Fewer tongues

Broadcast says that five language services are for the chop in tomorrow's cuts at the BBC World Service. It says transmissions in Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and Portuguese will stop, as will a dedicated programme service to the Caribbean.

If Broadcast is right, these cuts will be hard for those who make the output. But it should be clear that these are not 24-hour radio services that are closing. The BBC broadcasts in Macedonian Monday to Friday, with 15 minute bulletins at 0830, 1730 and 1830, and three minute summaries at 1100 and 1500.  A large number of  the world's Macedonian speakers are outside transmitter range - in the USA, Canada, Australia and Italy.  The BBC broadcasts in Albanian 1000-1200 and 1700-1800. Serbian output runs 0630-0700, 1230-1245, 1500-1500 and 1800-1830.  In the Caribbean, there are two daily Caribbean Reports, and one Caribbean Sports Report.

The Portgugese output, currently aimed at Africa, would be a more significant loss. Again, there's currently an hour at 0430, and half-an-hour at 1700 and 2030 GMT.  But Portuguese is a major world language, ranked, depending on who you believe, fourth or fifth in number of speakers globally. It would be wrong to lose that capability.

However, these reductions are nowhere near as savage as was forecast before the end of the year, where "10 to 12" was the currency of services to be cut.  One suspects Foreign Secretary William Hague has been a bit difficult about losing language output, and that the story of tomorrow will be cuts to the World Service in English.