So, switching on S4C2 today to watch First Ministers Questions (and the long-awaited Heritage statement), we were greeted with … the S4C2 testcard. Huh? Luckily Twitter came to the rescue, it’s on the am.pm show on BBC2 Wales instead we found out. Hmmmm.. curious.

So I phoned the S4C2 hotline number on the testcard. Turns out they’re not broadcasting Assembly coverage anymore. Since when? Well, since May 2007, apparently, when they published a consultation (pdf) on the matter. S4C2 are removing the Assembly coverage to make way for 12 hours a day of Welsh language children’s programming. Turning the news channel into Ceebeebies Cymraeg!

Well, it’s the first I heard of it, despite being a news junkie. Ah well, at least you can still watch the Assembly coverage on Senedd.tv, the BBC News Website, and at various times on BBC news/current affairs shows.

Now I’m all in favour of the proposed kids programming, and since we still have Senedd.tv then it’s not a total loss. I just wish they’d put up some banner or message on the testcard they’ve been showing for the last 2 months saying “No more Assembly coverage!”.

(Oh, and incidently, senedd.tv has the advantage that S4C2 didn't, in that you can view it while on the go on your mobile phone. Works on my Nokia E71, so it should work on Nokia N97s and newer models like that. Not sure about iPhones and Blackberries, try it! Of course, only uber-politico-geeks would actually want to view the Assembly while sat in the garden or in the bath *cough* lol)