Newyddion

Welsh-language television news on the BBC first aired on 6pm on 16 March 1956. Under the name Tele-Newyddion, this fifteen-minute bulletin was broadcast as an opt-out on the Wenvoe, Sutton Coldfield and Holme Moss transmitters, in the style of a newsreel, presenting news items from the past weeks at the time of broadcast.^[1]

Before S4C started broadcasting in November 1982, the BBC's main Welsh-language TV news programme was Heddiw (Today), which ran from 1961 to 1982. Initially shown in a lunchtime slot on certain transmitters around the UK, in later years, Heddiw moved to an early-evening slot in Wales following Nationwide, which incorporated the sister English-language programme Wales Today.

Both the BBC and HTV Wales bid for the provision of a news service, but in 1981, HTV's decision to withdraw, following disagreements with ITN over the use of its material, saw the BBC win the contract by default.^[2]

Heddiw ended in July 1982 and was replaced by short five-minute bulletins while preparations were made for the launch of Newyddion Saith, S4C's first regularly scheduled programme, which went on air at 7pm on 1 November 1982. A short news summary was also aired later in the evening, along with 15-minute bulletins at weekends.

In 2020, S4C launched a digital version of the Newyddion service, employing its own journalists and producing original stories, that would be repackaged for the television bulletin.^[2]

The main evening programme (branded Newyddion) is broadcast each weekday evening at 7:30pm with shorter editions airing throughout the day and at varying times on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Five-minute updates are broadcast at midday, mid-afternoon (2pm, 3pm), and evenings (8:55pm).

Dewi Llwyd, who presented the programme for almost 30 years, was dropped from the presentation team in 2013.^[3]

S4C weather forecasts are now broadcast in the news programme after BBC Cymru Wales moved into its new headquarters in Central Square, Cardiff.^{[citation needed]}

Spin-offs of Newyddion have been created for younger audiences. These include Newyddion Ni for school-age children and Ne-wff-ion for preschoolers.

Newyddion Ni is a successor to S4C's previous newscast for school-age children known as Ffeil.^[4] It mainly covers general topics and sport. The current Newyddion Ni presenter is Siôn Tomos Williams.^[5]

Ne-wff-ion covers general topics in a perspective that preschoolers can easily understand. There are no human presenters; instead, 2 dog puppets act as the presenters.

Newyddion won the 2012 BAFTA Cymru Award for News Coverage for a special programme broadcast from New York to mark the tenth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks.^[6]

At the 2013 BAFTA Cymru Awards ceremony Newyddion was mistakenly awarded the News Coverage award. The award was later correctly presented to ITV Cymru Wales.^[7]

At the 2015 BAFTA Cymru Awards Newyddion 9 was awarded the News Coverage Award for a special programme on the Paris Attacks.

They also won the News Coverage Award at the 2016 BAFTA Cymru awards for a programme about the refugee crisis.

Viewing figures for Newyddion ranged at one time from 180,000 to 250,000 according to S4C's weekly ratings report.^[8]