Austin City Limits, a television program showcasing musicians in concert performances, was founded in 1974 by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate station KLRU-TV in Austin, TX. The show’s creators were Bill Arhos, then program director, as well as Paul Bosner and Bruce Scafe, who subsequently produced and directed programs for the series. Their aim was to develop a locally produced program that could attract national attention through distribution to PBS affiliates. Capitalizing on the growing Austin music scene of the 1970s, Arhos received PBS funding for a pilot show featuring Willie Nelson and Family.
Station executives across the country liked the pilot and funded filming for Austin City Limits first season, thirteen shows that were taped in 1975 and premiered in 1976. Austin City Limits continues to follow that filming schedule with each season taped during one calendar year and aired the next. The one-hour programs usually pair two musicians, each given thirty-minute segments in which to deliver an uninterrupted, concert-style performance to a studio audience. Nationally known artists are often paired with lesser-known regional or local performers, giving those lesser-known artists a chance to be seen by the whole country. Although the mainstream country and progressive country genres have been staples of the program, Austin City Limits has also featured an eclectic mix of American music: jazz, blues, folk, pop and rock. Studio 6-A in the Communications building on The University of Texas (UT) campus is the permanent home for the show. Some members of the production crew have been with the show since the beginning. In November 2003, Austin City Limits became the first television program ever to be awarded the National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The donor of this collection, Bill Arhos, was the creator of Austin City Limits and executive producer of the show until his retirement in 1999. A Texas native and graduate of Rice University, he received his Master of Educational Administration from Texas A and M. A semi-pro baseball player and a schoolteacher for part of his career, Arhos began working at KLRN-TV, now KLRU, in 1961. He was an instructor in Radio/TV/Film at UT from 1965-1970. He served six years on the PBS Board of Directors and completed two terms on the Country Music Association (CMA) Board of Directors in 1994. Over four decades in public television, Arhos produced and directed educational and entertainment programs, series and specials, and served as program director, general manager, and president of KLRU.
From the guide to the Bill Arhos Collection of, Austin City Limits, 1974-2002, (Southwestern Writers Collection, Special Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University-San Marcos)
