Is it me, or is terrestrial TV in Wales appalling?

I've been inspired to ask this when I read another thread, but my question is different.

I used to live in South Wales, and I like to go to my cottage in North Wales if I can. The thing is, I have always thought that terrestrial TV in the country is, quite frankly, crap.

Firstly, no transmitters in Wales have ever aired Channel 5 on analogue since its launch 5 years ago. All tansmitters air S4C instead of Channel 4 on analogue, which is simply ridiculous. Most of S4C's output is in Welsh and, take it from me, virtually nobody in the south speaks a word of the language despite the bilingual road signs, and there are still many Welsh people in the north who don't either. Also, the north west of wales is a popular area for English holidaymakers, as well as those from the continent. I don't see why those in Wales should have to wait, or even not get to see at all, a good Channel 4 programme.

Now, you may be thinking, well go digital. I think Channel 5 is available on DTT as is Channel 4 (well, I hope it is anyway - although I think position 4 is given to S4C, as it is on DS). The problem is, I, and everyone I know across Wales, cannot receive DTT. I don't know if Carmel in the south airs it, but I think Llandonna in Anglessey does, although due to the large mountains across Snowdonia and the rest of the north west of wales, its signal doesn't get much further than Anglessey and Colwyn Bay in the far north. Most in East Wales are able to tune into an English transmitter, however. I still do not want to get DS, because its too expensive and I always have preffered to use an aerial. So it looks like Wales will have to wait until 2009 to get some better TV, when the analogue signal is turned off there.

Somone enlighten or prove me wrong please. Rant over.

perhaps we should flatten the mountains

Five was launched 9 years ago, not 5.

It would be bigger than England then

Well ive been able to get Channel 5 since day one, and ive also had Channel 4 since the mid 1990s.

Does it matter?

The only thing I can recommend is to get one of those very expensive aerials as they can get a signal from marginal areas. you may get all, some, or none of the multiplexes...

What if you get Sky, doesnt that solve all your problems?

Well that's because you live on the sunny southern seaside young Jez [and your aerial also points towards Mendip].

In the western half of the country it is astonishing how quickly you will lose a radio station -- and therefore, I presume, a clear tv picture from one house to the next.

Terrestrially speaking, Wales' tv is in a bit of a time lag -- until the late nineties, if you couldn't get C4, you almost knew no better -- it would be on S4C at some point.

As digital tv began to spread, and programmes like BB [even the final of series 1 wasn't shown live] and Shipwrecked [the first two series of which were aired after the phone lines closed] came about, the second-class status of not having C4 became much more apparent.

He said he didn't want DSat, although I agree it would answer the basic problem. You don't need to subscribe to Sky to get the basic 5 channels, just buy a second-hand Sky box and dish, install yourself and acquire a freesat card (I believe Sky will sell you one for £25). That way you'll be able to receive all the channels you need.

Oh fantastic. Please tell me more or where I can find more information about this.

But surely going to Wales means going to Wales.

Wales is different to England and so are its television channels.

If you liked going to your cottage in north Turkey, you wouldn't complain about channels four and five not being available, would you?

It all seems like a rather odd complaint to me.

Well of course I wouldn't complain, because Turkey is not the UK.

Exactly; and, as I said, Wales is not England.

So, surely, you should feed the televisual entertainment available in the evenings, into the equasion of whether you REALLY want to go to the cottage.

I expect the beer's different as well. Is that why you don't got out in the evenings when you're at the cottage, and end up stuck in front of the telly?