Familiarisation

There are times when the BBC DG has to earn his substantial sack of corn - and the run-up to Christmas looks like being one of those. At a time, normally, when seasonal pre-records are done, and parties can commence, Thommo's diary will instead be filled with interviews, seminars, Commons Select Committees and speeches trying to put reassuring flesh on the 48-hour six-year-licence fee deal.

The end of last week was spent getting closer to the World Service, at sessions with language editors. If William Hague hadn't done enough to secure a future for the Burmese Service, Aung San Suu Kyi nailed it with this quote "I never really felt I was alone... partly thanks to the BBC which kept me in touch with the rest of the world". We probably need to know if she listened by radio, fm, short-wave, online or indeed watched tv. 


There is, probably, some tension still between the FCO and the World Service management ambitions.  The BBC side seems to be floating a strategy which might cut, for example, Caribbean, Vietnamese and Macedonia services - and perhaps concentrate more on programmes than networks, to enable investment in Africa and perhaps Urdu. The FCO will want to keep as many language services as possible.  

Resolution is unlikely now until the New Year.