Yanked

Noises off suggest that new Controller Radio 4 Gwyneth Williams is about to remove the first brick of the house that Damazer built.

In May 2009, Mark Damazer (Harvard and Boston Red Sox) replaced the children's magazine, Go4It, with a programme called Americana, presented from Washington by Matt Frei. Its ambition was to be a sort of New Yorker of radio - with a little more Middle America in it, and more than a nod in the direction of the long-gone Letter From America.   Over time, doyenne of critics Gillian Reynolds has teased Matt more than once about his radio style (here and here), but earlier this month seemed much happier, saying the show had found her wavelength.

Gillian however notes: "It must cost a fortune".  She is usually well-informed, and it may be that the price is now wrong for Gywneth's diminishing Radio 4 budget. But, if Matt and the team are really asking "Whodunnit ?", the finger points firmly up Great Portland Street, to David Liddiment, the Trustee who lead the review of the network published in February this year.