East Tennessee’s Own WDVX Blue Plate Special, a free admittance daily live broadcast of local and regional musicians performing in studio at the Knoxville Visitor Center at 301 South Gay Street, will be featured in a 30 minute episode of the Creative License TV series on East Tennessee PBS. The episode will air on Saturday Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. on East Tennessee PBS-2 World & TN Channel (Channel 203 in area Comcast listings), and also on Sunday Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. on East Tennessee PBS (Channel 2).
This upcoming episode of Creative License will offer some unique interviews with host Red Hickey as well as sound technician Daniel Kimbro and others, up-front and behind-the-scenes footage of the Blue Plate crew in action during one of their live broadcasts, and footage of Kimbro’s band Mountain Soul and visiting artist Henry Wagons performing live on the Blue Plate Special last summer.
Why feature WDVX on TV?
WDVX’s Blue Plate Special has, and continues to have, an enduring positive impact on the lives of both local and regional artists and musicians as well as the fans and friends who support them. Over the years the show has gained immense popularity both in and around Knoxville, and many local and area music lovers have come to be familiar with the dynamic voice and playful personality of Blue Plate Special host Red Hickey. She describes the Blue Plate Special in her own words saying, “We add classic country in there, and bluegrass, and gospel, as well as singer-songwriters and folk music and country music and alt-country music. It’s all mixed together in this big pie.”
The Creative License TV series is produced by TRC Media (the television production arm of the Renaissance Center) in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the producers share with WDVX the belief that the arts in Tennessee should be shared with everyone. Creative License thus decided to film an episode with the WDVX Blue Plate Special’s crew of passionate and talented people who work hard each day to keep the spirit of noncommercial radio and authentic live performance at the center of their focus.
