(Credit: Austin City Limits)
Emmis Austin Radio announced today that KGSR has been reborn as Austin City Limits Radio, the result of a multi-year licensing agreement with Austin City Limits Enterprises, LLC. The new station offers a bold genre-jumping playlist based on the Austin City Limits brand’s legendary aesthetic. Austin City Limits Radio officially launches at 5pm CDT today and will air on 93.3 FM, 97.1 FM, and at ACL-Radio.com, and will kick-off with a live broadcast from Austin’s Arlyn Studios. Mayor Steve Adler will ceremoniously pull the switch signaling the changeover and “Whiskey River,” the first song performed by Willie Nelson on the pilot episode of Austin City Limits in 1974, will be the first song played on Austin City Limits Radio.
Tom Gimbel, General Manager of Austin City Limits says “The Austin City Limits brand has been built on integrity and a commitment to showcasing the very best in music – whether to our weekly public television audience, at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, or at a concert at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. It’s exciting to see ACL take this very natural next step by extending into radio. To partner with another of Austin’s great music beacons in KGSR, one with a 28 year history in the market, is an incredible opportunity to enrich our local airwaves and serve the Austin community.”
Listeners to Austin City Limits Radio can expect to hear artists ranging from Willie Nelson to Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran to Kacey Musgraves, and Radiohead to Gary Clark Jr.
Emily Parker, Program Director of Austin City Limits Radio 93.3 and 97.1 KGSR commented, “The concept of basing a radio format on the rich history of the ACL TV show, the tastemakers at ACL Festival and ACL Live, and the curators of KGSR’s iconic radio station are what allowed us to develop this one-of-a-kind authentic Austin brand. The premise of Austin City Limits Radio is one that reflects how people actually listen to music in the on-demand digital age. There will be no format limits. Just as our audience’s personal playlists may include everything from Alternative to Pop, Country to Hip Hop, and everything in between, so will the music mix we craft on ACL Radio.”
Austin City Limits Radio will continue to produce KGSR’s signature events, including Blues On The Green™, Unplugged At The Grove™ and live broadcasts from South By Southwest™ and The Austin City Limits Music Festival™. Community is at the core of Austin City Limits Radio and the tradition of KGSR, which was recognized earlier this year by the National Association of Broadcasters with the prestigious Crystal Radio Award for community service, honoring the station’s longstanding commitment to raise funds and awareness for a variety of causes, such as the Health Alliance For Austin Musicians (HAAM), Austin Disaster Relief Network, The Seton Fund, Make-a-Wish, Austin Parks Foundation, and Communities in Schools.
Scott Gillmore, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Emmis Austin Radio, who was the original General Manager for KGSR when it debuted in 1990 notes, “This unprecedented and innovative licensing agreement with a local radio station brand and a national, even international brand like Austin City Limits is groundbreaking. It just makes sense. KGSR and Austin City Limits are two of the most beloved music brands in Austin. Just as Austin has grown and evolved, so has Austin City Limits – and now KGSR will join in that evolution. We will be playing music and serving the Austin community in new ways with new partners. We couldn’t be more excited!”
On Saturday, September 8, at noon CDT, Austin City Limits Radio 93.3 and 97.1 KGSR will air its inaugural live performance from The Dell Music Lounge, a four-song acoustic set from Leon Bridges. This broadcast will mark the first artist to officially have performed on all Austin City Limits branded outlets – the Austin City Limits television show, Austin City Limits Music Festival, ACL Live at the Moody Theater, and now Austin City Limits Radio.
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ABOUT EMMIS AUSTIN RADIO
Austin City Limits Radio 93.3 and 97.1 KGSR is part of Emmis Austin Radio – which owns and operates seven uniquely Austin radio stations including Austin City Limits Radio 93.3 and 97.1 KGSR, 93.7 KLBJ-FM, 101X, Latino 102.7, 103.5 BOB-FM, 107.1 La Z, and NewsRadio KLBJ 590AM & 99.7FM. Emmis Austin Radio also offers two more locally-programmed HD Radio music channels in Austin: heavy metal “No Control Radio” at 93.3 HD-3 and dance, MEGA at 103.5 HD-2.
ABOUT AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
The acclaimed, award-winning Austin City Limits (ACL) is the longest-running music program in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception in 1974, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. The program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012. Austin City Limits is produced by KLRU-TV, Austin PBS. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
ABOUT KLRU-TV, AUSTIN PBS
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS is dedicated to telling stories that entertain, inspire and change our lives. KLRU highlights what makes Austin unique — whether music, arts or public issues — by creating and distributing award-winning original content. In addition to Austin City Limits, KLRU also produces Arts In Context, Central Texas Gardener, and Overheard with Evan Smith for PBS stations across the nation. We also create online-first projects like Decibel, KLRU’s news and public affairs initiative. As a nonprofit educational organization, KLRU also prepares children to succeed in school and creates lifelong learning opportunities for all. Find out more at KLRU.org.
