Gene Shay, hailed as "the dean of American folk DJs" by the Philadelphia Daily News, was named Folk DJ of the year during the 2nd Annual Folk Alliance Awards Show in Memphis, Tenn. on Feb. 21. The awards, presented on the opening night of the just-concluded 19th Annual North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance Alliance International Business Conference, recognize merit and achievement in the folk music field. Shay, who has hosted and produced weekly folk radio shows in Philadelphia for more than four decades, can currently be heard each Sunday on WXPN (88.5 FM) and, as of yesterday (Feb.24), on the FolkAlley.com stream each Saturday from 5-7 p.m. ET, with an encore broadcast Wednesday evenings at the same time....

American listeners can hear some fine folk and acoustic music from across the pond streaming online and archived on the Web sites of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

“The Mike Harding Show” on BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2’s Mike Harding, a talented folk artist in his own right, hosts a fine weekly folk programme on Wednesdays at 8-9 p.m. (London-time) that is audio-archived for a week, along with past playlists, at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/harding/. Coming up on his show: (Feb. 7) Highlights of the Folk Awards 2007, during which Pentangle and Danny Thompson received Lifetime Achievement Awards, the band Bellowhead won several awards, Seth Lakeman was named...

Valley Folk, the long-running folk-radio program hosted by Susan Forbes Hansen that aired on WFCR-FM (Amherst, Mass.), was replaced by a jazz show last Saturday night. "…there’s something infuriating about the death of a fine, locally produced show like Valley Folk and the silencing of Hansen," writes Hartford Courant lifestyle columnist Susan Campbell (Jan. 24).  "Jazz is wonderful, but the listening landscape just got a little more homogenized." Hansen can still be heard on University of Connecticut at Storrs-based WHUS-FM, where she hosts Sunday Night Folk Festival. She also is among the five nominees for folk DJ of the year in the second annual Folk Alliance Awards.  The winner will be announced Feb. 21 during the 19th Annual North American...

Listeners to WUMB Folk Radio in Boston, Mass. selected Red Molly as best new artists for 2006, while the trio’s debut album, "Never Been to Vegas," also made the University of Massachusetts-based station’s top 10 albums of the year list. With its soaring vocal harmonies, solid musicianship, and mix of Appalachian ballads, old timey-style numbers and contemporary folk, the rootsy Americana trio has been deservedly striking a responsive chord with audiences across the East Coast since its formation in 2004. WUMB DJ Marilyn Rea Beyer will interview Red Molly during "Live at Noon" on Friday, April 20.  Those living in the Boston area can tune in on 91.9 FM, while others can listen online at www.wumb.org.

“Traditions” on WFDU-FM (Teaneck, New Jersey) Ron Olesko and Bill Hahn host “Traditions,” a three-hour program airing on WFDU (89.1 FM and online at www.alpha.fd.edu/wfdu/wfdu/fm/traditions.html). Originating from the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, the broadcast can be heard Sundays from 3-6 p.m. EST. Although “traditional” music is emphasized, new traditions and artists – like up-and-comer Antje Duvekot – are also showcased. Ron and Bill add historical perspective and insightful commentary to the music they spin. “Sunday Street” on WUSB-FM (Stony Brook, New York) Charlie Backfish has been hosting the acoustic-oriented “Sunday Street” on Stony Brook University’s WUSB (90.1 FM and online at www.wusb.org) from Stony Brook, NY since 1978. The show, airing Sundays from 9-11:30 a.m....

While terrestrial radio stations are increasingly streaming and archiving shows online, there also are a number of Internet-only radio stations playing nothing but acoustic music. The latest entry is www.3degreesorless.com, which was slated to make its Web debut on January 1. Mary Post (formerly associated with WVUD-FM in Newark, Delaware) hosts and produces what she describes as “a listening room on the net tailored to those of you who love singer-songwriters, folkies, American and roots musicians and those that fall-in between.” According to a recent posting from Post to the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) listserv, the name stems from a conversation she had with singer-songwriter Erik Balkey and others a year ago during which it was decided that while...