‘Live From Cain’s’ Receives Public Broadcasting Grant

“Live From Cain’s,” the public radio music show at the crossroads of the American music and cultural experience, has received a $200,000 development grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to support the production of a seven-episode pilot season beginning in 2020. The grant will be used to grow “Live from Cain’s” from the concept stage to a viable music program for eventual national distribution within the public radio system. Funding from CPB and community sources will support show productions and research, as well as strategies for digital content and marketing.
 “The CPB grant is a real game-changer for the future of this show,” said Julie Watson, “Live From Cain’s” co-executive producer. “Thanks to CPB and with additional support from the philanthropic and corporate communities, we have a very real opportunity to amplify the music DNA that’s at the heart of the Tulsa cultural experience with public radio audiences in Oklahoma and across the country.” 
The pilot radio series will follow the successful completion of the first-ever “Live From Cain’s” pilot show, recorded at historic Cain’s Ballroom and set to air on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. on KOSU 83.3/91.7/107.5 & 107.3 in Stillwater/Oklahoma City/Northeast Oklahoma; Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m. on KGOU 106.3/105.7 in Norman/Oklahoma City; and Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. on KWGS 89.5 in Tulsa. The additional radio shows will also be recorded live at the iconic American music hall that is known by musicians and patrons alike as one of the world’s top performance venues. As the home of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys from 1934 to 1942, Cain’s Ballroom was especially significant for popularizing Western swing through a midnight radio show and a daily noon-hour broadcast that aired across much of America. 
 Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Robbie Fulks, who has appeared on numerous public radio programs and previously hosted a music performance/interview program for XM satellite radio, will host “Live From Cain’s”. He will be joined by Tulsa musician Paul Benjamin, who will lead an all-star house band, the Oklahoma Specials, featuring a rotating lineup of homegrown talent from Grammy-nominated musician John Fulbright to pros such as Travis Linville, Paddy Ryan and Jeremy Watkins.
 “Public media provides a vital platform for arts, culture and information that documents and shares the American experience in all its richness and diversity. CPB is proud to support the development of ‘Live From Cain’s’ as it continues a tradition of music in Tulsa and the heartland,” said Kathy Merritt, senior vice president, journalism and radio, for the CPB. For more information, visit www.livefromcains.com 

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