Joe Offer -
Date: 10 Apr 17 - 06:18 PM
".. whether the National Folk Awards and the BBC Folk Awards
are the same thing"

"National Folk Awards" is not really the correct title.
BBC usually refer to them as "BBC Folk Awards"/"BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards".
imho they could be called the Smooth Operations(7digital) Folk Awards
This is a BBC page which mentions the Red Button & gives other links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/949ded7a-3da0-4369-ac7c-ac989cafce5a

As well as producing BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Smooth Operations(7digital) produce the BBC Radio 2 weekly folk show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/search? filter=programmes&q=The%20Folk%20Show%20with%20Mark%20Radcliffe

Radcliffe and Maconie's daily show on BBC Radio 6 Music
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0100rp6

"... long-running associations with the Cambridge Folk Festival "| Cambridge Live
https://www.cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/folk-festival
& "...Radio Festival and the Radio Academy's prestigious award ceremony."

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"Joe Offer -
Date: 10 Apr 17 - 06:18 PM
...so controversial?"
imho... because lots of mudcat people are at the local, non profit making end whilst Panellists "...must have a professional or semi-professional connection to folk music and be reliably exposed to a wide range of folk, roots and acoustic music. "
thread.cfm?threadid=161498%26%2365533%3B#3838252

Mudcatters interests are more esoteric while Smooth Operations(7digital) have shareholders to look after and the BBC have viewer and listener numbers in mind.

And it is easier to write on the mudcat forum than it is to find the Smooth Operations or BBC email address and write to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~
R2 Folk Show & Smooth Operations contact details
Email folkshow@bbc.co.uk
Twitter @bbcradio2 - add #folkshow to your tweet
Sms 88291 - text during show times only
[Texts will be charged at your standard message rate. Cheack with your network provider for exact costs.]
Other
Write to
The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe, c/o Smooth Operations, PO Box 18, Dobcross, Oldham, OL3 5FS

folkawardspanel@smoothoperations.com

http://about.7digital.com/company/smooth-operations