News 92 KROI releases Scott Braddock

News 92 KROI mid-morning talk show host Scott Braddock tweeted Tuesday that he had "parted ways" with the station.

Braddock later told me over the phone he was let go from the Radio One station.

Now free from his corporate bosses, Braddock said he felt that he and his show were at odds with members of the management team from the beginning - even though he was courted to come back to Houston from CBS Radio's Austin bureau (he previously worked at NewsRadio 1080 KRLD). He believes there is a lot of talent at the all news station, there is just no way to showcase it. Plus, he adds there is a lot of style over substance on air.

Ed Shane, the radio veteran who hired the staff and helped bring News 92 on air, could not comment on Braddock's charges, but did comment on his departure.

"I recruited Scott," Shane told mikemcguff.com. "I think he is a bright individual and good reporter. I'm sorry it came to this."

Braddock is from the Houston-area and wants to remain here. He previously worked at 740 KTRH. In a 2007 interview I conducted with Michael Berry, the then newly hired KTRH manager called Braddock, "one of our star reporters."

UPDATE
While hesitant to go on the record with me about this yesterday, Braddock talked today with The Houston Chronicle's David Barron about his recent appearance on Pacifica's 90.1 KPFT and how he believed it led to his termination:

Braddock said he was asked to be a guest host Friday on Geoff Berg's Partisan Gridlock show on KPFT (90.1 FM), a non-commercial station owned by the Pacifica Foundation. He said he did not ask permission to host the Pacifica show and does not believe he was obligated to do so.

During the KPFT show, Braddock said he played an interview, which previously appeared on KROI, with Carolyn Jones, an Austin freelance writer who wrote about her experience with the Texas sonogram law for the Texas Observer's website.

This week, Braddock said he was told by KROI management that his appearance on KPFT was a violation of his contract and that the interview he played was the station's intellectual property. Braddock said he has not signed his contract with the station and said he believed he had the right to use the interview, which he equated to a reporter's notes, in any manner that he wanted. READ THE REST

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- Houston getting News 92 FM - 24 hour radio news
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Scott Braddock on the new Quorum Report Radio

 

Scott Braddock, the editor of the go-to source for Texas political insiders, Harvey Kronberg's The Quorum Report, has launched a new podcast called “Quorum Report Radio” (now available on all platforms).

For the past decade, Braddock hosted the state’s top-ranked politics podcast, the "Texas Take."  As an avid listener of that show, I feel Braddock really taught me about what is happening in Austin and how the Texas Capitol works. Information that I ended up using personally.

And I am happy to say that, with “Quorum Report Radio,” Braddock is back with the insider information that really gets behind the day's Texas political news.

A native of Wharton County, Braddock grew up on a farm before launching his radio career at age 16 in Brenham, where he spun records and read school lunch menus on the air. By 19, he was covering news in Bryan–College Station, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Braddock previously served as chief political reporter for 740 KTRH in Houston and NewsRadio 1080 KRLD in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Throughout his career, Braddock has earned prestigious honors, including Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards for investigative journalism. He has also been recognized by the Texas congressional delegation for excellence and fairness in political reporting and is a frequent guest on national and statewide media outlets, including Fox News Channel, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, and conservative talk radio programs across Texas.

Braddock was kind enough to answer my questions about the new “Quorum Report Radio” podcast and much more. 

Mike McGuff:  You’ve promised to give listeners the "inside scoop" on the halls of power. Will the Quorum Report Radio Podcast allow you to be more candid or opinionated than you were under the Houston Chronicle banner?

Scott Braddock: Yes, sir.

There's no question the new show gives listeners a more unvarnished version of Quorum Report’s storytelling, analysis, and news coverage. My Publisher and mentor, Harvey Kronberg, and I have been deliberate in pulling no punches in covering Texas politics because fairness is born of accuracy, not the “bothsidesism” false equivalence you get from most traditional media. 

The new show skips right past that and instead prioritizes what political professionals want to hear about. It’s really an audio version of the kind of reporting we’ve been doing in the pages of Quorum Report for decades.

One of our listeners said, “It just feels more authentic” than the old show. That probably speaks to how it’s more tailored to what the Texas Capitol crowd wants to hear, which just happens to be the stuff I really care about. For example, this past week’s show features an in-depth discussion with Harvey about how this year’s elections could complicate Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows’ chances for reelection as speaker. 

We’re already thinking about that because our audience demands that kind of info. Another recent episode starts with the story under the story of what’s happening in the GOP primary for Texas Comptroller in which one candidate purchased Jeffrey Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico. And I traveled across Deep East Texas to cover a state Senate race that may not be the sexiest thing going on – like the US Senate race – but it’s critical for players at the Capitol in Austin. Of course, we’re covering the US Senate race because of increased focus on the top of the ticket this year. But we’re also connecting the dots on how that race may impact the structure of Texas government come 2027.

On Quorum Report Radio, we can really spread out and talk at length about those topics thanks to how we source our information and the way we primarily serve an audience of political professionals. But one thing I’ve already noticed in just the first few months of doing this new program is that there’s also a broader audience interested in what the insiders are talking about. So, it’s pretty accessible to any political junkie.

All that said, the partnership with the Houston Chronicle over the last decade has been nothing but positive. I wouldn’t have gotten into podcasting without them, after all. Until they asked me to create a Texas politics podcast out of thin air, it had never even entered my mind to do something like that. In a lot of ways, I thought my days behind the microphone were behind me after I was fired from a radio station in spectacular fashion in Houston nearly 15 years ago. 

But what's the old line? "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in." 

Podcasting is great because, in so many ways, it is just like radio was in its infancy: You can do anything you want with it. A comedy show? Cool. A show about your favorite music? Sure. A show about Texas politics? You bet. A Texas politics show that starts each episode with an original track from a rap artist in Houston? Yes, we do that now.

MM: Take us back to 2015: When the Houston Chronicle first approached you about launching a Texas politics podcast, did you have any sense it would become such a long-term, defining project?

SB: Absolutely not.

When the Chronicle’s then-Austin Bureau Chief Mike Ward first approached me about it, I thought I would just help them get it started, and after a few weeks, they’d figure out how to do it on their own, and I’d move on. But a few months into the project, it became clear they had no idea how to keep this thing going. Only then did I negotiate an agreement to be compensated by the Chronicle for it and made the commitment to do the show each week.

In the background, what had happened was the Chronicle's owners at Hearst Newspapers told them to do more with multimedia, including podcasts. So, the newspaper approached me because of my decades in broadcasting and asked me to collaborate on what I now just call the old show. My last co-host, Jeremy Wallace, is a great newspaper reporter. Over the years, I had several co-hosts, and they all did a solid job. But I had to teach them to do a version of a radio show. Through multiple co-hosts and producers, I was the only constant presence because of my dedication to the audience we were cultivating.

Last year, though, I made the decision to put a laser focus on the products we're creating at Quorum Report to always serve our audience first through our writing, podcasting, radio, and TV appearances as well as speeches around Texas. Some other changes are coming, too. I’ll unveil some of that later this year.

But there’s no animosity between Quorum Report and the Chronicle. I have many friends who work at Hearst newspapers across Texas. Just a couple weeks ago, in fact, the Chronicle’s Opinion Editor Evan Mintz was on the new show with me to talk about the paper’s endorsement of James Talarico in the Democratic primary for US Senate.

But you’re right: The old show became one of the primary things I’m known for in Texas generally and at the Texas Capitol specifically. I like the fact that political professionals would really listen to the show each week and not just say things like “hey, great show!” Instead, they’d sometimes want to argue about what had been said or – as is often the case with a sophisticated audience – they’d offer some perspective on an issue that I hadn’t yet known about or considered. The day I stop learning from my audience is the day I’ll stop doing all this for a living.

MM:  Texas Take became the number one politics podcast in Texas. What do you think listeners connected with most: tone, access, trust, or something else?

SB:  That’s a great question. I’m not a hundred percent sure, but it’s probably because people feel like they really know me. That’s based on listener feedback. When listeners approach me at various events around the state, they’ll very often say something like “hey, I feel like I just talked to you.” What they mean is they listened to the show.

And the thing is, they do know me because I’m a pretty open book.

Radio industry folks will readily tell you that radio – and now podcasting as well – is the most intimate medium. When I was a 16-year-old disc jockey, the owner of the station where I worked in Brenham, Texas, gave me some of the best advice any young broadcaster can get: When you talk into the microphone, imagine you’re talking to one person driving in their car, doing chores around the house, or whatever. Don’t treat your presentation like you’re talking to a big crowd. People don’t listen that way. They listen solo, generally. Although I know some people do listen with their kids in the car. So, I still give a warning if there’s going to be rough language or something difficult to listen to, like the audio of the screaming of the children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde when their classmates were murdered.

The fact that people usually listen solo is even more pronounced now that most of them use earbuds. The experience is just them and who they’re listening to. One listener said something about how “It feels like a conversation where there’s no pressure on me to say anything.” I think that’s a cool way to think about it.

MM:  The phrase “the story under the story” comes up often in how you describe your work. How does audio allow you to tell that story differently from print?

SB: That phrase was really drilled into me by Mr. Kronberg, who’s been looking for that “story under the story” of Texas politics and government for about 40 years now. It’s always changing. 

There’s a lot we do at Quorum Report that’s unique in Texas. Chief among those things is that in our publication and now on the podcast, we don’t necessarily do a lot of on-the-record interviews because our audience is hoping to learn the things they can’t get from an on-the-record conversation. Candidates, officeholders, advocates, and others always have their focus-grouped talking points ready to go, and that’s fine. But when a source says, “Can I tell you something off the record?” that means we’re about to get to the heart of what’s really going on.

That’s the good stuff.

What’s the real motivation and the real end game? These things are always moving targets. So, covering those stories in real time across print, the podcast, and on social media is key to figuring out what’s happening in fluid situations. I’m always down to get dinner, have drinks, or smoke cigars with political combatants and have those off-the-record conversations because that’s when they really open up and give more of the full story. When their name doesn’t have to be attached to the information, you get a fuller understanding of the situation. What’s the standard for reporting information without attribution? Well, that’s more art than science. 

On the show, we can play the audio of what officeholders or others said on the record. But then I can get real with the audience and give some genuine context to what was said. For most of the other politics shows, it seems like the only way hosts know how to do it is to have guests on to fill time. I don’t do that. Could I have Beto O’Rourke or Ted Cruz on the show for an hour to say whatever they want? Sure. We have fun on the show but I’m always going to respect the listener’s time by avoiding even a minute of spin from a guest and instead get right to the heart of what’s going on. That doesn’t mean we’ll never have guests. But I maintain a high bar for what’s going to be interesting to hear from a guest.

A lot of listeners tell me their ritual has been to pour a drink or smoke “something” on Friday nights and turn on the podcast. That was true with the old show and now with the new one.

I’m often asked by journalism students and others, “What are you most proud of in your career?” I used to have a hard time answering that. Not anymore. It’s the audience. I’m most proud of the fact that I have a smart audience and sources who trust me on both ends of an information exchange that both find beneficial.

MM: You’ve covered generations of Texas political power players. How do today’s lawmakers and operatives differ in how they engage with media compared to earlier eras?

SB: Previous generations in Texas’ top leadership were much more open with the press. Mr. Kronberg often talks, though, about how Democratic Gov. Ann Richards and GOP Gov. Rick Perry were both hostile to Quorum Report at different times for different reasons. The late Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, used to say something like “in order to abuse power, you have to have it in the first place.” He was a prosecutor, of course, and prosecuted more Democrats than Republicans because Democrats were in charge longer.

As journalists, a key responsibility is to keep folks honest when they hold the keys of power. 

Does Quorum Report do it a little differently from the way newspapers or TV reporters do? Sure.

Top Republican leadership in Texas has become more hostile to the press than I’ve ever seen in covering politics for a quarter-century. And it’s not just that they’ll lie to you or not answer questions at all. That’s always been part of the mix.

But in previous generations, politicians would tell a lie and hope they didn’t get caught at it. Now they’ll know that you know that what they’re saying isn’t true, and they still do it anyway. It seems like in politics and across our culture, everyone feels less personal responsibility to each other. That’s unfortunate. But we’d be lazy in our jobs as journalists if we just accept that as being okay.

MM: No doubt you have a lot of interesting stories over your years of covering Texas politics. What is one of your favorites that you enjoy telling at the cigar bar?

SB:  You’ll hate this answer but I’m probably not going to be able to think of one. It might be a little like asking a Swiftie to pick a favorite song by Taylor. For one, there are too many hits and the ones I’d call my favorites are always changing. 

It might surprise you but when I’m at a cigar bar – or anywhere really – I’m mainly listening instead of talking because I’m constantly gathering information and taking the time to hear what everyone has to say. When I was in my 20s, I’d spend so much time trying to be right when making my arguments about all this. Now that I’ll be pushing 50 soon, I’ve figured out there’s a lot of delight in finding out I was completely wrong about something.

News 92 FM KROI is on the air (1st hour local audio included)

Lana Huges and J.P. Pritchard

From a small, temporary newsroom and studio, News 92 FM KROI officially signed on this morning at 5am, replacing Praise 92.1. The News 92 FM Morning Report is anchored by former 740 KTRH notables J.P. Pritchard and Lana Hughes with "traffic and weather on the 9s." And speaking of traffic, former Rock 101 KLOL, 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ and Fox 26 KRIV traffic master Lanny Griffith is behind the microphone (I heard no whips though from his KLOL Traffic in Bondage days).

The first ever story on News 92 FM KROI was billed as an exclusive with former Fox 26 KRIV reporter Pattie Shieh and some problems with the Carnival Cruise Magic. Lana and J.P. read more stories followed by former KIAH 39 sports anchor Jorge Vargas with news on the Houston Dynamo's loss to the LA Galaxy for the MLS title. Laurie Kendrick (formerly of 740 KTRH, 101 KLOL, 97.5 KFNC) had a story about changes in Catholic Mass. Towards the bottom of the first hour was the business report with Brent Clanton (formerly of 650 KIKK, 700 KSEV). Former KIAH 39 reporter Dennis Spellman came later with the news of a shooting by a masked man in a southwest Houston home.

I recorded the first ever 40 minutes or so of News 92 FM, edited out commercials/ABC News breaks and embedded the audio below so you can get an idea of the broadcast's flavor (it runs around 28 minutes cut down - the quality is not so great at times, you might hear my cat crying in the background as I put an iPod and my EVO up to a radio speaker for the record)




News 92 FM KROI Houston first hour by mikemcguff

I did find it amusing that a familiar voice for Lana and J.P. was featured in the first hour. Former 740 KTRH reporter Aaron Katersky (now with ABC News Radio) covered the recent terrorism-related arrest in NYC.

Reviews of the show from mikemcguff.com readers started coming in (many of them named Michael strangely enough):

"Sounded as if they never left the airwaves," said Michael Galindo

"I like the longer format news," said Mike Holland. "It is nice not being told to go to a website for the 'rest of the story' while I am sitting in my car."

"Sounds like they took 740 and put it on 92.1," wrote Justin Sternberg. "Not that it's a bad thing, but I was expecting a little more, something different."

"I'm listening to News92 and while the plane sounds just a teeny wobbly taking off, I think they will run like a well-oiled machine before very long - too many seasoned veterans who know what they're doing," commented Michael Sheldon Reed on a related blog post of mine. He later added, "Listening right now (5:30 am). JP and Lana sound much more loose and "flowing" than they did at 5am. This station is gonna be awesome!!!!"

There were a few small flubs in the first hour, but overall it sounded like the Lana and J.P. broadcasts Houston radio listeners are used to.

I was invited to visit the station yesterday during the staff pre-launch rehearsals. The staff was pretty excited and hopeful about the new 24 hour news station. Part of that energy probably stems from the fact that this is a new station, not just for this group of journalists, but also an entire new format for Radio One which typically specializes in music formats (the company owns 97.9 The Box KBXX and Majic 102 KMJQ in Houston).

As I have blogged here, there have been some technical issues that delayed the launch, but that stuff is getting worked out. Any broadcaster who has worked at a start up operation (or infrastructure upgrade for an existing station) knows technical problems can be an issue.

If you tuned into 92.1 this past weekend, you heard as the industry calls it, stunting. That means doing alternative program from the previous format to grab attention for the new programming. In this case, the station ran construction noises mixed in with messages from the staff and ABC anchors like Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts...etc.

By the way, Houston radio's Maria Todd has joined the News 92 FM staff as a weekend anchor. Click here for a list of other News 92 staff members.

Here are some photos I snapped on my station tour Sunday during pre-launch rehearsals.




News 92 FM KROI's Lanny Griffith




News 92 FM KROI's Scott Braddock




News 92 FM KROI's Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard




News 92 FM KROI temporary newsroom (click for names)




News 92 FM KROI future work space

news92fm.com

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How do you get on the WFAA roof?

Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report and co-host of the Houston Chronicle's Texas Take Podcast, talked about appearing on WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth in the pre-show for last week's Ted Cruz vs. Colin Allred debate.

On the podcast, Braddock pulled back the curtain on how his live interview with anchor Dia Wall from WFAA's rooftop worked.

"Apparently they've done this for years at WFAA. They like to have some of their guests appear from the rooftop of the building. 

And the reason for that is it just looks cool in the background...I mean, it looks cool. I'm standing up there and there's the wind is blowing in my hair. That's not quite as impressive as, like, a Rick Perry, but anyway, it's the the wind is blowing. It's a million degrees. I'm sweating.

And to get up on the roof of this TV station, Jeremy [Wallace], I had to crawl up a ladder. You would think they've done this for years. They've had people appear up there. You would think they'd have an elevator or something. A normal staircase. No, it was like a staircase. Like a like a fire escape kind of thing. Like on a like on a naval ship.

I mean, I'm in my suit and tie, crawling up this ladder to get on top of this rooftop and burn up, up there. And I'm taking my jacket off because I'm going to die in the heat. 

And I visited with Dia Wall, who's one of their fantastic anchors there at WFAA. She was in the air conditioning in the studio while I'm up on top of the roof."

A maxim in the TV biz is that it certainly is not as glamorous as it may appear. Braddock already knows this as he is quite familiar with live TV and appears on stations around Texas.

You can watch the interview he is talking about here.

Braddock, an Edward R. Murrow and AP award winner, previously worked for 740 KTRH Houston and NewsRadio 1080 KRLD DFW.

Houston & Texas media job moves, plus Houston TV goodbye party

Lots of Houston and Texas media job moves, plus Fox 26 KRIV's Caitilin Espinosa's goodbye party


Keith Connors Named WTNH News Director
Former KHOU 11 news director Keith Connors is leaving Houston for WTNH in New Haven. So what does this mean for his wife and KTRK abc13 reporter Karla Barguiarena?

Don Nelson announces KTRK abc13 departure
After nearly 40 years, Don Nelson is leaving KTRK abc13.

Andrew Horansky to leave KHOU for Cleveland's WKYC
KHOU 11 reporter Andrew Horansky heading home to WKYC Cleveland as multimedia journalist and reporter

After more than 30 years, KTRK abc13 photographer Johnny Rivera Marquez is set to retire.

Jason Jobes jumps to KTRK abc13 as assignments manager from KHOU 11.

Stephanie Kuzydym joins the Houston Chronicle as a sports GA/enterprise writer from Cleveland.com.

Chris Tritico, Caitilin Espinosa, Jacquie Baly, Bob Martin

Fox 26 KRIV's Caitilin Espinosa's goodbye party
Fox 26 KRIV's Caitilin Espinosa's had a going away party at the Cedar Creek Inn last Saturday.

Bob Neumann Exits KHMX, Bruce Logan To PD Only KILT
Changes at CBS RADIO/HOUSTON. Hot AC (MIX 94.5) KHMX PD BOB NEUMANN exits, while Country KILT and Top 40/Mainsteam KKHH (HOT 95.7) PD and VP/Programming BRUCE LOGAN gives up HOT 95.7 and will concentrate on the Country station.

Houston PD Changes At “Beat"
KQBT “93.7 – The Beat” programming chair Mara Melendez departs theiHeartMedia iHeartMedia Houston urban contemporary outlet.

S.A. news vet leaving WOAI-TV — again
You could call WOAI-TV news veteran Randy Escamilla a human boomerang — considering all the times he’s left the station and come back.

San Antonio TV station recruits top Valley reporter Ryan Wolf
Sinclair Broadcasting announced Friday that San Antonio television station KABB-TV has recruited Ryan Wolf — perhaps the Rio Grande Valley's most recognizable reporter — to anchor the station's nightly newscast.
- S.A. TV welcomes new anchorman

KEYE traffic anchor Erica Brennes departs for RideScout gig
Traffic anchor Erica Brennes has left KEYE, but she’s still keeping an eye on your commute.

Former KXXV Waco weekend anchor/reporter Adam Hommons has joined KEYE Austin.

Juliette Dryer becomes Multimedia journalist at KEYE TV from Mid-Missouri's KRCG 13.

News director David Marino leaves KWES Midland to become senior producer for Time Warner cable news in Austin.

KVUE Assistant chief photographer Michael Moore leaves for the Texas House of Representatives as a Video Producer/Editor.

FOX Charlotte Station Names El Paso Reporter Evening Anchor
Bill Melugin has been named co-anchor of the WJZY 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts.

Adrienne Alvarez no longer with KTSM
KTSM News Anchor Adrienne Alvarez posted a note to her fans on Facebook that she was no longer with KTSM.

Braddock named QR editor
Scott Braddock is being promoted to the position of editor of Quorum Report.

Leadership shuffle at Texas Monthly
A little less than a year after losing its star editor in chief to The New York Times, Texas Monthly has seen another shake-up in its leadership.

Texas TV news and radio job moves July 2025

 

Send tips for the monthly Texas media job list here.

- Texas Radio Hall of Fame names 5 Lonestar legacies as voting opens for 2025 induction class
- Big Texas TV July anniversaries!
- Lone Star Sports EMMY Silver Circle Inductees 2005

DALLAS - FORT WORTH

The Musers: The Podcast has joined the Cumulus Podcast Network. The Musers, featuring hosts George Dunham, Craig Miller, and Gordon Keith, is the longest-running morning show (with the same crew) in Dallas-Fort Worth radio history. The show airs Monday – Friday on Cumulus Media’s The Ticket (KTCK-FM/KTCK-AM) and has been the top-rated show in the market since 1995.

Dallas Morning News appoints Colleen McCain Nelson as executive editor.

Phil McGraw’s Merit Street Media Files for Bankruptcy, Sues Distribution Partner Trinity Broadcasting.

“New Country 96.3” KSCS Dallas afternoon host Al Farb is married.

‘New Country 96.3’ Turns Listener Texts Into Full Song.

New Country 96.3’s 2nd Annual Diaper Drive Collects Over 28,000 Diapers for Cook Children’s. 

- Mariel Ruiz announces breast cancer diagnosis
- Enrique Teutelo leaves Telemundo 39 DFW
- Dallas Morning News Sold to Hearst; now Hearst covers most big Texas cities
- Dylan Federico leaves FOX 4 KDFW
- Dallas Morning News has another bidder
- Remembering Kidd Kraddick

HOUSTON

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane and Drayton McLane settle long-running dispute over failed TV network.

How Rowdy Yates Turned a Setback Into 180 Stations And A Hall Of Fame Nod.

Evan Mintz is the new editor of opinion and community engagement for the Houston Chronicle.

Scott Braddock leaves the Houston Chronicle's Texas Take podcast. Houston Chronicle state politics reporter Jeremy Wallace remains as host.

KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding to recap award-winning Derecho coverage on Discovery’s ‘In The Eye Of The Storm’

Josh Innes Rolls Back Onto Detroit’s Wheels.

KPRC 2 Houston Life supervising producer Heather Kansteiner won Graham Media Group's employee of the year award. 

Former Audacy Houston VP/Programming Bruce Logan returns as Brand Manager for 95.7 The Spot KKHH and 100.3 The Bull KILT.

Sandy Weinmann selected as KPFT General Manager.

Schedule changes at KPFT beginning in July.

Gina Larson leaves ABC13 KTRK where she served as Sr. Manager, Digital Platforms.

FOX 26 KRIV's Sasha Armstrong joins FOX 11 Los Angeles as Executive Producer of Good Day L.A.

Keisean Marshall joins FOX 26 KRIV's The Isiah Factor Uncensored as a producer.

Beth Peak joins KPRC 2 as a photographer/producer.

- MIX 96.5 KHMX Houston cuts
- Daji Aswad is engaged
- Ozzy Osbourne and KLOL Houston go way back
- ‘Runaway Radio’ screening at River Oaks Theatre 10-1-2025
- Griff’s Irish Pub’s 101 KLOL Montrose connection
- 101 KLOL 1987 4th annual Rock N’ Roll Auction
- K101 1986 3rd Annual Rock N’ Roll Auction
- Courtney Carpenter gives birth
- Fmr. Houston TV reporter's sons survived Central Texas flooding
- HEART & HUSTLE: HOUSTON Premieres August 2 on OWN
- SportsRadio 610 Raised $27,240 Benefitting the Houston Food Bank During Inaugural “Reggie and Ron Radiothon”
- Where is Shelby Rose?
- Ilona Carson joins KHOU 11 Houston
- ABC13 Houston set changes?
- Sarah Al-Shaikh joins ABC13 Houston
- Audacy Houston Announces New Brand Leadership Updates
- DaLaun Dillard is finished saying what he doesn't like after the pickle lemonade taste test
- Will Kunkel revives 'Kickin' it with Kunkel' and more
- Anna Werner Joins Gray’s InvestigateTV
- Real Investment Show with Lance Roberts goes podcast-only
- John Dawson evacuated in Maui during tsunami warning
 

SAN ANTONIO

KSAT anchor goes viral for 'speaking the truth' about Texas leaders.

Legendary San Antonio journalist Elaine Ayala reveals retirement.

- Emma Allen joins News 4 San Antonio and Fox SA
- Former KPRC reporter named KSAT news director

AUSTIN

Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley wrote about his experience with his family during the July 4th floods while on the Guadalupe River.

Executive Editorial Elevation For KUT’s Corrie MacLaggan.

Trevor Scott celebrates 12 years with CBS Austin KEYE.

- Lauren Rangel leaves FOX 7 Austin
- Tan Radford leaves FOX 7 Austin
- Marc Mullins joins KVUE Austin
- Noah Gross is the KXAN weekend sports anchor
- KXAN Austin gets new control room
- Allison Martinez joins KVUE Austin
- Tatjana Deegan promoted to Audacy Austin Senior VP and Market Manager
- Amanda Ruiz joins FOX 35 Orlando

AROUND TEXAS

25 News Now KAVU Victoria news director James Munoz celebrates eight years with the station.

KCEN Waco-Temple-Killeen's Texas Today on 6+ continues weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m.

Taylor Brooks joins KXII 12 Sherman as a reporter.

B93 KZBT Midland added Tino Cochino Radio for mornings.

KFDM 6 News Beaumont was awarded Television Station of the Year at the Southeast Texas Visionary Awards.

Longtime NewsWest 9 KWES anchor Crystal Crews receives proclamation from City of Odessa.

Reporter/MMJ Erin Holly leaves KRIS 6 Corpus Christi.

Matt Mosley leaves AM 1660 & 92.3 FM Waco for Rogue Media Network.

- Darrell Franklin signs off as KFDX Wichita Falls anchor
- Sara Blue leaves CBS19 KYTX; Joel Robinson takes over
- Oriana Bottaro leaves; Cristina Rodda takes over at KTSM 9 El Paso
- KBTX News BCS gets new graphics and music
- Adrian Carbajal joins KCEN 6 Waco
- Stevie Stephenson joins KCTV First Warn 5 Weather Team
- Alex Porter promoted to KTEN anchor
- 'The Ann Harder Show' launches in Waco
- Annabelle Tuggle leaves KETK and FOX51 East Texas
- Mark Garcia named NBC23 KVEO and CBS 4 GM
- Don Brubaker returns to 25 News Now Victoria
- Jonathan Munson named KIII Corpus Christi ND
- Gray Media acquires FOX34 KJTV Lubbock and Georgia station
- Noticias RGV ends operations on KRGV 5
- Bill Churchwell promoted to KIII weekend evening anchor

REMEMBERING

- Robert “Bob” M. Stein, longtime Rice political scientist and KHOU 11 analyst, dies at 75
- RADIO ONLINE Co-Founder Lisa Chase Dies at 67
- John Getter, former KHOU 11 reporter, passes away

Michael Berry talks to Mike McGuff about his new radio role, leaving politics

Houston city councilman and KPRC talk show host, Michael Berry, has been the talk of the blogosphere and message boards lately. He was nice enough to sit down with me Tuesday afternoon at City Hall to discuss his political career and new role as Operations Manager at Clear Channel Houston. Plus, Berry reveals the blogs he reads.

Mike McGuff: All right, first of all how do you feel right now? Obviously, one chapter is kind of coming to a close and a whole new one is opening up for you.

Michael Berry: Well, change is exciting. It's a new opportunity. The AM stations for Clear Channel in Houston have a brand that's pretty strong - KPRC is over 80 years old and KTRH, the premier news station in the state will be turning 78. This morning we were just planning a party in the fall for the 78th birthday. KBME is a historical signal that was flipped over to sports a few years ago and there is the fun and excitement of building that into hopefully the premier sports station.

I feel like I am getting paid to play baseball. It's fun.

McGuff: I'm sure a lot of people wonder, "Why leave politics?" I think a lot of people figured maybe that one day you would run for mayor.

Berry: Mayor of the city of Houston is a dream job. But we have a good mayor now, and he is doing a good job. This was an opportunity that presented itself. I get to use my skill set, and I get to work with a company that is looking for a lot of change. That's very exciting. I see myself as a reformer, changer type.

I still think there is a huge upside to radio as you get more into the web-based programming and as you get into some of the different media. So for me it is a great opportunity. It's an opportunity to reach out and develop media partnerships that have never existed. That's one of my primary missions, because I think some of the best talent in the city of Houston is in print and television as well. For too long we have ignored that.

McGuff: Are you going to miss politics, though? It's a big part of your life, obviously.

Berry: It will have been six years coming up soon, and then I spent two years running, so that's eight years. I will miss the public policy. I won't miss the politics. The politics is a brutal contact sport, and it takes a toll on you. I am fortunate to have a supportive wife. I was fortunate to have friends. But you take some knocks. Everybody should pay their dues, and then move on.

McGuff: What do you think your biggest achievements were in the political realm?

Berry: I am very proud of the Safe Clear Program, not only because as a policy issue it is something I got out ahead of and worked to get accomplished. It passed and it was implemented. And it has been successful, statistically. But because the public did not originally embrace it, and the easy thing to do would have been to abandon it, we stuck in there because we knew that what we were doing was the right thing. We worked through our problems, and we solved some problems.

I'm very proud of a number of little things from improving city employee morale. Those are little things that you don't see but here are a lot of initiatives that we have undertaken. I can't tell you how many potholes we have gotten filled or street humps installed or stop signs installed or lights that were not functioning to function, those sorts of things. Those are lot of fun.

By way of major initiatives, those generally emanate from the Mayor's office. As a Councilman, your bread and butter is little issues and how well you do them. The lucky thing for me is that I have had a team of dedicated people who show up early and stay late and work weekends and they deserve all the glory. I get all the glory. They deserve it.

McGuff: What about radio? I think it surprised a lot of people when you first started showing up and guesting on the Clear Channel stations. How did that start? Has radio been something you’ve always been interested in?

Berry: As a kid we had a little station in Orange called KOGT. I would stay with my grandmother, sometimes on weekends or different occasions during the summer. We sat around the radio. There was a real connection to the local radio station. A friend of mine from high school, when he graduated his father died and there was a settlement. He bought the local radio station.

I always thought, "Wow, what a dream thing to do." People have such a connection with local radio. I was a nut for "WKRP in Cincinnati." That was my favorite show on television. I have always just had this connection with radio.

I came to Houston in '89. Lana and JP and some of these institutions that have been here, I can remember when Charlie Pallilo first went on the air in sports. I had lunch with Charlie Pallilo today. So those are the sorts of things. My friends say, "You're getting to hang out with Charlie Pallilo!" Maybe for everybody that's not a thing. I've met a few kings and the Chinese Premier, but Charlie Pallilo is a pretty neat guy to me. So those sorts of things are lot of fun.

McGuff: How did it come up that you could be eligible to get this Clear Channel operations job?

Berry: Well, I really wanted to be in radio. I wanted that opportunity. For me it is the ideal medium. Not that it is better than any other but it is more suited to my personality. Print tends to be very slow, very methodical and very deliberate. It's a very esteemed medium, but it's different. It's not me. It's also a little bit impersonal. You don't get to touch and feel your print people.

Television is the most graphically appealing and tends to be the ideal medium to convey news for the longest period of time. And of course you get all the elements at all the dimensions. But with television, you tend to package segments.

For me, radio is more free flowing and interactive and up to the moment. I like this concept that you have a conversation, and it is in real time. So that's what makes it so exciting. I view it as the Web with some skin and blood. It's real in that way. The Web is very interactive and up to the moment, but you can't look at somebody, you can't hear them and you can't feel the emotion the same way.

I pushed to get a Sunday show just to get my foot in the door. I did a one-hour Sunday morning show. It was nothing glamorous. I did a little real estate show on Sunday mornings for a whole year.

Through that I was studying radio. I would sit in on shows. I learned the production, and I learned board opping and I learned how the phones worked and I learned when to push the dump button and when to push the cough button and when you go to breaks and how the clock works and the business aspect of it, the programming aspects and how you read Arbitron ratings. I basically used that as a study course, as a hobby, while I was doing everything else full time.

And then an opportunity came up for a 9-11 program, and the unfortunate thing is I had to replace Glenn Beck. Who, while he's a great host with a national following, wasn't performing well in Houston. So, you know that was a bit of a downer, because you know people were angry that Beck was off. But, you slowly win people back, and we built an audience there.

And then when Pat Gray was let go, then there was an opportunity for a morning host, and my show had done well 9-11, so they slipped me into there. And then when Ken Charles moved, then they were looking for someone to lead it, and they kind of wanted someone with a different vision. You know they asked a lot of people to share that vision, and I guess they liked what they heard.

McGuff: What do you say to the critics who say that you're not ready for this type of position?

Berry: Well, I mean any critic that says I'm not ready for the position is not running Clear Channel, and probably not even in the radio business. You know I wouldn't - I didn't hire myself, and I'm not an expert in who should have been hired. But, this decision went all the way up to the CEO John Hogan, and a number of vice-presidents, and regional managers, and division managers all the way up and down - and I'm told the decision was unanimous.

So, I figure John Hogan knows at least as much about radio as anybody in America. If he trusted this decision - and I'm told he's quite enthused about it -- so, I figure I'll trust his judgment.

McGuff: What about the conflict though, with the city job. How are you going to do both?

Berry: I just have a few months here. You look at Fred Thompson, or a number of other people - there have been outlets for political figures to espouse their views, and interact with the public. And the reality is a number of people in public life tell me they listen to my show. From state officials, local officials, and they'll - when I say state officials, senators and state representatives, say they listen to my show to get a sense of what people are talking about.

So, it gives me an opportunity to bring city issues out there. I don't like the teen curfew, it gives me a chance to talk about it. Some people call up and tell me I'm an idiot, and some people call up and tell me they like it. But, it gives a lot of people an opportunity to have a very public discussion for people who can't come down on Tuesday afternoons and be a part of public session. And so, I view it as no different than going out and speaking before a civic club meeting every night.

As regard to being a subject of the news, KTRH has the golden image with regard to news standards. So, you know it will be very clear. I won't be a subject - I won't be city hall news subject for them any longer.

And you know my job is not to meddle in the day to day operations of KTRH's newsroom. That's a heritage station with a great legacy, and they got a first rate news director named, Brian Erickson. The very first thing I did upon being hired was to promote Brian to the Program Director for KTRH, which it had not had for several years. So to be very clear, that fiefdom is Brian Erickson's, and you know he runs it.

McGuff: What changes do you foresee coming to the AM stations? Clear Channel announced that KTRH will have that new kind of MySpace features. Obviously, a little more Internet focused than probably before, but what else do you see?

Berry: Right. Well, that's one of my big initiatives, and this is a company wide initiative - is to use the web as a way to expound upon stories. In today's world we're FDR to say, "This day will live in infamy." You wouldn't get the whole history of the attack, why the attack, what he was specifically asking of Congress, the history of Japanese relations, and eight other comments by world leaders and Congressmen on that subject.

The web gives us an opportunity. I'll give you a good example - Scott Braddock, who's one of our star reporters, he'll do an interview with someone. And it might make 30 seconds of audio on the air as part of his two minute package. But, he may have eight minutes of audio, so we go to - we have a streaming KTRH 2, 740-2, which is our secondary station, which streams that - sort of a C-Span style. Doesn't compete obviously, with our radio.

And secondly, it allows him to share his sources. It allows him to blog on things, and offer the story behind the story, the perspective behind the story. And I think that for a true news junkie - it's not for everybody. The average news consumer wants the quick story - in and out, move on. But for a true news junkie, which you obviously are, and a lot of people are, or for someone who's interested in connecting with that story, it gives you a depth in the story that you typically wouldn't be able to achieve in a packaged radio piece.

In terms of other changes, I think you're going to see our content going out into the community more. You know, KTRH has historically been a very traditional news station with very high brow news of a certain level. We're going to go out in the communities more. And I think that you're seeing that, whether it's CNN, or FOX News, is that people want the news to come into their home, into their car, into their school, and they want a greater connection with it then ever before - they want it to be more relevant.

You're going to see more proscriptive news, more how-tos, more health tips, more consumer news. Our reporters are going to develop areas of expertise in some cases. Where before everyone was general assignments, you're going to see more specialization in addition to that general assignment, according to what they already wanted to do.

Scott Braddock is developing an immigration expertise. It's a natural fit for him to take that to the next level, and start covering more and more by way of immigration. It's a developing story, and will be for years to come.

J.P. Pritchard, when he gets off the air likes to look at what's going on at the festival in Fredericksburg this weekend. So, there are opportunities with the website for him to blog about that as a sort of Texas country reporter type thing.

We're starting a blog - Julie McParland, who's one of our morning producers, is starting a blog called, "RX in the City," sort of a play on "Sex in the City." And there's a lot of medical news that I don't think gets covered well.

Christi Myers is really the only person in town doing that, and ABC's evening news is not enough. We need to be talking about what's going on in the medical industry - what are the trends? What are the changes? What are the new treatments? Where are doctors moving from, and where are they moving to? St. Luke's, Memorial, Baylor, Ben Taub. Level-two trauma centers, do we need another one? Ben Taub says we don't. Treatment options.

All those sorts of things I think are exciting new opportunities that are under-covered at present. It has traditionally been you want the murder report and the fire report and the City Hall report and maybe a little traffic. And by the time you finish all that, whether it is print, electronic or radio, you are through. I think there are so many opportunities to cover those things in a greater breadth but also a greater depth in most news stories.

There are so many things that are going on in Houston that don't get covered--community events. And you know, you want to say what a critic would say, a traditional news hound would say, "I don't really care that Clute is doing the Mosquito Festival, or what is going on with Katy football, or what is going on in Sugar Land with their new town center," but the fact is that's where our communities are going. And to be relevant to their lives we need to be discussing the trends--housing trends, those sorts of things.

McGuff: I was just wondering, with all this expanded news, do you think you will have expanded news blocks, kind of like there used to be? I know they have cut back a little bit and put more shows in.

Berry: Well first of all you will see more news as part of the show. So, you know, I read the bulletin boards like everyone else, mostly because, well, I read the bulletin boards like everyone else. The concern that our traditional news is going away couldn't be further from the truth.

You are going to hear promos slashed back to the bone. We are no longer going to need to tell you that we are News Radio 740 KTRH; you know that. We are going to cut all that out and give you more content, give you more segments, bring in a medical expert -- Dr. Joe Galati -- bring in a consumer expert, bring in business trend experts. And I would say going more the way of CNN and Fox News where the news is very relevant to your life and much more analytical than sort of reporting.

Because anybody can read you the headline of what has happened in town. What we intend to do more of is allowing our reporters to flourish by way of expertise. Give me the story behind the story; give me the analysis behind that. So I think you will see the news stories lengthened and greater amount of news, a minute-and-a-half to two minutes per hour more news. Which adds up, it does add up.

McGuff: Sure. Some of your favorite blogs? I'm sure that will excite the blogosphere.

Berry: No, I like yours a lot; I read yours for inside media. You broke the Ed Brandon deal, and I dropped him a call five minutes probably after your thing hit, because I have a number of friends who read your blog and send it to me. It's sort of like, blogs for me are like the TV scanners, I don't listen to the TV scanners--I mean the police scanners--around the clock but I have friends who do, and so they pick up the phone and say, "Four-alarm fire at this place," and I'll then respond. So what I do is, there are people out there that sort of spot for me, and they will tell me.

So, I read your blog, I read blogHouston. I particularly appreciate blogs that don't try to break news but comment on the news. Because I can get the headlines, you know, there is enough Matt Drudge reporting out there to show me the headlines. I look more for people who offer insightful analysis as to the headline, and particularly people who can give you a link-back…where you pop back to an original story and I've got a hyperlink in there. So that if there is a story on Chief Hurtt and they say, "Well, this is quite different than what Bradford did and what Nuchia did and what Elizabeth Watson did and what Lee Brown did," and there are links to those stories, it makes my research a lot easier. And the web allows you to do that, but you have to have somebody do that.

I like blogs that are aggregators, you know, that take various news sources and put it into one so that I don't have to read all those. I can read this blog and get a sense of what was the most important. I go to Drudge 25 times a day; that is my number one hit on the web in terms of a site.

Locally-- Blog Houston, yours. Occasionally I read Kuffner's; he tends to have interesting insight into Democratic politics and a lot more liberal causes, and so I'll read his; and he will do some good coverage. There is a guy out of Sugar Land that writes some good stuff on Republican issues, and he was particularly good in 22, I don't remember his name; he and his father have a political consulting group and they do a real good blog.

I like Slampo's Place a lot; by way of pure writing I think he has the best writing style I've read of any of the blogs. I like This Blog is Full of Crap, I like that one a lot. Ubu Roi -- I think is just incredibly insightful on city politics. Like any blogger he is wrong as often as he is right, but you know, you have got to read to figure out, otherwise you don't, you'll miss something; I think he is really good. Those are the ones...

And The Insite, obviously, The Insite I read. What I like about his is he doesn't take himself too seriously. You know, I tell him often there are just too many exclamation marks at the end of everyone of his stories, and he says, "That's the joke." You know, sometimes when you are too smart for the room and you are laughing at yourself, you are like Dennis Miller; you don't realize that that was a pun on himself or that was a criticism of himself. I like the fact that he throws everything up there. He obviously has a lot of fun with it.

So many bloggers, you know, the "New York Times" came out with a new urban dictionary of terms, and one of the terms was "The Pajama Dean." It's these angry people sitting in their bedroom in their pajamas angrily blogging about all the people in the media they have to look at on TV and they hate. And you get the sense that he is having a lot of fun with it. And I think there is a place for that.

There is also one I get by way of email but it's posted in a blog format, and it's called "Our Daily Blast." And it's a woman, she's English and he's a New Yorker, and it's sort of urban commentary, and it's very, it's put together very slick, very smooth. And it will be a commentary on sort of black fraternities, black sororities, black actors and actresses that have been caught doing something wrong or they have just won some big award. That one is a lot of fun. If you have never found that one, it's a good one. It's called "Our Daily Blast."

Interview end

Berry did tell me as the interview was winding down that my blog has "jarring graphics." Maybe he is right. Others have told me my color scheme can be hard to read. Maybe I will do something about that.

New hires at Houston Chronicle for August 2017

Here is an update to my June post about Houston Chronicle departures.

According to an internal memo obtained by mikemcguff.com, the newspaper of the Bayou City has been hiring recently.

Alexandra Stuckey will join the team in the middle of September. She will be the Chron's new NASA, science and environment reporter. While at the Salt Lake Tribune, Stuckey was part of the team that won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting concerning stories on the flawed responses to sexual assault at Brigham Young University. The Ohio University grad also worked as a statehouse reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and covered the Idaho National Laboratory as a reporter for The Idaho Falls Post Register.

Spring-Tomball-Klien and Cy-Fair reporter Glynn Hill transitions to the paper's sports desk where he will cover Rice University and other Houston-area colleges. The Howard University grad interned at ESPN.

Native Houstonian and University of Houston grad Mayra Cruz replaces Hill at the Northwest Group weeklies.

Alejandra Matos joins the paper's Austin bureau. The native of El Paso comes from the The Washington Post where she covered education.

Michelle Iracheta has joined The Woodlands Villager as a reporter. The UH grad and former Chronicle intern, previously worked at the Yakima Herald and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Conroe Courier sports reporter Demetrio Teniente has been promoted to chron.com digital sports producer.

After I posted by Chron job moves post last June, Richard Prince of The Root wrote 7 journalists of Color Leaving Houston Chronicle which at the time I put out on social media.

Also, many of my readers have expressed confusion about the two Houston Chronicle websites - chron.com (free) and houstonchronicle.com (paid subscription with some free reads thrown in).

“People who live here in this city don’t even know there’s a second website,” outgoing senior editor Maria Carrillo admitted to Poynter in June.

In the same article, we learn Chron editor in chief Nancy Barnes has been hiring lots of folks and increasing the size of the paper's newsroom.

That is certainly good news.

I've heard there was a dark cloud at times over the paper's old downtown Houston HQ.

She is also working on improving morale and implementing better digital training.

Speaking of the Chron's digital efforts...I am a huge fan of the paper's podcasts the Texas Take with Scott Braddock and Mike "Are we having fun yet?" Ward and Looped In with Nancy Sarnoff.

Do you dare face the "Lightning Round?"

News 92 FM KROI's launch delayed, plus more details

I told you yesterday how 740 KTRH has returned to the NewsRadio name and appears to be beefing up its staff. Later I learned the News 92 FM KROI launch date has been pushed back. Plus even more familiar names have been added to the roster such as Dennis Spellman (former KIAH 39 reporter), Norm Uhl (former HISD press secretary and KHOU 11 reporter) and Brian "Eddie The Boner" Shannon (former Rock 101 KLOL morning show host). More from the FM station's Laurie Kendrick:

Here's the latest update from the newsroom at News 92 FM. We will launch precisely at 5 AM, next Thursday, November 17th. Set your radio dials now for AWESOME.

Lana and JP start things off from 5 to 9. Lanny, Your Traffic Master will tackle traffic duties every morning and I'll do feature stories and cover all the TV zeitgeist. Scott Braddock hosts a news show from 9 to noon. The lovely and talented Martha Martinez will handle news cut ins at the top and bottom of the hour in that time span.

Then, Kevin "Mr. Smiles" Charles and the adorable, Carolyn Campbell will anchor the noon news, from 12-3pm and Bonnie Petrie and Mike Barajas, the long time nightly anchor at FOX 26 will handle afternoons from 3 to 7. Dennis "Ray of Sun" Spellman will handle evenings from 7-10.

Other famous names you might recognize offering their vast wealth of TV and radio experience is former KHOU 11 Reporter, Norm Uhl will produce the morning show. The groovy Alicia Alaniz produces noon and the legendary Brian "The Boner" Shannon will make sure everything is in order every afternoon.

The incredible Pattie Shieh is our morning reporter and [Matt Sampsell], who's as sweet as the day is long, will bring you news from the field every afternoon. The adorable Jorge Vargas handling morning sports and the irrascible Craig Roberts (who I adore) has afternoon sports handled. Denise Bishop is the News Director and [Brent Clanton] "Dr. Cool Daddy" is our Business Editor.

The vast support we've received from a newsradio hungry populace has been incredible. Thank you. Give us a listen. We feel certain you'll LOVE what you hear.

RELATED
- Houston getting News 92 FM - 24 hour radio news
- New News92 FM, Houston's biggest radio secret emerges

News 92 KROI is dead

Houston's FM news station News92 KROI signs off; becomes all Beyonce Channel B92

A longtime radio broadcaster once told me that 24 hour news would never work in Houston. When News92 KROI debuted in 2011 I hoped this would prove him wrong.

UPDATE APRIL 2023
Praise 92.1 KROI Houston sold to Spanish Broadcasting System

UPDATE OCTOBER 13, 2014
Boom 92.1 FM Classic Hip Hop Houston radio

It did not.

"The whole staff has been FIRED," anchor Lanny Griffith said on Facebook. "We thank you for your support and I will be fine. We are heart broken cause we put everything into this station but it just wasn't meant to be. Thanks to Radio One for all you did for all of us and our families."

This morning was the station's last broadcast. I hear right in the middle of a story, B92, an all Beyonce station, debuted signaling the end of News92.

"We’re proud of the work we did with News92," said Doug Abernethy, Regional Vice President of Radio One. "We hired established and trusted Houstonian journalists from the radio, print and television news industries. We also invested in community relations, infrastructure, marketing, promotions and sales. Unfortunately after three years of a valiant effort, the difficult decision had to be made."

"I'm devastated that Radio One decided to change formats," reporter Adela Uchida told mikemcguff.com. "I'm proud of the work News92FM did in the months I was there. The only way we could have covered this city with such a small staff was with the talent, experience and passion we all brought every day."

News92, which was Radio One's first news station, barely reached above a one rating in its time as a station. It didn't help that the station's signal does not apparently cover the entire market strongly.

"This difficult decision is a result of sustained poor ratings performance and significant financial losses over the past three years despite the substantial financial and human resources we invested," a statement on News92's website read. "Unfortunately, the market hasn’t shown a sustainable appetite for news radio, but each of you motivated us daily to produce a high-quality news program." (SCROLL TO SEE FULL MESSAGE AT BOTTOM)

Radio One hired familiar radio and TV names like former 740 KTRH morning team J.P. Pritchard and Lana Hughes, Dennis Spellman (formerly of KIAH 39), Mike Barajas (formerly of Fox 26 KRIV), Scott Braddock (formerly of 740 KTRH, 1080 KLRD), Carolyn Campbell (KHOU 11), Kevin Charles (Metro Networks,700 KSEV), Brent Clanton (formerly of 650 KIKK, 700 KSEV), Lanny Griffith (formerly of 101 KLOL, 94.5 KTBZ, Fox 26 KRIV), Laurie Kendrick (740 KTRH, 101 KLOL, 97.5 KFNC) , Martha Martinez (101 KLOL), Bonnie Petrie (740 KTRH, 1080 KRLD), Matt Sampsell Fox 26 KRIV, KIAH 39), Pattie Shieh (Fox 26 KRIV), Meteorologist Dr. Joe Sobel, Craig Roberts (KPRC 2, 101 KLOL, 55 KTBU), and Jorge Vargas (KIAH 39).

The station later spent $900,000 on an expansion project that added a brand new studio, newsroom, offices, green room and more. Five new news vehicles were also purchased.

In a cynical view, one thing that did not happen while News92 was on the air - a hurricane/tropical storm. Radio pundits will tell you that could have driven a lot of listeners to the station to hear it and hopefully stick around.

So now 47 people are out of work as a result of the station going off the air. And now, Houston has a 24 hour all Beyonce radio station called B92 in place of News92 (at least for now, this sounds like a stunt to me).

"We take the loss of employees seriously," said Chris Wegmann, President of the Radio Division. "We are working to ensure all of our impacted employees are transitioned with the dignity and respect they deserve."

As News 92 goes away, Houston still has radio news sources 88.7 KUHF and 740 KTRH.

"We always respected the work of our friends and colleagues at News 92 and truly wish them the best," KUHF news director Jack Williams told mikemcguff.com. "Houston Public Media News 88-7 believes there is still a strong desire for in-depth, multi-media journalism in Houston.”

b921fm.com
On Twitter @B921Houston.


UPDATE OCTOBER 13, 2014
Boom 92.1 FM Classic Hip Hop Houston radio

ORIGINAL POST:

Got a report this morning the News92 staff was going into a meeting. Then heard Beyonce was playing on the station 15 minutes later. The station has been rebranded B92, an all Beyonce radio station (for now at least I would imagine, sounds like a stunt).

I checked the News92 homepage and found this:

News92, Houston’s first FM all-news radio station aired its last broadcast Wednesday, October 8, 2014.
We’d like to thank the News92 staff for their outstanding service, our advertisers and each of you our listeners and web visitors for your support. This difficult decision is a result of sustained poor ratings performance and significant financial losses over the past three years despite the substantial financial and human resources we invested. Unfortunately, the market hasn’t shown a sustainable appetite for news radio, but each of you motivated us daily to produce a high-quality news program. Together, we made history.

Lanny Griffith posted on Facebook: "News92FM is GONE, off the air. The whole staff has been FIRED. We thank you for your support and I will be fine. We are heart broken cause we put everything into this station but it just wasn't meant to be. Thanks to Radio One for all you did for all of us and our families. Anyone need to hire me for some media work?"

Craig Roberts says on Facebook that 47 people are now out of work from the format change.

Stay tuned...

RELATED
- News 92 FM KROI is on the air (1st hour local audio included)
- Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard talk News 92 KROI with Mike McGuff
- News 92 FM KROI expands and rises
- Adela Uchida joins News 92 FM KROI
- 740 KTRH issues statement on its heritage and News 92FM KROI

UPDATE OCTOBER 13, 2014
Boom 92.1 FM Classic Hip Hop Houston radio

Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard talk News 92 KROI with Mike McGuff

Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard courtesy of 
Brent Clanton

UPDATE: The News 92 KROI crew is saying the new 24 hour Houston news station debuts Monday 11/21/2011 at 5am.

It was recently reported by News 92 FM KROI staff members that November 17th would be the launch day of the new FM station. Well, I'm told now the launch of Houston's 24 hour radio news station has been pushed back to next week because of some final technical issues. That means Praise 92.1 listeners have a few more days of music.

In the meantime, Texas Radio Hall of Fame honorees (watch their induction speech) J.P. Pritchard and Lana Hughes, the new morning team for News 92 FM, talked with mikemcguff.com about their new home after almost 30 years with NewsRadio 740 KTRH.

"I am so ready to get back to what I love doing," Pritchard told mikemcguff.com. "This is a wonderful fresh start for me, as I know it is for all of my new colleagues."

"It is so exhilarating working with some of the finest and most talented people in this business," Hughes told mikemcguff.com. "The ideas brought to the table, the energy and the determination to give Houston and the surrounding areas the coverage they deserve are evident each and every day among staff members and Radio One management. The enthusiasm is palpable and we're having a blast doing what we love for a city we've called home for years."

There have been lots of reader questions in my blog's comments section trying to figure out just what type of news and features News 92 FM will air.

"Of course, our mission is to be first on the scene with news coverage 24/7 and to provide a voice for EVERY facet of the community," Hughes said. "And while we'll be maintaining a familiar, comprehensive news format, we're also planning some innovative and creative programming as well."

"Our plan is to bring Houston what it has long deserved -- an all news radio station that is committed to great journalism," Pritchard added. "And we hope to do it in a personable, friendly way without political agenda."

Last summer as this longtime morning duo were shown the door at their old station, Houstonians were unsure if they would ever hear from this longtime morning news team ever again. Would Lana and J.P. even want to start over again at a new radio station?

"As for moving from a place where I'd worked for so long, being part of this new FM venture with Radio One has been a wonderfully and remarkably easy transition," Hughes told me. "In fact, it was instantly comfortable, and I credit much of that to a talented, dedicated group of people with a common goal -- to make News 92 FM Houston's premiere news organization."

"And speaking personally, it is just great to be back with my old friends, and to be working with some new friends too," Pritchard said. "Radio One is being so supportive, renewing my faith that there is room for great local radio in an industry that seems to be obsessed with cost cutting."

Additional on air shifts will be filled by the likes of Dennis Spellman (formerly of KIAH 39), Mike Barajas (formerly of Fox 26 KRIV), Scott Braddock (formerly of 740 KTRH, 1080 KLRD), Carolyn Campbell (KHOU 11), Kevin Charles (Metro Networks,700 KSEV), Brent Clanton (formerly of 650 KIKK, 700 KSEV), Lanny Griffith (formerly of 101 KLOL, 94.5 KTBZ, Fox 26 KRIV), Laurie Kendrick (740 KTRH, 101 KLOL, 97.5 KFNC) , Martha Martinez (101 KLOL), Bonnie Petrie (740 KTRH, 1080 KRLD), Matt Sampsell Fox 26 KRIV, KIAH 39), Pattie Shieh (Fox 26 KRIV), Meteorologist Dr. Joe Sobel, Craig Roberts (KPRC 2, 101 KLOL, 55 KTBU), and Jorge Vargas (KIAH 39).

Also just brought to my attention late Wednesday night, news92fm.com is actually a working WordPress page. Still being worked on though.

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