Forgive me. Although interested in the topic, I got bored of reading this thread. I know several of the contributors and I know what age group they fall into. The postings all seemed to reference back and I saw very little regard for the future. Our 14 year old daughter loves folk music. She has grown up attending workshops at Sidmouth led by the likes of Jackie Oates, Emily Portman, Jim Causely. These are the people who gave folk music a relevance to her. She says we cannot ever stop going to Sidmouth - it is the centre of her universe and she adores her evenings in the Bulverton. She would never listen to Mike Harding - she has built her knowledge of folk music from her father and attending folk festivals since she was a babe in arms. (She learnt Parting Glass from Ed Sheeran's CD) The tradition will not stand still - there are kids out there loving the genre. I doubt she would ever listen to a folk radio show - she would use you tube or google to find out more about the artists she loves. In reality, who takes on the show may well become academic. It really is not how the world works now. Look at how many festivals there are, some that blend genres and do so much to reach out to new audiences. Your debate should not just reference your own desires, but should consider the wider and future audience. We ahould, for example, be considering Jon Boden for the job - he is knowlegeable and charismatic and would pull in a very wide audience.