Leeked

BBC DG Lord Hall is in Wales - last night addressing a reception at the Welsh Assembly. And the word most of the papers have picked up from his speech is "eroded".  Thus...

Despite BBC Wales’ very real success, we must also acknowledge that English language programming from and for Wales has been in decline for almost a decade. The reduction in ITV Wales’ contribution has played a big part in this – but the BBC’s output has also been eroded. 

What does that mean for audiences here? It means, inevitably, that there are some aspects of national life in Wales that are not sufficiently captured by the BBC’s own television services in Wales, and I would include comedy, entertainment and culture in those categories.

Does this matter? Of course it does: the vitality of any nation must surely rest on more than its journalism. One cannot fully realise a nation’s creative potential or harness its diverse talents through the important, but narrow, prism of news. Now this narrowing of output was foreseeable, of course. Faced with budget cuts, BBC Wales rightly took the decision locally to prioritise and protect specific areas of national output – including news, current affairs and political coverage. 

Expect more soon from Gavin and Stacey, Rob Brydon, Katherine Jenkins and Bryn Terfel, and further monstering of the current Dylan Thomas centenary.