ITV News Wales at Six is the evening news programme broadcast and produced by ITV Cymru Wales.

Wales at Six
Also known asITV News Cymru Wales
Presented byAndrea Byrne or Jonathan Hill
StarringRuth Dodsworth
Country of originWales, United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersPhil Henfrey
(Head of News and Programmes)
Production locationsCardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesHTV (1968–2002)
Carlton Television (2002–2004)
ITV Cymru Wales (2004–)
Original release
NetworkHarlech/HTV Cymru Wales/HTV Wales (1968–2002)
ITV1 (ITV Cymru Wales) (2002–)
Release1968 (1968) –
present
Related
ITV News
ITV Weather
Sharp End
Wales This Week

Overview edit

Wales at Six and all other ITV Wales news programming is broadcast live from studios at Assembly Square in Cardiff Bay, with a North Wales newsroom based in Colwyn Bay, and a political unit at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. District reporters are also based in West Wales, Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea.[1]

Jonathan Hill was promoted from news reporter and newsreader to a main anchor for the main evening news programme during February 1994. Andrea Byrne was appointed co-anchor on 14 January 2008 following the departure of Lucy Owen to rival programme BBC Wales Today.[2] Hill and Byrne anchor alternating editions of the main 6pm programme as of June 2014.[3] Kylie Pentelow took over from Byrne on 4 February 2019 for one-year.[4] Ruth Dodsworth fronts national weather forecasts for ITV Cymru Wales since 2000.

History edit

From the launch of Harlech Television in May 1968, the company produced a full-scale bilingual news service - the only of its kind in the ITV network. The 6pm weekday slot for regional news was shared by two programmes - Y Dydd (The Day) in the Welsh language and Report Wales in English.

The launch of S4C in November 1982 signalled the end of Welsh language news from HTV, although the company continues to produce Welsh current affairs programmes, including the long-running Y Byd ar Bedwar (The World on Four).

Wales at Six replaced Report Wales as a full-length English language news programme on Monday 1 November 1982. HTV's news service was based at its Pontcanna studios until moving to the Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross in 1990. Wales at Six was latterly replaced by Wales Tonight in 1994 and 2005, HTV News in 1999, ITV Wales News in 2004 and ITV News Cymru Wales in 2013.[5]

On 17 September 2013, ITV Wales announced it would launch a weekly 30-minute current affairs programme, Newsweek Wales, featuring interviews, analysis and a look back at the week's main news stories in Wales.[6] The new programme, broadcast on Sunday lunchtimes, was launched on Sunday 22 September 2013. A previous plan to extend the weekday late bulletin to 15 minutes was scrapped.

On Saturday 28 June 2014, ITV Cymru Wales broadcast from its Culverhouse Cross studios for the last time. Two days later, broadcasting began from its new base at Cardiff Bay. As part of the move, Wales at Six was revived as the title for the main 6pm programme on weekdays, after an absence of 20 years.

References edit

  1. ^ Key facts and contact details, ITV Cymru Wales, 11 April 2012
  2. ^ Alice Klein (15 January 2008). "'I feel liberated now we don't have to wear formal suits'". Western Mail. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  3. ^ ITV begins broadcasting from new Wales HQ in Cardiff Bay ITV News, 30 June 2014
  4. ^ Who is Kylie Pentelow, who's replaced Andrea Byrne on ITV Wales? Wales Online, 4 February 2019
  5. ^ ITV launches rebrand on air and online, itv.com, 14 January 2013
  6. ^ ITV launches new programme Newsweek Wales, itv.com, 17 September 2013

External links edit

Preceded by RTS: Television Journalism
Regional Daily News Magazine

2002
Succeeded by