that a lot of negative feedback, such as some of the comments posted above, can weigh in towards the opposite result

I think, Tom, that it really depends on the way that the comment is phrased. I think it's perfectly acceptable to say (in so many words), "Many thanks for putting on such-and-such a folk music based programme. It could have been even better if..."

In last year's debate on this same programme, many people thought that we should be grateful that the BBC had put this programme into the schedules. Never mind the quality (they said) just be thankful it was there, and don't knock it. There's so little folk music on TV that any crumb that's knocked off the table for us is like gold dust.

It's not a view I share. Yes - of course I'm pleased that the programme schedulers thought fit to have the programme created in the first place; but I'm not going to let that cloud my personal views and judgements on sound quality, presentation, character, etc. I would even go so far as to say that no folk music is preferable to one that's crappily produced and puts people off the idea. The excellence of the recent programmes on folk dancing and clogging shows that the standard is attainable.