Whisper’s brand new Cymru Broadcast Centre is now operating and streaming live from Cardiff during the Paralympic Games.

The remote production facility was supported by Media Cymru and Channel 4, who co-funded research and development around accessibility in live production in conjunction with The Ability People – with the hope of acting as a case study for other technical facilities to use as best practice and to share learnings.

With the Paralympic Games in Paris now underway, we caught up with Channel 4’s Pete Andrews about Channel 4’s commitment to working with independent production companies in the nations and regions; it’s ongoing campaign for diversity and equity and diversity in the media and how the new Cymru Broadcast Centre could change the landscape for live sports coverage in the UK.  

Having set up the BBC’s sports studio in Salford, Pete has extensive experience in live sports broadcasting. A Royal Television Society award winner, with more than 20 years’ experience of working in sports production covering top sporting events, he has led on all of Channel 4’s sports coverage, including the 2020 Summer Paralympics from Tokyo and its 2019 Formula 1 coverage. 

With six Olympic Games and nine international football tournaments under his belt, he has also directed broadcasts of four Wimbledon finals, was the BBC’s lead producer of its FA Cup coverage from 2014 to 2018 and the lead director of its Winter Olympics broadcast from Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. 

Channel 4 and Media Cymru co-funded the R&D work which was part of Whisper TV’s Cymru Broadcast Centre development. How important was this to Channel 4? 

It’s exactly what Channel 4 is here for, so it’s vital for us to be everywhere in the UK championing different voices and parts of the industry. I started work at Central ITV in Birmingham in the late nineties. It was a vibrant busy, network studio and now there isn’t a lot left apart from local news and that is a real tragedy because it’s the same in many areas. So, the project at the Tramshed is a huge opportunity to leave a legacy for Wales and disabled talent from all around the country.  

What does this mean for the Cardiff Capital Region in terms of its tech and broadcasting capabilities and flying the flag for the TV companies who form part of the creative cluster?  

Putting in the technical infrastructure means that Cardiff will now have the capability to run a multi-feed event remotely in this facility. It’s a capability that didn’t exist before in Wales until these Paralympics and will be left for anyone to use. The second part of this is that we are building the galleries and adapting the building so that this is a completely accessible facility. The barriers for disabled people to conquer in the sports broadcast industry are huge. Outside Broadcast trucks have no disabled access at all, there are often no separate toilets or adaptations on site at OB’s. And of course most sports coverage relies on these trucks to function so it just becomes impossible to be involved.  

Having a remote facility that is accessible will open up opportunities for disabled people in Wales and beyond. And it’s not just the galleries themselves – it goes as far as making the building accessible by putting in a drop curb for wheelchair access and a best-in-class accessible toilet. It’s a small step in the right direction but there’s still an awfully long way to go… 

What steps can the media take to close existing diversity and inclusion gaps and ensure fair outcomes for all?  

The media needs to come together and design systems for broadcast and tech with inclusion in mind. This only works if done in consultation with the disabled community and good open discussion. Technology is evolving all the time and can really help to open up opportunities, but we need disabled people involved at the start of the process to develop tech which is inclusive at birth rather than retro-fitted… 

Any final thoughts on how we can create a truly equitable media sector?  

Equity is to treat everyone the same, so we need to get to know the people we work with and how they tick. Look for strengths and not weaknesses. We need to make the effort to find a way to feedback effectively to all so that everyone has the chance to improve and grow. Hopefully, we can create an accessible workplace and environment with no stigma around adjustments if needed…and also don’t leave people out because we are not sure what to say. Get in there and find out about them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Communication is really the key, I think…

Channel 4 is showing more than 1,300 hours of live Paralympics sport for free across Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube.  

Pete Andrews – Head of Sport, Channel 4