Broadcasting Sub-committee

Minutes (BSC(3)-03-09)

Date: 5 March 2009
Time: 09:30 - 11:32
Venue: Committee Room 1, Senedd

Assembly Members in Attendance

Dai Lloyd, South Wales West (Chair)
Eleanor Burnham, North Wales
Alun Cairns, South Wales West
Joyce Watson, Mid and West Wales

Committee Service

Stefan Sanchez, Clerk
Annette Millett, Deputy Clerk

Others in Attendance

John Howells, Director of Culture, Welsh Government
Professor Bob Franklin, Cardiff University
Brian Doel, Tindle Newspapers Limited
Aled Eirug, Committee Adviser

1:  Election of a Chair (9:30)

1.1 Dai Lloyd was elected as Chair.

2:  Introduction, Apologies and Substitutions (09:30 - 09:35)

2.1 The Chair welcomed Committee Members and members of the public

2.2 Paul Davies has now left the Broadcasting Sub-committee.

3:  Evidence gathering on the current state of the Welsh Newspaper Industry (09:35 - 10:10)

Evidence from: Welsh Government

Paper: BSC(3)-03-09 (Paper 1)

3.1  The witness responded to questions from the Committee

Action

• John Howells agreed to provide the Committee with a full report on:

• what steps have been taken to aid the training needs of the newspaper industry, which was a recommendation in a report of the Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee in the last Assembly;

• provide a note on similar forms of expenditure that would be worth drawing to the Committee’s attention.  With reference to how much the government spends on advertising positions, public statements, and media campaigns;

• the government’s changing approach to widen the choice of papers they advertise in;

• numbers of applications it receives online as opposed to printed applications;

• how the government advertises through the print media and through online media;

• will expand on government policy regarding placing public notices and how that works within the government.

Evidence from: Cardiff University

Papers: BSC(3)-03-09 (Paper 2; BSC(3)-03-09 (Paper 2a)

3.2  The witness responded to questions from the Committee

Evidence from: Tindle Newspapers Limited

Paper: BSC(3)-03-09 (Paper 3)

3.3  The witness responded to questions from the Committee

Paper to Note:
Minutes of the last meeting

Paper: BSC(3)-02-09

The minutes of the 5 February 2009 meeting were ratified

Committee Service
March 2009