If Richard wants to carry on doing a radio show, I wouldn't have thought he would struggle to get a gig.
As for his contribution to soul music, what do you have to do to get some people on here to acknowledge you might have had a part to play?
I've heard him DJ from the early seventies at the Blue Rooms in Sale and the Casino onwards, through the wide open dance floors of the early eighties, the fantastic nights at the Halfway House, the Trafalgar and Parkers and wherever he's been on, he always had tunes I wanted to dance to. I remember him guesting on Soul Train in the 70's and livening Andy Peebles up. I stumbled across his show on Red Rose in about 1985; I've listened to his shows ever since. He's introduced me to many more great records than anyone else and I thank him for it. I've spoken to him about half a dozen times in 30 odd years - usually to ask him to play something.
Sure, he's made some money but it only seems to be with the True Believers in rare soul circles that this is a crime. I hero worship no man save Denis Law, Eric Cantona and Curtis Mayfield but Richard? He seems like a good bloke...and if it wasn't for him I would never have seen the Dells.