Greg has a good starting list list there.

My experience has been that where local "folk" programmes exist they are often a lot better in their coverage of the genre than Mike's show. That many of the local programmes are a couple of hours or longer helps that. Both Radio Wales and Radio Scotland have good programmes in that mold too. The "UK" channels could learn a lot by looking at those.

The other thing not to lose sight of is that the likes of Stuart Marconie and Mark Radcliffe, Johnnie Walker, Tom Robinson, Janice Long, Bob Harris and others all do quite a bit to slip elements of both the more "popular" and "serious" ends of the folk spectrum into their shows. You would be surprised just how much you hear sometimes. Even Terry Wogan more or less had a regular folk slot on the go during the peak of "Sethmania" last year. Of course the sort of folkie that never listens to Radio 2 or Radio 6 in case they might "get contaminated" and find they like "mainstream" stuff never hears that, but it is there.

As for Mike Harding's show, it really should get out more. One show from Cambridge, one show from Celtic Connections and one hour special live concert for whichever folkie has turned 60 or is flogging his "new" box set each year really is taking laziness to an extreme. So let's get a minidisk recorder or two onto the soundboard at a few more festivals and indeed a few live concerts. Most listeners won't be able to tell the difference with the sound from a full mobile studio, especially after it has been mangled by the BBC's DAB compression process. If Smooth Ops don't want to get out more and want to remain in their cowshed, then they should give up at least some of the contract to someone that does.