Cyfrwng Conference 2006
The third Cyfrwng Conference was held in the Drwm, the new auditorium at the National Library of Wales, on 7 April 2006. The conference was attended by academics and students, members of the media industry in Wales and members of the public with the intention of discussing key issues that face the media in Wales today.
The main theme of the conference was the future of S4C in the broadcasting world. Following a welcome by John Hefin, the Chairman of Cyfrwng, and Andrew Green, Librarian, National Library of Wales, Dr James Thomas and Professor Justin Lewis from the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies presented a lecture under the title ‘‘Coming out of a mid-life crisis’? : The past, present and future audiences for Welsh Language Television’. Several fascinating discussion topics were raised by both and the results of their research has been published in the third edition of the Journal, Cyfrwng 3 (2006).
Addressing the Cyfrwng conference at the end of her tenure as Chair of S4C, Professor Elan Closs Stephens in her paper, ‘Digital Crosscurrents: A retrospective look at chairing S4C 1998 – 2006’ offered a new insight into the channel. Professor Stevens tackled the successes and failures of operating as a Welsh medium channel in an ever expanding digital world.
In addition to the lectures, the conference celebrated the publishing of two new publications, Cyfrwng 3 (UWP, 2006) and Records of Early Drama: Wales (University of Toronto Press), the remarkable achievement of Professor David Neal Klausner.
To close the conference the Cyfrwng Award 2006 was presented. Dr William R. Lewis, University of Wales Bangor delivered a lecture on ‘Gwyn Thomas’s Media’ before presenting the Emeritus Professor Gwyn Thomas with the Cyfrwng Award 2006 for his significant contribution to Welsh language media. The typically genial Cyfrwng conference dinner was held at Le Vignoble, Aberystwyth.
The Cyfrwng 2007 Conference will be held at the University of Wales Swansea on the 13 and 14 of April 2007.
