Terry Lickona

How related is "Austin City Limits" to Austin's reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World?

That's something I think people have asked for years. Would there be an "Austin City Limits" if it wasn't for Austin, or would the Austin music scene exist if it wasn't for "Austin City Limits?" Obviously, it's a two-way street. There's no doubt that having an hourlong weekly music show on national TV ... is like a window for the rest of the world on Austin, Texas. But that being said, "Austin City Limits," it might have existed, but it probably wouldn't have lasted for 40 years if we didn't have Austin as the breeding ground or the incubator for so much great music that has defined Austin over the years.

What are you doing to fit in with today's musical landscape?

If you look at what "Austin City Limits" is today, at least in terms of conventional television, it's a one-hour music concert program. We do a little bit of interview, but mostly it's all about the music. When MTV came along [people] said, 'Nobody's going to sit and watch a concert on television or watch somebody just getting up and singing or playing music; they want to see more than that.' The truth of the matter is that people really do like to watch somebody pour their heart and soul into their music.

I think one of the most important leaps into ... the present is the fact that we have tried to build up a stronger presence online through our own website and also through the overall PBS website. Just a couple of years ago we started a new trend of trying to stream as many of our tapings as possible so that people can actually watch them live while they're happening.

When you think about 40 years of content, we are still in the process of digitizing our library. We have these incredible full-length performances of somebody like Ray Charles or Johnny Cash or Roy Orbison or Stevie Ray Vaughan. ... If we can find a way to make them available online ... that's our collective dream-vision, which is a work in progress still, and it's a big job.

You tape 13 shows a year—are artists lining up to perform? Or are you still out there seeking them?

It's a lot easier now than it was in the early days. We've had some amazing luck, though, with getting some major stars and artists who have gone out of their way to come and do the show. Nobody does it for the money; it is public television, so everybody gets paid the same PBS musician scale. When Willie Nelson did the show in 1974, it seems to me that we paid him something like $175 to do that show. I'm happy to say our musician scale has gone up to about $500 after 40 years, so it's a little more worthwhile for them to come and do the show.