Frothy coffee

Sometimes it's easy to patronise people in other countries by accident.  Sometimes it's done through ignorance. Not long ago, while still Controller, BBC Vision, Jana Bennett made a visit to BBC Wales - where a new "drama village" will soon be in operation.  Asked if she'd like a refreshment at the first meeting, she's reported to have said "Can I be terribly London and have a cappuccino ?"

The Welsh Language Board suspects a different form of patronage is going on in the hunt for a new Controller of BBC Wales. At present, speaking Welsh is "desirable, not essential" in the job specification.  The Board says Mark Thompson has refused to add a condition that a non-Welsh speaking Controller should be expected to achieve fluency as a condition of their contract.  

The last five Controllers of BBC Wales have been bi-lingual, and there are plenty with the same facility who think the job should be theirs; but the contrarian blog, Gogwatch, innocently states "In a country where most Welsh people do not speak Welsh it is odd that the best job in BBC Wales keeps going to a Welsh speaker".

It's also odd that neither the post of Controller, BBC Wales nor the post Controller BBC Vision has been filled yet - our dear DG knew about the impending vacancies in November (and probably before).   Are they both being held to be filled after a further executive re-structure ?

• 1.30pm Update: Interesting to note that the Guardian's Media Monkey also picked up vibes of changes at BBC Vision during his regular ligging at the RTS Awards....