Wales’ Heritage Minister and Plaid Cymru AM for Arfon, Alun Ffred Jones, has paid tribute to the first Director of S4C, Owen Edwards, following the announcement of his death.
Mr Jones described Owen Edwards’ contribution to Wales’ cultural life as a very rich one – from his period as presenter of programmes such as ‘Heddiw’, to his time at the helm of S4C.
Alun Ffred Jones AM said:
“Owen Edwards made a very rich contribution to broadcasting in Wales. His work as the first Director of S4C after it was established was extremely important – steering the channel very cleverly through those early years.
“Although he was a familiar face as the presenter of programmes such as ‘Heddiw’, he took on historic responsibility as the first chief executive of S4C and he succeeded in laying solid foundations for the future. We saw a substantial increase in the number of Welsh language programmes thanks to his leadership.
“As well as being a very successful figure in broadcasting, he was also a very kind and compassionate man. He’ll be remembered as such by those of us who were fortunate enough to know him, and as a cultural innovator who succeeded in enriching the life of his nation.”
