Chattanooga’s downtown and scenic views will be on full display to television viewers across the United States through a new original show airing tomorrow on Circle. A country music and lifestyle television network, Circle launches on New Year’s Day, broadcasting to more than half of U.S. TV households.
Hosts and producers of the new original show, Authentic America, visited Chattanooga earlier this year to explore the city and Lookout Mountain by motorcycle.
“I loved Chattanooga. How many times have I been through there and didn’t take time to stop and visit?” said Nan Kelley, co-host of Authentic America. “Chattanooga has a beautiful downtown area, lovely people and lots of interesting things to see and do that I never knew were there. That’s kind of the point of our show—to highlight places and attractions that you may not know you're missing out on.”
“Chattanooga has all the small-town charm with major city attractions; that, coupled with the obvious love of the outdoors that the city promotes, has me rethinking where I live,” added Charlie Kelley, Nan’s husband, co-host and a Grammy-nominated artist.
Authentic America will take viewers on a two-wheeled version of the classic American road trip by way of back roads and rural routes, exploring some of the country’s best kept secrets. In the Chattanooga episode, Nan and Charlie ride through downtown, stopping at the MoonPie General Store and Songbirds Guitar Museum before riding up Lookout Mountain to check out the scenic views.
“We’re excited for this new network coming out of Tennessee that will show Chattanooga’s authentic experiences to people across the United States,” said Dave Santucci, chief marketing officer of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’re honored Authentic America chose Chattanooga for its debut, and we look forward to the show’s success in introducing viewers to Tennessee, its places and its people.”
Authentic America is one of 16 original shows airing on Circle, which will be available on Gray Television stations across 56 markets and on CBS stations in six major cities. Circle will also feature weekly, live broadcasts from the Grand Ole Opry, entertainment news, documentaries, movies and Hee Haw reruns.
Authentic America premiers with the Chattanooga episode when the network launches Wednesday. The Chattanooga episode will air multiple times through Jan. 5.
While Circle is currently unavailable in the Chattanooga market, new locations are under evaluation as coverage grows.