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Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits logo
Format	live concert series television series
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS
Original run	1976 – Present
External links
ACL website Official website

Austin City Limits is an American television music program and a staple of the Public Broadcasting Service. Austin City Limits was initially created with an eye and ear toward original Texas music, featuring artists who created innovative sounds in everything from western swing and Texas blues to Tejano music, progressive country and rock n' roll. The series went on to feature a wide range of American roots artists, covering a variety of styles and expanding beyond the borders of the Lone Star State. As the program's audience has grown, the music has encompassed regional, national and even international performers. Producer Terry Lickona continues to seek a balance of music genres in every new season. "Austin City Limits" today focuses on the unique contributions of diverse artists, music and songwriting from around the world and genres such as jazz, alternative country, alternative rock, folk music, blues rock and Jam band.

First aired in 1976, Austin City Limits has become American television's longest-running concert music program. The program is taped live by PBS member station KLRU on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Images of Austin, Texas, the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World," are seen in the opening credits. ACL's stage also features a mock skyline of Austin. The show inspired the Austin City Limits Music Festival, an annual live music festival at Zilker Park in Austin.

In 1977, ACL producers made London Homesick Blues, written by Gary P. Nunn, the ACL theme song. The show originally used the version performed by Nunn, but the song was rearranged several times starting in the mid 1990s. The current theme, beginning with the show's 30th season, is an original composition by Austin musician Charlie Sexton.

Facts

• Austin City Limits was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush in 2003. It is the only television show that has been honored with this award.
• In 2011, ACL plans to move to a new purpose-built studio complex that will substantially increase the number of audience members who can attend.^[1]
• Some of the performances from Austin City Limits have been released as CDs and DVDs in the Live from Austin, TX series.
• KLRU gives free weekly tours of the Austin City Limits studio to the public.
• There is an Austin City Limits store at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
• Kinky Friedman taped an appearance on the program that was never aired.^[2]

Performances

See: List of Austin City Limits performers

Funding

(as of the 2008-2009 season)

• AT&T
• Advanced Micro Devices
• Austin Convention Center
• Budweiser
• Lone Star Brewing Company
• Stroh Brewery Company
• Frito-Lay
• The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Viewers Like You
• SBC Communications
• Chick-Fil-A

See also

Austin portal

• Sessions at West 54th: a short-lived public television series that also featured music performances
• Soundstage: similar program from WTTW in Chicago
• Austin City Limits Music Festival
• Music of Austin
• KLRU

References

1. ^ Coons, Leslie. Austin City Limits getting new digs. keyetv.com - Channel 42 - Austin, TX. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
2. ^ The Austin Chronicle: Music: Looking Out My Back Door: Thirteen from 30 years of 'Austin City Limits'

External links

• PBS: Austin City Limits
• Austin City Limits Festival
• KLRU-TV, Austin's PBS
• Austin City Limits at the Internet Movie Database
• The Handbook of Texas Online
• Austin City Limits Artist Interviews
• Producer Terry Lickona video interview
• Current newspaper story previewing Austin City Limits' move