Service levels

The kicking around of the ball that is the next three years' funding of the BBC World Service is picking up.

The Guardian reports this from Foreign Secretary William Hague: "I read this morning that the "Burma office" [of the World Service] is to be closed. But there is no Burma office of the BBC. There is not such a thing. There is a service that is broadcast into Burma. But that does not cost very much. And ... [closing it] probably wouldn't be a very good way of saving money.

Here am I as someone who in opposition has appeared on platforms with Burmese human rights activists, launched books with Burmese human rights activists and been on the World Service talking about Burma and the importance of communicating into it. The chances that I'm then going to sit in my office and say 'let's close the World Service into Burma' are correspondingly small".

Meanwhile Media Guardian picks up on BBC Chairman Sir Michael Lyons in front of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee. ""We're talking about an audience of 180m in the last year [and] very modest expenditure for Britain to have its voice heard by that large an audience.. Far from spending less, it's an area where you could really get that [influence] by spending more."

"The parameters of the conversation are the same as the rest of the FCO and the rest of government". Which presumably means cuts of 25% or more, unless Hague varies it.