All the fuss over here about the change of presenter on a folk radio programme got me musing on the actual value, these days, of such programmes - and whether they have as much real influence these days in bringing new music to people.

When I was in my teens and twenties the radio and then the TV were core sources for discovering music, and certain weekly programmes were a 'must' and couldn't be missed: "Pick Of The Pops", "Jazz Record Requests", "Country Meets Folk", etc. - pick your own - and certain presenters (who I've mentioned elsewhere) such as Mike Raven, Charlie Gillett and Alexis Korner were essential guides.

When I started to play music myself, the networking (we didn't call it that then) with other musicians became a vital part of discovering new music. "Hey, have you heard so-and-so?" But I think that much of this has changed - not just because of the vast resources available on the net - but also because networking with other musicians has, for me at any rate, also become more complex. We not only discuss music and musicians face to face, we send each other links to YouTube or SoundCloud; we email music files in abc or tab to each other; we put up files on our websites and raid others.

Radio and TV in its conventional forms as a source of discovery - for me - play much less of a part in all this and are far less influential than they used to be. Furthermore, the rise of internet radio, with programmes dedicated solidly to a musical genre, has made the process of discovery far more complex and interesting.

Always assuming, of course, that you still want to discover new music...