Music City Roots, Nashville’s sole live weekly music television venue, is moving from your computer screens to your TVs.
After months of negotiations, it was announced this morning that the program, which features the best of the Nashville new music scene, will debut September 13 on Nashville Public Television. Additional markets will be added throughout the summer as individual affiliate schedules allow, with more than 75 stations committed to carry the program.
Country and Americana acts form the largest part of the show, which is captured live at Nashville’s Loveless Barn on Wednesday evenings, with some bluegrass included on a regular basis. The premiere 13-episode season is a bit light on the grass, but there will be performances from IIIrd Tyme Out, Della Mae, Robin & Linda Williams and Jim Lauderdale taken from live shows recorded during the Fall of 2012.
MCR Executive Producer Todd Mayo says that everyone involved with the show is excited to reach this new milestone, and take the music of artists in, or passing through Nashville, to a wider audience.
“Music City Roots is a community of bands, fans and brands and we created the show to shine a light on musical diversity, quality and authenticity and to push that out through live radio, live streaming, syndicated radio and now nationwide television. Our musical culture is our number one export as a city and we are all very proud to be partnering with NPT to present Music City Roots to a nationwide audience.”
The show will continue to be broadcast live each Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on WHPY 94.5 FM in middle Tennessee, and via video streaming from the MCR web site. Distribution to public television will be handled by American Public Television.
Nashvillians can catch the first show on NPT at 7:00 p.m. (CT) on September 13. Viewers in other markets should check local listings for air times as additional affiliates grab the program.
