I find it such a shame that local radio and press, cant see the value in some of these fabulous festivals.

I am actually a freelance outside broadcast engineer and I run my own sound mobile based on the Wirral. As a consequence of my location I get a lot of work from over the border in Wales for BBC radio Cymru and BBC radio Wales. These guys have got the right idea by putting on small local festivals and putting them on the radio.
I have recorded and mixed live many welsh acts ranging from kids in a school band to the likes of Seth Lakeman and Kate Rusby at Sesiwn Fawr in Dolgellau. There is no discrimination in the quality of the acts, just that they were playing in Wales and they all deserved some airplay.

Over the years I have contacted many folk festivals and their local radio stations to suggest some quality airplay but generally there seems to be little interest in doing this.

My frustration with this is that its obvious there is some fantastic talent just dying to receive live airplay at virtually every folk festival in the country and I personally think they deserve to be supported by their local radio station.

My big question to all you folk fans is, would you listen to your local festival if it was on your local radio station?

Cheers