A North Wales based broadcaster has welcomed Welsh Government plans to establish a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales, describing the move as an important first step towards giving Welsh communities a stronger voice in the country's media landscape.

Culture and Sport Minister Heledd Fychan MS has announced plans to create a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales, beginning with the establishment of a working group that will advise on the body's structure, remit and future role.

The authority is intended to strengthen local and national public service media and follows recommendations made by the Expert Panel on Broadcasting, which concluded that the current UK-wide broadcasting framework does not fully reflect the needs of a devolved Wales.

A recruitment campaign for the working group will begin in September, with its first meeting expected early next year. The Welsh Government has allocated £45,000 from the Creative Wales budget to support its work during 2026-27, with detailed recommendations expected in 2028.

Responding to the announcement, Simon Wynne, Operations Director of CCRM CIC, which owns and operates Bayside Radio, said the proposals recognised concerns that have been growing for years among community broadcasters.

The former BBC executive said: "We welcome this announcement because the current approach to broadcasting in Wales is increasingly failing many of the communities it is supposed to serve.

"Too many Welsh-speaking communities, rural areas and coastal towns have seen their local voice diminish as larger commercial broadcasters have consolidated operations in pursuit of profit. We've witnessed local studios close, locally-produced programmes disappear and genuinely local journalism reduced to a minimum.

"That isn't simply a broadcasting issue. It's a cultural issue, a democratic issue and ultimately an issue for audiences, who deserve news, information and programming that reflects the communities they live in.

"Community broadcasters have stepped in to fill some of those gaps, but they cannot and should not be expected to replace the level of local public service broadcasting that has been lost over recent years.

"Any new authority must recognise the value of community broadcasting and ensure that Welsh-speaking audiences, rural communities and smaller local media organisations have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of broadcasting in Wales. If it achieves that, it has the potential to strengthen Welsh culture, improve democratic accountability and deliver better outcomes for listeners across the country."

In announcing the plans, Heledd Fychan said the proposals were based on evidence showing that the existing UK-wide broadcasting framework "does not cater to the realities of how a devolved UK operates."

She said recent developments, including the UK Government's Local Media Fund, had reinforced the need for Wales to have a stronger role in decisions affecting broadcasting and communications.

The Welsh Government says the phased approach will ensure any future authority is built on robust evidence and designed to improve broadcasting outcomes for communities across Wales.

For community broadcasters such as Bayside Radio, the announcement is seen as an opportunity to place local journalism, Welsh language broadcasting and the needs of rural audiences much closer to the centre of future media policy.