"On Monday 7 February, for the first time, the Folk Awards will be broadcast live on Radio 2 following a special edition of Simon Mayo's Drivetime which will also be broadcast live from the event from 1700 - 1945.

From 1945 - 2200 you can listen live to the Folk Awards ceremony as it happens or watch the whole event online or on digital TV by pressing the Red Button. Video highlights will also be available here and via the Red Button the following day."

At a national level, the BBC obviously considers that there is an audience for folk music, and folk dance too. There is a different opinion at local level. Stuart Thomas, Head of Regional and Local Programmes, BBC East Midlands, wrote to me to say;

"We feel we now need to provide a programme that appeals to a wider number of licence fee payers in the East Midlands, especially as there are no longer any local or regional programmes available on commercial radio in the evenings...

While I know some of these programmes also had a healthy following with listeners like yourself on the internet, my first responsibility has to be to the majority of licence fee payers in the East Midlands, and it was with them in mind that we are making this change."

I am sure he will be willing to announce the number of listeners attracted by the new programme to demonstrate that he was right.