Owen Edwards (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Owen Edwards was a Welsh broadcaster, and the first chief executive of the Welsh language television channel S4C
, the fourth television channel in Wales, a post he held from 1981-89.
He was a presenter on the early Welsh-language television programme Dewch i Mewn during the 1950s. From 1961 to 1966 he presented Heddiw
, the BBC's early evening Welsh-language news magazine programme.
Edwards was educated at Ysgol Gymraeg
in Aberystwyth
and Leighton Park School
in Reading
. He later studied at Lincoln College, Oxford
. In 1967 he was appointed Programme Organiser with BBC Wales, Head of Programmes in 1970 and Controller in 1974. His seven years at the helm coincided with the rapid development of the BBC's output in Wales, in both Welsh and English, so that by the mid-1970s it was producing some 1,500 hours of radio a year and 650 hours of television, in both languages.
He was named head of BBC Wales
in 1974, and held the post for several years until moving to take on the position of head of S4C during the planning phase for the new channel. He maintained an interest in broadcasting as Chairman of the Association for Film and Television in the Celtic Countries. He was awarded the Cyfrwng Award in 2008.
, and son of Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards
, founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru
(Welsh League of Youth).
In 1958, he married Shan Emlyn; the couple had two daughters before the marriage was dissolved; Shan Emlyn later died. In 1994, he remarried, to Rosemary Allen, who survives him.
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, the fourth television channel in Wales, a post he held from 1981-89.
He was a presenter on the early Welsh-language television programme Dewch i Mewn during the 1950s. From 1961 to 1966 he presented Heddiw
Heddiw
Heddiw was a television news programme in the Welsh language, broadcast by BBC Cymru Wales between 1964 and 1982. The programme ended when all Welsh-language programming was transferred to the new channel S4C....
, the BBC's early evening Welsh-language news magazine programme.
Edwards was educated at Ysgol Gymraeg
Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth
Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth is a Welsh language primary school in the university town of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales. It was established as a private school in 1939 by Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards and was originally named Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd...
in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England...
in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. He later studied at Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
. In 1967 he was appointed Programme Organiser with BBC Wales, Head of Programmes in 1970 and Controller in 1974. His seven years at the helm coincided with the rapid development of the BBC's output in Wales, in both Welsh and English, so that by the mid-1970s it was producing some 1,500 hours of radio a year and 650 hours of television, in both languages.
He was named head of BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
in 1974, and held the post for several years until moving to take on the position of head of S4C during the planning phase for the new channel. He maintained an interest in broadcasting as Chairman of the Association for Film and Television in the Celtic Countries. He was awarded the Cyfrwng Award in 2008.
Family
Edwards was a grandson of the historian and literary scholar Sir Owen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan Edwards
Owen Morgan Edwards was a Welsh historian, educationalist and writer. He is often known as O. M. Edwards....
, and son of Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards
Ifan ab Owen Edwards
Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards , was a Welsh academic, writer and film-maker, best known as the founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth....
, founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
dde|200px|thumb|The Urdd logoUrdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Welsh-medium youth movement with over 1,500 branches and over 50,000 members...
(Welsh League of Youth).
In 1958, he married Shan Emlyn; the couple had two daughters before the marriage was dissolved; Shan Emlyn later died. In 1994, he remarried, to Rosemary Allen, who survives him.