May 25, 2000 14:50

CAMPAIGNERS FIGHT FOR KERSHAW'S REINSTATEMENT

[b]Folk Roots[/b] magazine lead the clamour to have the world music expert reinstated...

Support is mounting for ditched Radio 1 DJ ANDY KERSHAW, with FOLK ROOTS magazine spearheading a campaign to have him reinstated on the radio.

Ian Anderson, editor of Folk Roots, is urging all fans of world music to bombard Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt with emails of "heavy complaints and buckets of digital hyena offal," and said the station "should be charged with crimes against humanity". It was Parfitt who yesterday (May 24) announced that Kershaw was being axed after 14 years to make way for "new DJs and new forms of music".

As reported yesterday on nme.com, the decision was greeted with outrage by the world music community. Speaking this morning, Anderson told nme.com: "I think it is absolutely outrageous, though typical of out of touch broadcasting organisations in this country, that the only national radio DJ specialising in roots, world and folk music is being axed at a time when all this musics are on a roll.

"Just take a look at the amount of floor space given to these musics in megastores - lots, they don't commit if not profitable. And check out all the festivals and concerts that sell out when more allegedly mainstream music festivals don't. Last year, for example, when rock and dance festivals were collapsing left, right and centre, all the main world music and folk events were complete sell-outs."

Anderson continued that Kershaw, whose last show will be broadcast tonight (May 25), has been the catalyst, enthuser and neighbourhood noticeboard of the world music scene since the mid-'80s, and has called for the show to be picked up by Radio 2.