lecture

These will be called The Gay Byrne Memorial Lectures. Amongst the audience were many distinguished broadcasters and journalists, academics and members of the media.

Thank you to RTS Cymru Wales for inviting me to give this year’s lecture. It’s a privilege to be with you all here tonight, particularly as we’re here in this shiny building – the new home for Cardiff University’s prestigious school of journalism, media and cultural studies as well as, of course, BBC Wales.

Opportunities such as this give a rare chance to reflect publicly on what has been an incredible few years - a constant and glorious work in progress that myself and the other Bad Wolves are passionately driven and obsessed by. 

Speaking before a packed house at Belfast arts venue, the MAC, Forbes said: “Public service media has never been more necessary or more relevant than it is today.”

She placed a strong focus on young audiences, explaining: “We must now prepare and re-imagine RTÉ for the next generation – a generation that has never been without the internet, the smartphone, on-demand video services, social media and access to the best programming and content from all over the world.”

Tony Wilson is one of the region’s defining media figures and “Mr Manchester” is rightly remembered each year by RTS North West’s Anthony H Wilson Memorial Lecture.

Chaired by Granada News presenter Lucy Meacock – a former colleague of Wilson on Granada Reports and Granada Upfront – the lecture drew a large audience of 150 people to the Lowry Theatre, Salford in mid-October.

As well as his television work, Wilson also ran Factory Records, home to Joy Division, New Order and many other Manchester bands.