What we've learned this week...

Ed Vaizey of the DCMS confirmed, in the Commons debate on diversity, that the White Paper on BBC Charter renewal will be published in May, saying he had seen an early draft.  

The Telegraph believes the issue of top-slicing the licence fee is under current discussion with the BBC, who are trying to argue against plans to set aside a pot of funds for children's programmes, open to competition.

Neil Midgley's sources say the John Whittingdale "I dated a sex-worker unknowingly" piece on Newsnight was only run past the DG late in the run-up to transmission "as a courtesy". That sort of courtesy is likely to make our Tony, Editor-in-chief, slightly choleric.

Next week: anticipation is mounting for the arrival from McKinsey of a series of top quality overheads to help BBC staff understand where they are in the new, simpler-organisational-structure-with-funny-titles-not-at-all-unlike-W1A. For some, the sentence can be extended - "if at all".