Mountain stage began in 1983 as a radio program featuring diverse national and international musical acts. Los Lobos, Alison Krauss, Phish and Joan Baez are among the hundreds of guests that have appeared on the show. Most shows feature five acts and are taped at the Cultural Center Theater at the Capitol Complex in Charleston, West Virginia. The Mountain Stage television show is currently airing on over 193 public television stations. The shows are hour-long compilations of live tapings of the radio show.