I don't think the Paul Graney programme was a "Sounds of Folk" production - it was done by someone else at GMR but Matthew's point is a good one. Whether the new remit of BBC Radio Talk Till We Drop will continue to commission these types of programmes remains to be seen. Paul Graney was someone I'd heard and read about on LP covers ("Song supplied by Paul Graney" "Thanks to Paul Graney for the words of this song", etc) but knew little about. This documentary was excellent in bringing Paul's work to the fore and I've since been in touch with the guy who's been doing the digitising of the tapes and documents for archiving. Hopefully there will be more information about what is happening to the files and how we can access them in due course.

Community Radio is fine for the immediate area around the transmitter and they do a good job but for broadcasting to a wider audience the BBC holds the trump cards and now they've just thrown their hand in!

I wish Ali and Bernard all the best at Oldham and Britfolk if it goes ahead - Britfolk Radio is streamed on the web so at least we can listen in once a month - the programmes are also archived and accessible by subscription after a week or so after transmission. Not sure about Community Radio - AllFM can be heard on the internet - from what "Community Collage" presenter Geli was saying on Sunday when I was there, they have quite a following in Bombay with one of the presenters! Their immediate transmission area is Levenshulme, Longsight and Ardwick although when conditions are right it can be picked up further afield.

Things must move on and there at least seems to be a future for folk broadcasting in one form or another.

I'd like to thank Ali and Bernard for the chance they've given me to bring the projects that I've been involved in over the past few years to a larger audience than I could have got without the show - The "Harry Boardman" and "Manchester Ballads" projects have been popular when Chris Harvey and I have performed the songs thanks in no small part to "Sounds of Folk"

Let's look forward to the future - there may be one at the BBC in time but at least there are other opportunities available.

Cheers
Mark