Houstonian Chris Blayney, host of nationally syndicated radio show TalkBack Weekend with Chris X, had a strange issue in his career. Here he is in Houston, broadcasting to radio stations across the country, but not actually broadcasting on a Houston station. Well that problem was taken care of earlier this year when KNTH 1070-AM in Houston picked up the show.
Mike McGuff: What is your show about?
Chris Blayney: My show is called TalkBack Weekend with Chris X. It is a lifestyle talk show that airs on 40 plus stations nationwide. It airs on Saturday nights (Midnight-2am CST) and it covers a wide range of issues. We discuss whatever the hot issues are in the news of that week, and the program is sort of a sounding board for different opinions and ideas. It often devolves into politics, which sometimes gets heated, but is always entertaining. I'm a self-proclaimed "Radical Moderate", so I enjoy poking fun at both political parties and their heated rhetoric. It's important stuff, but it is also important to keep our sense of humor and to not take ourselves too seriously.
MM: How many stations are you on across the US?
CB: Officially I'm on 42 stations nationwide. Unofficially, it is around 60 plus stations. The program airs through the Business Talk Radio Network and I have an additional 20 or so stations that use my show as filler when they don't have programs in those hours. It is a lot of fun to hear the different points of view from California to New York.
MM: Why did it take so long to get on the air from your hometown...where you broadcast from?
CB: I'm not exactly sure why it took me almost 9 years to pick up a Houston affiliate. I guess the old adage "A prophet is never welcome in his own home town" holds some truth. For most of that time I worked for CBS Radio here in Houston for 650-AM, which is a Day-Timer station. That means it goes off the air at dusk, so my show couldn't air on that station. The other stations in town are mostly owned by the other clusters and wouldn't touch my show because I worked for CBS Radio. There were a few stations that were interested, but they had contractual obligations with other programs and weren't really willing to make a change at that time. After I left CBS radio and took on a Media Director position for a local real estate investor group, I finally negotiated with KNTH 1070-AM (Salem Broadcasting) last month here in Houston to carry my program. I have to give a special thanks to Chuck Tiller and Susan Simon over at Salem for being big advocates for carrying my program. I can't thank them enough.
CB: It's kind of strange and wonderful finally having my show on here in Houston. The response has been amazing and a little overwhelming! I actually had my cousin's husband, a marine whom I hadn't spoke to since 2004, email me after hearing my show here on the local airways. It's a small world that keeps getting smaller every minute! Houston is an amazing city with such a diverse audience, so I couldn't be happier with the response. I'm getting lots of calls and feedback from my hometown and I'm loving every minute of it.
MM: Anything else you want to add?
CB: Finally, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with me about this unique situation. I'm truly blessed to get to do what I do and talk to America every Saturday night. I get to express my opinions, as well as learn from all of the unique callers that participate in the program. I have the smartest audience in the world and we get to have our own little revolution every Sat night... and it just got a little smarter by throwing H-town into the mix.
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