Leader to head up S4C

The leader of Denbighshire County Council has been picked to head up S4C.
Cllr Hugh Evans, who represents the Llanfair DC ward on the council, will replace Huw Jones and will act as interim head of the board that oversees the Welsh language television channel.
Cllr Evans, who  been a non-executive member of the board since November 2014, said: “I am very pleased to have been offered the position of interim chair for a short period, whilst the process of appointing a new chair is proceeding.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing chair Huw Jones for his contribution to S4C over the last eight years and wish him well in his retirement.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in the broadcasting industry in Wales, with significant developments in the digital world and the ever increasing demand for change in how we access programmes.
“Of course there are also significant challenges that lay ahead and I look forward to continue working with my colleagues on the S4C unitary board to enhance the offer to S4C audiences across Wales and beyond.”
The channel’s chief executive, Owen Evans, paid tribute to Huw Jones for his  work as S4C chair over the past eight years.
“When Huw came into office S4C was at a key turning point in its history. With the energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail that is characteristic of Huw, he succeeded in restoring order and a sense of certainly at the channel.
“Comparing where the channel is today and where we were in 2011 shows Huw’s legacy.
He added: “I’m sure Huw would agree that the work is not yet over – there are still many challenges to come. But without Huw’s work, laying the foundations, S4C would be a very different, and much poorer institution, in every sense of the word, today.”

By Shane Brennan – Local Democracy Reporter