Earth – created by competitions – BBC Cardiff Singer of the locations around wales, providing opportunities wales’s international matches in the six nations and starring John barrowman and eve myles – World in June and the leeds international for communities to voice a welsh perspective and autumn series, we also provided live and drew almost seven million viewers every night piano competition, while our output for bbc on local, national and international issues. highlights coverage of two tests from wales’s during its powerful week-long showing in July. radio 3 included lunchtime recitals, The Choir, summer tour of north america in June 2009. later in the year, it was also time to say goodbye Radio 3 Requests and a wide programme of to david tennant, as he passed on the Doctor welsh music festivals. Composer of the Week, Who baton in a remarkable christmas finale. presented by donald macleod, continued to delight audiences with rare interviews with John rutter, John mccabe and stephen sondheim.

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1. Andrew Teilo as Hywel in Pobol y Cwm. 2. M ark Carwardine and Stephen Fry in Last Chance to See. 6 7 Service performance continued

BBC radio WaleS continued to provide a rich BBC radio Cymru bbc radio cymru’s commitment to new BBC Radio Wales is the only English language mix of specialist output throughout the year, BBC Radio Cymru is the nation’s only Welsh drama was seen through 15 new plays for radio. speech-based station for Wales, broadcasting for with Eye on Wales, Wales@Work and Called to language station, broadcasting for 20 hours each they included Nhw a specially commissioned 19 hours each day. On average, 411,000 listeners Order all providing authoritative coverage of day. On average, 147,000 listeners tuned in each play by manon steffan and nic ross dealing tuned in each week (2008/09: 435,000). current affairs, business and political matters. week (2008/09: 155,000). with the possible future social problems of during 2009/10 the station aimed to deliver sports coverage once again loomed large in in a competitive digital world bbc radio cymru global warming. the play was the cornerstone a compelling service to welsh audiences by the station schedules. as well as extensive six remains the most popular radio station amongst of a two-week season before the copenhagen focusing on programming that brought the nations coverage we provided commentary of welsh speakers, ahead of bbc radio 1 and 2. summit, which included Taro Post specials and a Post Cyntaf week-long tour. nation together, celebrated welsh talent and heineken cup rugby as well as football matches new programmes over the past year have reflected life in contemporary wales. featuring cardiff, and . at been well received. Tudur Owen, the stand up beti george celebrated 25 years of Beti a’i news and current affairs was at the of the first ashes test in wales we provided build comedian’s new programme on a saturday Phobl with a special programme broadcast our output, with Good Morning Wales and Good up, coverage and analysis across all our output. lunchtime, has wide appeal. Yn y Ryc presented over the christmas period, where the tables Evening Wales providing detailed analysis of local, on st david’s day, the station’s firstWales Music by rhodri ogwen williams, a light hearted ‘fan were turned and interviewed national, uk and international affairs. however, Day offered a range of live performances across scene’ programme, provided an entertaining beti herself. the untimely death of one of wales’ foremost the day featuring some of wales’ brightest build-up on friday evenings to the six nations Bwrw Golwg and Manylu were both nominated journalists, patrick hannan, dealt a grievous talents. this ambitious output built on our live rugby matches. for the celtic media awards – the first for a blow to both the station and our listeners. Evening Show sessions (many of which are now perhaps the highlight was the short series programme about recreating a religious service patrick’s unrivalled grasp of welsh affairs, his filmed and made available online). Unnos. these hour-long programmes, broadcast from a coal mine in 1929, and Manylu tenacious interviewing skills and his inimitable supported by a lively website, saw a group of for the sensitive portrayal of a family who lost voice were the bedrock of the station’s political musicians challenged to create an ep between their conjoined twins soon after birth. programming, and he is sorely missed. dusk and dawn. presenter huw evans followed the night’s progress and played the four new songs produced.

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1. Roy Noble and – Wales Music Day. 2. . 3. Beti George. 4. Tudur Owen. 8 9 Service performance continued

online user numbers for the bbc radio wales BBC national orCheStra our work with children with disabilities will On average, BBC Wales’ English language websites website increased, driven by a new of WaleS continue to be rolled out across wales and our registered 1.42 million unique users in the UK interface and innovations such as the station’s The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is the professional mentoring of welsh composers has each week (2008/09: 1.33 million). There were wales music day (where radio sessions were nation’s only professional symphony orchestra. It now extended beyond students to embrace 26,500 weekly unique users for our Welsh language filmed and placed on the website). podcasts gave 77 concerts during the year – with 63 taking the work of older composers living and working websites (2008/09: 30,500). also proved popular with a seven-fold increase place in Wales. in wales. news, sport and learning sites continued to in downloads of Rhod Gilbert’s Best Bits. this was the orchestra’s first full year in our the orchestra’s continued commitment to drive the performance of our online sites in our network online teams enjoyed their most new home – bbc hoddinott hall at the wales touring across wales saw a series of concerts 2009/10. weekly unique users hit 1.7 million successful year yet with major site launches millennium centre in cardiff. we staged over at st. david’s hall in cardiff and brangwyn hall, during the January 2010 snow as parents and for , Torchwood, The Sarah Jane 20 events at our new base including a winter swansea; two tours of ; and a range commuters turned to the web to check school Adventures, Ashes to Ashes and Mistresses. the evening series focusing on contemporary of appearances in mid wales and at welsh closures and travel news. Merlin website won and celtic composers and a daytime series based around music festivals. in english, new arts and history services were media festival awards, and the Last Chance to past bbc now commissions. six concerts featured the bbc national chorus launched. the youth citizenship website – ps – see website was nominated for an international bbc hoddinott hall has also served as a base of wales, who also made their second trip was also launched and bbc.co.uk/wales played emmy. The Doctor Who Dreamland production for educational events, community workshops, to paris in recent years to take part in two a key role in multiplatform commissions such marked a successful move into animation. commercial recordings and public events performances of beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as the Green Wales season and A History of the mounted by both the bbc (most recently the at the festival st. denis. the orchestra also World in 100 Objects. Young Musician of the Year semi-finals) and others. undertook a very successful seven-concert tour in welsh, there were new site launches for of northern spain with principal conductor, Bitesize, Pobol y Cwm, the Cerddoriaeth music site thierry fischer. and the Un Tro children’s site. the bbc radio cymru website also performed particularly well with a new C2 section.

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1. BBC Radio Cymru website. 2. BBC NOW at BBC Hoddinott Hall. 10 11 looking ahead across all our services – television, radio and online – bbc cymru wales will put quality first as we work to meet the needs of our national and network audiences.

BBC WaleS’ role in Building we believe bbc wales must always act as WaleS’ puBliC SpaCe the main guarantor of this national public space, at the heart of the bbc strategy review is harnessing our public purposes and the privilege the determination to sustain and build the of the licence fee to ensure an uninterrupted uk’s ‘public space’ – an independent space, flow of investment into high quality unfettered by pay walls. programming and the best national talent. in this public space, there are no barriers bbc wales must also continue to be a between the public and the information they catalyst and connector within wales’ public need to form their own judgments about the space. we are uniquely well placed to help WaleS and the BBC’S outStanding Children’S Content great issues of the day, or between them and other institutions and groups reach and enrich Strategy revieW delighting and surprising young audiences – the educational and cultural resources which the public, and to help the public find and get the bbc’s recent strategy review – currently helping children explore their world in a safe could enrich their own and their families’ lives. the most out of those institutions themselves. being considered by the – has public space. wales has its own distinctive public space of partnerships with other cultural and civic provided a framework for re-evaluating bbc course. and in a nation still learning the ropes of institutions will continue to be strategic and eventS that Bring CommunitieS and central to bbc wales’ idea of itself. wales’ role both in national life and in the the nation together self-government, it is both a precious and fragile lives of individual licence fee payers in every being there for the whole uk – in moments of space – threatened by the weight of uk media part of wales. crisis, commemoration and celebration through and the suffocating financial pressures faced by this strategy directs the bbc to put quality first; landmark events, sport and entertainment. so many local commercial media providers. do fewer things better; guarantee access to all; over the coming months, we will shape bbc make the licence fee work harder; and set new wales’ detailed response to the strategy – and boundaries for itself. outline key areas of future priority. this work under this strategy, the bbc will focus on five in wales will be guided by a number of key over-arching editorial priorities: themes which were set out in the bbc strategy. the BeSt journaliSm in the World informing civic and democratic life at home and abroad – through independent, impartial and 1 2 accurate news, current affairs and information. inSpiring knoWledge, muSiC and Culture enriching people’s lives – bringing knowledge, music and culture to new minds, eyes and ears. amBitiouS uk drama and Comedy stimulating and entertaining audiences – with stories about their lives and the world around them.

1. BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Ekaterina Shcherbachenko. 2. Dreamland. 12 13 looking ahead continued

putting quality firSt we must be bold and rigorous in our doing feWer thingS, But Better this work has already begun. over recent in future, the bbc will concentrate more than reassessment of priorities. the public expect Putting Quality First will inevitably require us years, we have brought an end to a range ever on being a creator of quality. we will focus bbc wales to be a wholly reliable source of to make tough choices and trade-offs about of programmes that – though undoubtedly even more on forms of content that most accurate and impartial news; a tireless supporter priorities. at a time of constrained funding, valued by some parts of the audience – simply clearly build public value and which are most of originality and excellence; a guaranteed we will need to be clearer and more open than did not produce sufficient public value to merit at risk of being ignored or under-invested in investor in national talent; and an upholder ever about the scope and scale of our activities. ongoing investment. in parallel, key strands – by others. like the rest of the bbc, this will of the highest values and standards. until recent years, we had been able to maintain including Scrum V, the news service require bbc wales to take significant further and indeed increase investment in traditional and major landmark factual series, such as steps towards building the distinctiveness and services while launching new digital ones, Coal House – have seen increased focus and uniqueness of our programmes and services. particularly in the online space. but in a period investment. this process of reprioritisation we have already made great progress on this where the licence fee, public finances and the must continue. journey. Coal House, Frontline Afghanistan, bbc revenues available to local commercial media radio wales’ All Things Considered, bbc radio are all constrained, it is no longer possible or cymru’s Taro’r Post, Scrum V, our network desirable to do this. drama Torchwood, the current affairs series bbc wales will therefore face tough choices Taro Naw and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World – within its portfolio to ensure that the services it to name but a few – all embody the ambition offers focus on the key content priorities set out and distinctiveness that must characterise all in the bbc’s strategy review and meet new, our programming in future. higher thresholds of quality and distinctiveness.

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1, 2 Torchwood. 14 15 looking ahead continued

the moSt open and reSponSive in part, being transparent and accountable is making the liCenCe fee a critical focus, therefore, will also need to puBliC inStitution in WaleS about being open in explaining our actions and Work harder be on overhead and infrastructure costs. the to equip itself for the future, the bbc must also decisions and responding to criticism, while by the end of 2012/13, bbc wales production bbc has roughly halved the proportion of the demonstrate in everything it does a willingness defending our essential editorial freedom. more departments will have delivered against an licence fee spent on these over the past ten and ability to engage in an open discussion about fundamentally, it is about bringing the audience annual circa 5% efficiency target. overall, years. during the next licence fee period, up itself, its values and its operations. how bbc into the process of production, with audiences the bbc is on course to release £2billion in to 2016/17, the bbc has set itself the target of wales fulfils its public mission for the nation having a new relationship with programmes and cumulative savings by then, meeting its target reducing overhead and infrastructure costs by will become a dialogue between the bbc and services as their reactions become integrated of 3% overall net savings per year throughout a further quarter, to under 9p in every licence its audiences and contributors – meeting the with and shape the content itself. the current licence fee settlement. fee pound – with the savings ploughed back into welsh public’s demands for greater levels neither the digital revolution nor the need for high-quality content which focuses on the five of visibility and accountability. the bbc to pursue the goal of higher quality at content priorities. to this end, we must deliver information about lower cost will end in 2013. but future content ourselves and our operations not just to the efficiencies will need to be targeted carefully: for, minimum that we are obliged to, but in a after more than two decades of year-on-year way which sets a high standard for openness, efficiencies, some programme budgets cannot simplicity and accountability. we have be reduced much further (if at all) without already taken important steps towards our damaging quality. commitment to be a leader in public sector transparency, with disclosures that go much further than many comparable organisations.

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1. Jamie Owen and get ready to meet their audience – many of whom helped knit a scarf more than a mile long to support the Wales Six Nations team. 2. BBC Cymru Wales website. 16 17 key priorities for next year contacts our over-arching priority next year is to maximise the value audiences receive from their national broadcaster.

• W e will provide authoritative and high quality • We will implement the new Strategic iif you wish to find out more about the bbc’s to find out more about bbc cymru wales and coverage of the uk general election, the partnership between the bbc trust year – including full financial statements and our services, programmes, activities and events, run-up to the 2011 assembly election, and and . performance against other public commitments visit us at a potential national referendum on law- • We will continue to develop our major – then please visit www.bbc.co.uk/wales making powers. network contribution, developing the talent www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport www.bbc.co.uk/cymru • W e will build the public value of our national and infrastructure required to meet the if you want to know more about how the bbc service for wales, focusing on distinctive challenging bbc trust targets for network is run, then please visit www.bbc.co.uk/info content and programming that reflects and growth in the uk nations. we will deliver bbc information is our audience’s virtual reports modern wales. bbc wales’ new drama production centre front door to the bbc. if you have a question, • We will work with partners and stakeholders in on time and on budget. comment, complaint or suggestion about bbc across the radio industry to extend the programmes and services, then please write availability of bbc radio wales and bbc to us here: radio cymru – and to ensure that these audience services, bbc cymru vital national services are available to all. wales, bangor ll57 2by • We will review our full portfolio of services in website: www.bbc.co.uk/wales/info light of the bbc strategy review, focusing on complaints: for more information about the quality and distinctiveness of our output. the bbc’s complaints process and to submit a complaint online, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/complaints last year the bbc had over 3.3 million contacts with the general public.

18 19 management

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menna richards, director clare hudson, head of programmes nigel walker, head of change and (english language) internal communications mark o’callaghan, head of news keith Jones, head of programmes cathryn allen, head of broadcast and current affairs (welsh language and new media) development gareth powell, chief operating Jude gray, head of human resources rhodri talfan davies, head of strategy officer and development and communications Cert no. TT-COC 002228

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