This
project started life at Jacey Bedford's house in Yorkshire, in January 2005.
Every New Year, members of the performers' 150-strong web forum Britfolk gather
(not all of them!) to chat about the folk business, and think up new ways to
promote their music. Pete Coe said at one point, 'The BBC doesn't seem too
interested in playing our music. What we really need is our own radio station.'
Tom Bliss, who has a background in broadcast and web design work, and is an
inveterate project-starter-upper, immediately saw the possibility for an
internet station. The Britfolk list was key from the outset. Early discussions
quickly allowed Tom to develop a basic vision, and he then rang Phil Snell (The
Toms record producer, folk musician and expert web programmer), and began to
galvanize a team of helpers via the Britfolk list.
The station was to be called Radio Britfolk because, although the word 'Brit'
does have unfortunate connotations for some people, it identified the type of
music to be played better than any other word they could think of.
It was also to be owned by folkWISE Performers Network Limited
(www.folkwise.org), a company limited by guarantee which is run by performers
for the benefit of performers. Started up by members of the Britfolk, its aim
is to support and encourage professional folk artists from Wales, Ireland,
Scotland and England (hence WISE) in all aspects of their work and career, and
to help to develop new projects. So Radio Britfolk was the perfect fit.
The station would initially be run by volunteers, with as many of the functions
as possible being devolved to users. Memberships would pay for essential costs,
especially the server, licenses and expenses for webmaster Phil, (and others
when possible), while major funding would, with luck, allow many additional
features to be developed in future.
Tom then started to promote the idea outside Britfolk and bring in other
experienced broadcasters and musicians. An Exec Production team was set up:
Henry Ayrton (England), Ben Sands (Ireland), Mick Tems (Wales), Steve Byrne
(Scotland) and Jacey Bedford (Liaison), whose brief was to oversee programme
quality, and ensure a balance of genres and styles across the board. Vicki Swan
volunteered for the essential job of tech support, and Kate Bramley took on the
search for funding.
The concept was discussed widely via the internet and many people made
invaluable contributions: John Adams, Anne Lister, Christian Mayne, Chris
Pollington, Gavin Atkin, Pete McClelland, Jez Lowe, Kate Bramley, Steve
Phillips, Sheena Wellington, Eddie Walker, Sylvia Needham, Tim Moon, Keith
Kendrick, Anahata, Dick Gaughan, Shep Woolley, Alistair Hulett, Anne
Lennox-Martin, Rick Christian, Karine Polwart, Shanty Jack, Tom and Barbara
Brown, Paul Scourfield, Pete Castle, Genevieve Tudor, Cath Mundy, Jay Turner,
John Ward, Pete Coe, Mike Freeman, Tania Opland, Alistair Russell and Elaine
Samuels included.
Soon Tom, Phil and folkWISE's financial director Dave Evardson had written a
business plan (and website design), which was put to the wider Britfolk group.
Immediately 50 people offered to become Founder Members by means of a £50
start-up donation - and some paid even more.
Phil (supported by Tom) worked like a demon, and by May? a licence-free test
site was up and ready. In July ?, with full licensing, Paypal account, and the
Patronage of Tom's old chum Andy Kershaw in place - RadioBritFolk went live.
Throughout the first year the station's reputation grew, as people all over the
world tuned in for a mix of conventional shows, documentaries, workshops - and
the unique and very popular RadioBritFolk Billboard.
In early 2006, Kate Bramley took over as administrator, with Phil still putting
massive effort into actually running the station. In May Kate secured a
substantial grant from the National Lottery Awards for All for commissioning
programmes. Now RadioBritFolk was fully fledged.
folkWISE's brief is to act as a starter/enabler, rather than a deliverer of
projects, so now the board began to think in terms of handing over ownership to
a permanent team. In mid 2007 they suggested to Phil that he might like take
over the station on a permanent basis. Phil agreed, and a handover policy was
developed - which included a name change (to signal the new ownership and give
Phil a free hand in terms of future routes) and the transfer of the membership
funds to the new management. The new management committed to honor the rights
and associated privileges of the Founder Members thus acknowledging their role
in getting RadioBritFolk off the ground.
The folkWISE Board is proud to have been a part of the creation of
RadioBritFolk and wish the new management the best in bringing the folk music
of the Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England - in all its multifarious forms -
to music lovers all over the world.
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