Digital story

Here's one we need to deconstruct. “I am delighted that the BBC will be joining with the City of Birmingham and the Local Enterprise Partnership to create a partnership involving the City’s creative industries. In these economically testing times, and particularly at this moment in the digital story, working together in successful partnerships is critical to all of our futures.”

You probably didn't recognise him without the "erms".  Yes, it's BBC DG Mark Thompson, trying to build bridges with local politicians - signing up for everything except the production of tv programmes for network output, which, save Doctors, move out of the Mailbox this year.

Here's the full list of the BBC's new "commitments" to the second city - not a job or a programme in sight, and no clarity on how many licence-fees this will involve.

• Pilot an apprenticeship scheme, linked to targeted worklessness programmes, in conjunction with the creative and cultural sector and education providers.
• Develop a senior management skills sharing programme. 
• Work with small and medium sized enterprises in the city’s digital media sector and its specialist university research functions, to develop future technologies and digital content and to pilot new digital approaches in Birmingham. 
• Work across the Corporation, including its research and development and training functions to support the development and testing of new content from Birmingham content producers. 
• Open up access for Birmingham based production companies through Meet the Commissioner events. 
• Digitise and release more Birmingham-related digital archives for the opening of the Library of Birmingham.

Mark is facing local MPs later today - I'm guessing some will say this is window-dressing. The DG's already talked to some staff at the Mailbox, saying that Radio WM will be staying in the building, but that the network production desks will remain unused.  How this saves money is still a big question. Staff at The Mailbox have a union meeting on Monday, ahead of another planned one-day-strike on February 24.