Fears over access to Welsh TV channels in Colwyn Bay

Dec 4 2008 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

FEARS that viewers in Colwyn Bay will no longer be able to watch Welsh TV channels has led the town council to write to regulator Ofcom.

The digital switch-over which began last month is scheduled to make old-fashioned TV aerials obsolete over the next four years when the analogue signal is switched off.

Currently Colwyn Bay gets its signal from Winter Hill in Lancashire via a relay transmitter at Penmaenhead, as opposed to transmitters at Anglesey or Flintshire which provide coverage for much of the area.

Consequently Colwyn Bay Town Council fears that once the analogue signal is switched off the only digital signal available will be from Winter Hill in England which could mean no available Welsh channels such as S4C and BBC Wales which are currently available on the older signal.

At a meeting at Colwyn Bay Town Hall councillors voted in favour of writing to the independent communications regulator Ofcom. The councillors said everyone in Wales should have access to television in the Welsh language.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Gwyn Jones said it was only fair Welsh viewers would be able to watch national channels in the Welsh language.

“It is a given right. I’ve spent my life working in electronics and TV and I’m not trying to go against digital. What I’m worried about is people having the choice of English or Welsh,” said Cllr Hughes.

“It is looking more and more likely that post switch-over the only signal will be in English.”

Cllr Glyn Jones agreed: “In parts of Colwyn Bay the only way you can get Welsh TV channels is through the analogue signal. When they turn it off my understanding is we may lose these Welsh TV channels.

“We are in Wales, we should be able to access them as a priority not an add-on service, it should be the primary service. If we lose them it will be very sad.”