“The Songwriters” rolls out nationwide in January

M.F.A. student Ryan Adams sets up the audio taping for songwriting legend Bill Anderson and “The Songwriters” host Ken Paulson.

“The Songwriters,” a weekly TV show featuring conversations with songwriters from the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, will begin a national roll out in January 2018 on PBS.

The production, hosted by Dean Ken Paulson and directed by Assistant Professor Bob Gordon, is crewed and edited entirely by MTSU students. The show recently received national accolades, including a Telly award for an episode featuring songwriter Mac Davis and a Platinum Award for Interview Programs at the 2017 Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival.

“The Songwriters” won the Platinum Award for Interview Programs at the 2017 Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival.

Department of Media Arts students, who learn their craft by producing live and taped performance broadcasts for national entertainment, athletic and documentary projects, handle mBill ost of “The Songwriters” episodes. This includes lighting, filming and editing the shows alongside Recording Industry students in audio production.

The first season is comprised of 18 episodes, with songwriters from the Hall of Fame conversing with Paulson on his or her creative process and most famous songs. Guests for the first season included Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame members Bill Anderson, Gary Burr, Steve Cropper, Sonny Curtis, Ray Stevens and Guy Clark, who passed away just months after taping the show. The program is produced by Paulson and Mark Ford, executive director of the Hall of Fame.

“We’re honored to partner with the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, bringing together some of the world’s greatest songwriters with a new generation of media professionals,” Paulson said. “The songwriter’s insights about their art and inspiration make for truly compelling television.”

“The Songwriters” airs on NPT-HD and NPT2 on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. For more information, click here.http://www.wnpt.org/schedule/

Two of the Media Arts and Recording Industry student crew adjust the microphone for Grammy-award winning songwriter Ray Stevens.