Music television has changed dramatically over the past two decades. As audiences have shifted from cable channels to streaming platforms and digital video, creators have had to rethink not only how people watch, but how they discover new artists and connect with them.

For Frederick Smith Jr., that evolution has been years in the making. Long before streaming became routine, his team was building online destinations for sports and music fans, from HoopTV.net in 1999 to TheBasketballChannel.com and later JustJazz.TV. Now, the Emmy Award-winning sports and entertainment producer is bringing that experience together in AlexisLombre.TV, a music-first talk show designed for today's online audience.

Led by Chicago pianist, vocalist, composer, and producer Alexis Lombre, the series combines live performances, artist interviews, and podcast-style conversations into a format Smith describes as part talk show, part podcast, and part concert. "I spent most of my professional life working with two things many people love, sports and music," he said. "I wanted to bring some of my passions to a greater audience and meet them where they are."

Why Alexis Lombre Leads The Show

The Alexis Lombre Show centers on the South Side Chicago jazz pianist whose creative work also spans vocals, composition, and production. Lombre has toured across the U.S. and internationally with artists such as Jon Batiste and Dee Dee Bridgewater, giving the series a host with deep performance experience and a wide musical frame of reference.

Smith describes Lombre as “an emerging new artist with an old soul for a new generation.” The description fits a host who can move between the guest chair and the piano without treating conversation and performance as separate experiences.

Her single “Boundaries,” released in 2024 as part of Apple Music’s Juneteenth Freedom Songs playlist, offers a useful example of that voice. The song centers on standing up for yourself and taking ownership of personal space, which fits a show where music can open into conversations about culture and community.

A Music Talk Show Built For Digital Viewing

Smith calls the format “part podcast, part talk how, part live concert experience.” AlexisLombre.TV carries that blend into a hosted show with live music, guest conversations, and the atmosphere of a studio audience.

The series is planned for fall 2026, with 10 episodes of 20–30 minutes produced in downtown Inglewood, California. Smith’s background in late-night television helps shape the structure, while Lombre’s musicianship keeps each episode tied to the music.

The guest mix may stretch beyond musicians, but Smith has one clear requirement: guests need to love music or have a musical connection. That gives the show room to bring in unexpected voices while staying close to its purpose.

Why .TV Fits The Format

The domain choice is direct because the show is direct about what it wants to be.

“It only makes sense,” Smith said. “We are an online late night television talk show.”

Right now, the public promo experience sits within JustJazz.TV, which makes sense for a series coming out of the broader All Music Television and Just Jazz ecosystem. The dedicated AlexisLombre.TV domain still gives the show a name and future home of its own, without separating it from the music-media platform Smith’s team has already built.

The .TV extension also helps set the expectation before viewers get to the page: this is a video-led show with an episode structure built around music. The domain doesn’t need to explain every part of the concept. It only needs to make the viewing experience easy to place.

Building Beyond The Old Music Model

Smith is candid about the pressure on independent musicians. “Most jazz, blues and indie artists never really benefitted” from the old music business, he said, and streaming rarely fills the gap. Touring remains essential for many musicians, though spending “42 or more weeks a year on the road” can take a toll that audiences rarely see.

AlexisLombre.TV gives artists another kind of stage to look toward, where performance can sit beside conversation and viewers can meet musicians through personality as well as sound.

The show draws from late-night television and Black American music traditions while being designed for online viewing. Smith wants AlexisLombre.TV to grow into a music-centered late-night show with local presence and global reach.

If the series carries the feeling of a live room beyond Inglewood, AlexisLombre.TV gives that ambition a name viewers can remember.