Taliesin News To Bid For Tv News Pilot In Wales

Taliesin News has announced its intention to bid for the Independently Funded News Consortia (IFNC) pilot project in Wales.

Led by Clive Jones CBE, the new company comprises an alliance of the existing ITV Wales news team, leading news provider ITN, newspaper publishers across Wales including Northcliffe Media, Newsquest Media Group and Tindle Newspapers, as well as Welsh production company Boomerang, along with support from the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University.

This broad consortium includes more than 25 newspaper titles spanning the nation such as the South Wales Evening Post, South Wales Argus, Cambrian News, Y Cymro, Llanelli Star, Swansea Herald, Carmarthen Journal, Abergavenny Chronicle, the Western Telegraph, the Penarth Times, Milford & West Wales Mercury, the Fishgaurd County Echo, Tenby Observer, Brecon & Radnor Express, Monmouth Beacon and the Barry & District News, in addition to a wide-ranging portfolio of local websites.

Clive Jones is a Non-Executive Director of S4C, Chairman of GMTV, Chair of Skillset and Honorary Visiting Professor at the Cardiff School of Journalism.

He brings with him a wealth of experience in newsgathering, production and technology having worked in newsrooms throughout his career. He is a former Chief Executive of ITV News and Regions and previously launched LNN which provided London with its first seven day a week regional news operation.

The bid is supported by Phil Henfrey, the current Head of News and Programming at ITV Wales, alongside his dynamic team on the ground who produce the existing Welsh news service.

Taliesin News will offer an innovative and ground-breaking news service for Wales aimed at improving the depth of coverage of Welsh Affairs and ensuring there is widespread access to its content across TV, print and online.

It will incorporate news content generated from a wide range of sources throughout the nation, providing a fresh perspective on major news stories together with specialist coverage of the National Assembly for Wales, Welsh sport, the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Royal Welsh Show and other major festivals and events which celebrate Wales and its people.

Clive Jones CBE, Chairman of Taliesin News, said: 'Taliesin News brings together an unrivalled team of partners to create a local news powerhouse for the nation. By harnessing this newsgathering and production network, we will ensure Wales has a news service which rivals the best of what is available around the world today.'

Phil Henfrey, Head of News and Programming, representing the current news team, added: 'We are excited to play a central role in shaping the future news service for Wales and working with a mix of partners that will allow us to improve the depth of reporting for audiences across all platforms.'

John Hardie, Chief Executive Officer of ITN, added: 'We are delighted to be joining forces with Clive, the existing news team and such a compelling set of partners on this bid. We look forward to contributing ITN's creativity and expertise in a new era of multi-platform news programming to help design and deliver a service tailored for Welsh news audiences.'

Michael Pelosi, Managing Director of Northcliffe Media, said: 'As publishers of a number of leading newspaper titles and websites in Wales, we are excited about the prospect of breathing new life into the nation's news service, delving deeper to provide enriched content for the people of Wales.'

Gavin Steacy, Regional Managing Director for Wales from Newsquest Media Group, said: "This is a fabulous opportunity to glue together the major newsgathering forces in Wales to produce a powerful information service for the people of Wales."

Brian Doel, Managing Director of the Tindle Group, said: 'With our strong newspaper footprint across Wales, we look forward to working with our partners and using our already excellent newspaper and internet resources to deliver an enhanced news service for Wales.'

Huw Eurig Davies, Chief Executive of Boomerang, said: 'The dynamic and innovative team here at boomerang+ are pleased to be joining such a broad collection of talent, who share a vision for providing an alternative, popular and relevant news service for Wales.'