You may recognize him as Dr. Tony Jones from 22 years on "General Hospital" or as Ashley Simpson's dad on "7th Heaven." Now Emmy-nominated actor Brad Maule is hosting a weekly, half-hour musical journey through the Lone Star State. The viewership for Texas County Line has grown steadily over the past year, and soon, a whole lot more people will be saddling up and joining the weekly waggon train.
Texas County Line features traditional country music, Cajun music and western swing filmed at locations throughout Texas. Local, regional and nationally-known artists are featured, including Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Gene Watson, Bill Anderson and Bob Wills' Texas Playboys. Vintage footage of interviews and musical performances by artists from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s are also frequently included on the program.
"We're trying to do our part to keep this wonderful music alive," Maule said. "For the most part, you don't hear or see what we call classic country on many radio or TV shows these days."
The show recently announced expanded coverage in the East Texas area. Beginning on Nov. 7, the program will be aired each Saturday at 6 p.m. on the CBS affiliate, KYTX TV Channel 19, which is available in more than 500,000 households in East Texas on cable, Dish Network and DirecTV. The show will continue to be aired on its original channel, MYTX TV Channel 18, but will move to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays.
"Our audience response has been amazing, which tells us that there are lots of folks out there who still want to hear and see what we're offering," Maule said. "We've gone from no households to 100,000 and now to 500,000 households in just over a year."
With a successful, 26-episode first season in the can and having completed the first few episodes of season two, the main focus at this point is stabilization, according to Maule.
"People will recognize me from the show in places like Walmart and tell me how much they enjoy the show, but they're never sure when it's on," Maule said. "Now everyone will be able to see it at exactly 6 p.m. every Saturday."
A new addition to season two that Maule seemed particularly excited about is a Christmas special featuring local talent.
"There's a classic country movement happening and it's reaching a younger audience," Maule said. "We're looking forward to finding younger local artists who play this music that we can push and promote."
In addition to hosting the show and continuing to act, Maule also spends a portion of his time as an SFA alumnus turned faculty member, lecturing in the theater and art departments with an emphasis on the film school.
Other projects coming out next year that Maule's involve with are the films "Beautiful Silence" and "Walking Distance," where he appears with "Paranormal Activity" co-star Katie Featherston.
With more than a few healthy portions on his plate and experience under his belt, Maule still remains humble when speaking of his involvement with the show.
"I'm just excited to be a part of it all," he said.
Texas County Line is also carried on U.S. stations and cable systems in Nashville, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Waco, Temple and Dallas-Fort Worth. Beginning in early 2010, the show will air overseas in Germany, Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and Poland.
For more information, visit www.TexasCountyLine.tv or phone the Nacogdoches headquarters for Texas County Line Productions, Inc. at 936-569-8650.
Tune in on Nov. 7, and as Maule promises, "We're gonna have a great time."
