Bring Andy Kershaw Back to BBC Radio petition

[Guest]

Hi,

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is now a growing online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringbackkershaw/ in order to get the BBC to bring back Andy's regular music programme, which is not only missed by a huge number of people, but also very much needed - his knowledge, Enthusiasm and boundless energy for folk, roots, blues, rock and world music (to name only a few) is second to none. Please show your support for his return by adding your name to the petition and sharing it online as much as possible. Thanks.

[Alison]

I think we need Peter Barker back on radio 3 personally.

[cloughie]

I think we need Peter Barker back on radio 3 personally.

I think we need Aubade instead of Breakfast.

[Bryn]

Hi,

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is now a growing online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringbackkershaw/ in order to get the BBC to bring back Andy's regular music programme, which is not only missed by a huge number of people, but also very much needed - his knowledge, Enthusiasm and boundless energy for folk, roots, blues, rock and world music (to name only a few) is second to none. Please show your support for his return by adding your name to the petition and sharing it online as much as possible. Thanks.

Is there perchance an opposing petition I can sign?

[Lateralthinking1]

Oh dear. I fear that we have been here before. There have been petitions. I believe they generated the kind of energy to heat every home in one of Britain's regions. Hopefully this initiative will be more cool as befits the motivation.

Look. Andy Kershaw was a great presenter. He showed that he is still a great presenter in 'Music Planet' last year. Personally I am grateful for the wonderful music he has played over the years. I still have the cassettes of his Zimbabwe and Mali series which I made a special point of home taping. Anyhow, that bit's gone but it will never be too late for him to return to the airwaves.

At the same time, I feel that we have some very good World Music presenters. They are not as widely acknowledged as they might be. And then there is the question of who will be next. If there are no obvious candidates, it is because, wrongly, they are not actively being sought. SOAS Radio is just one possible source of talent. There are quite a lot of others.

And it does seem a little odd that in World Music, there is such a clamour for one person. I just don't go along with the idea that we need a "Mr World" any more than people needed Charles Atlas. Of course, I would be happy to see Andy back as one of the presenters on R3. Equally, he would do a terrific job on 6 Music or, and this is really radical, even give some life to R2.

But having said as much, it isn't clear to me that he isn't a presenter on R3, albeit one on a lengthy sabbatical. Perhaps we need more clarification about his position there, and indeed what he wants for himself, before plunging into any of this more deeply.

[johncorrigan]

Hi,

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is now a growing online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringbackkershaw/ in order to get the BBC to bring back Andy's regular music programme, which is not only missed by a huge number of people, but also very much needed - his knowledge, Enthusiasm and boundless energy for folk, roots, blues, rock and world music (to name only a few) is second to none. Please show your support for his return by adding your name to the petition and sharing it online as much as possible. Thanks.

I'll nip over and sign though I'm not sure how much good it'll do, erazered.
For many of the reasons that Lat mentions, I'd love to hear AK back on the radio - a large amount of what I listen do was influenced by him and his programmes I still think that his documentaries on music from various parts of the globe are around the best examples of BBC radio - you only have to listen to one of those old shows from the R3 archive to hear that enthusiasm, that energy, that commitment.
However we have heard little since Music Planet apart from the book and I haven't heard Andy say that he'd like to get back behind the decks or out on the road. 6 go with lovely Cerys and dull Peterson and R2 seem to have enlisted Nitin for the occasional outing of world music. I'd prefer Andy to Lopa, but that would be exceeding unlikely, so I'm not sure where he's going to get fitted in. I'll head over there, but I'm not holding out much hope.
Indeed to paraphrase Nish Kumar at the Ed Festival: “I'm really pessimistic about this; in fact, if there was an Olympics for pessimism … I wouldn’t fancy my chances.”

Actually I realised I signed it ages ago.

[Lateralthinking1]

Actually I realised I signed it ages ago.

Interesting comments John. Broadly agree. I have selected the final sentence here to highlight that this is an earlier, if ongoing, petition. I did wonder but didn't know for sure. It looks like there are 632 signatures to date. There are many recent forum members so this thread gives them an opportunity to be aware of it and sign if they have not done so. My views are as they were set out last night but obviously I wish good luck to everyone who feels that the petition is a good way to take things forward.

[Paul Sherratt]

erazered,

Do you have it on the highest possible authority that the dj actually wants to resume regularly spinning records ?