Reggae TV has taken a place in the Saturday night line-up at PBS affiliate KVCR Ch.24 in Los Angeles. The show airs at 11PM every Saturday night and is the first full length, syndicated music program to present reggae from the artist’s perspective. Each half hour episode features an interview with top artists from the genre featuring in-depth insight into their careers, opinions and lives, videos and footage.

“They’re candid conversations, really,” says show producer/director and host, Rich Demaio. “I don’t think of it as doing a documentary. The shows are like visits.”

Reggae TV was Demaio’s brainchild, inspired by longtime pal John Heimdahl who passed away just before the first show had begun production. An accomplished musician and former radio DJ/producer, Rich wanted a place to show his work and to help advance reggae, a music he loves.

“Radio, you spin records and talk about it. People hear the songs and it’s great. But there’s so much more to music,” Rich says. “With reggae, as a fan, I want to see the artists, to learn more about them apart from music. The solution to me was to produce a show that presented these artists and music in a way I think people like me, want to see it.”

Designed at first to be a local show, highlighting up and coming local reggae and ska bands, it wasn’t long before the show caught fire and reggae artists from around the world were willing (and even asking) to sit and talk and be part of  the show. In time, Reggae TV collected interviews with international acts like Shaggy, Tarrus Riley, Bushman, Ras Michael, Wailing Souls, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Nadine Sutherland, Steel Pulse and Michigan & Smiley. Season two guests include Half Pint, Ziggy Marley, Michael Rose and English Beat. Watch for further announcements.

“It’s about the music. These are top ranking artists with CDs and videos that don’t get much promotion. Reggae TV is here to present those videos, show you the artists on stage, give you a peek into their lives and to present reggae as the international art form it is. I’m having a lot of fun doing that.”

Ben Holland, Program Director at KVCR in LA had this to say: “This type of music is extremely rare to see on television and we have many people in our viewing area who are into and support to Reggae music.  I think this will be a great program for Public Television.”

KVCR-DT is seen in most Southern California cities, like Beaumont, Big Bear, Cathedral City, Chino, Chino Hills, Coachella, Colton, Compton,  Corona,  Cypress,  Indio, La Palma,  Lake Arrowhead,   Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Leisure World, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Palm Desert ,  Rancho Mirage, Redlands, Rialto, Rimforest, Riverside, Temecula, Thousand Palms, Torrance, Palos Verdes Yorba Linda and most of Los Angeles as well as Dish Network, DirecTV, and Vios.