hail to the mic masters

13 Houston radio legends join iconic Texas broadcasting hall of fame and museum

Hall of famer and former Houstonian David Rancken co-anchors the afternoon drive time news for KRLD-AM in Dallas

Photo via Audacy/KRLD

The votes have been counted and a record 13 broadcasters with Houston ties will be inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame on November 4 at the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications in Kilgore, Texas. The induction ceremony starts at 1 p.m. Tickets are available online.

More than just a radio showcase, the museum is worth a visit. It’s got some cool broadcasting memorabilia, like the original KRLD-TV camera that got the shot of Lee Harvey Osward being murdered by Jack Ruby. There’s also the oldest surviving DuMont Telecruiser mobile TV unit. Its serial number is 101, the first one DuMont sold.

Some fun facts about Kilgore: According to Wikipedia (where Michael Scott says you find the best information) Kilgore’s population is 13,376. Its motto is “The City of Stars.” Among Kilgore’s notable people: Van Cliburn (piano virtuoso), Ron Shepherd (baseball player), Ally Venable (blues guitarist) and Dan Dodd (murder victim).

Texas Museum of Broadcasting ESPN mobile studio truck mobile unit The 13 Houston radio legends will be inducted into the Texas Museum of Broadcasting. Photo via Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications

Here are the 13 members of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame’s class of 2023 with Houston connections: Dave Dillon (KODA-FM), Kandi Eastman (KMJQ-FM), Gerry Harmon (KIKK-FM), Buddy Holiday (KSBJ-FM), Chris Huff (Entercom/Audacy), Mark Landis (KKBQ-FM), Walt “Baby” Love (KILT-AM when it was a Top 40 station), Linda O’Brian (KILT-FM), Sean O’Neel (voice talent and the guy who broke Mattress Mack into commercials), David Rancken (KODA-FM), Claude “Rick” Roberts (godfather of urban radio in Houston), Chuck Schramek (KLOL), Bob Stroupe (regional engineer iHeart Radio), and Chuck Tiller (Salem Broadcasting).

I tracked down Rancken, former news anchor at KODA-FM – and my tennis patsy on the mean courts of West University Place. (Editor's note: Nice self gloss on your tennis game, Ken.)

He now co-anchors the afternoon drive time news for KRLD-AM in Dallas.

CultureMap: What does it mean to you to be part of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame?

David Rancken: It is the greatest honor of my career to be inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame with this class. I get to share a stage with people like Dave Dillon who hired me at Sunny 99.1 (KODA-FM) and Buddy Holiday who dreamed up KSBJ. Also Linda O’Brian who shares a Houston/Dallas connection.

CM: How did you get your start in radio?

DR: I started at Metro Traffic in Houston in 1983. I’d get caught in traffic jams on I-45 or the Southwest Freeway for a living. We would have to phone in our reports to Metro Traffic base. We would set up a call list of about 25 different pay phones booths to call when we had to record traffic conditions.

CM: What’s your favorite moment from your career?

DR: It’s tough to come up with just one. Maybe it was when our morning show at KVIL in Dallas had an exclusive in-studio interview with Tom Hanks. When he arrived we had to sneak him into the studio through the kitchen so our sister station KLUV wouldn’t grab him.

He was just an incredibly nice guy, no entourage except for the person driving him around. Anthony Hopkins was the same way. He insisted that we call him “Tony.” My friend Tony Zazza and I became close friends with Linda Gray from the TV show Dallas when she was filming the rebooted show for TNT. She would visit and bring us homemade baked goods.

Houston-based (and always snazzily dressed) Doug Harris is the executive director of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

CultureMap: What’s new on the Houston radio dial?

Doug Harris: There’s much activity in the market, including the sale of the Cox properties to the Urban One family. Outlaw Dave is returning to nights on the Eagle (106.9 and 107.5-FM). Programming for both Country Legends 97.1-FM and Praise 92.1-FM will be moving to secondary platforms. The Houston market has definitely rebounded from Covid.

CM: Some car makers created a fuss recently by eliminating AM radios from their vehicles. I think it’s a horrible idea. The Astros are on AM. What do you think?

DH: We need to keep radio as accessible and affordable as possible, and AM does both of those things. One could easily portray programming on the AM band as the home of conservative news/talk and play-by-play sports. But that generalization ignores the presence of countless foreign language broadcasters who serve their native and ex-pat communities.

In weather emergencies, AM radio usually takes the lead in reporting important information, especially to small markets and rural communities. Even though most AM programming is available via apps and digital devices, this technology is beyond the grasp or tolerance level of many older listeners who simply want to turn on their radio and listen to their favorite stations and programs. Not every senior has a millennial grandchild handy to show them the ropes.

CM: How’s the Texas Radio Hall of Fame doing?

DH: We have welcomed 42 new voting members this year. Anyone can become a voting member for a modest fee and their compliance with our rules and procedures.

Our scholarship program, which awarded eight Texas broadcast students with $1,000 in 2022, will return this fall with 10 or more branded scholarships. The Hall of Fame’s relationship with the Texas Association of Broadcasters has been revitalized and we are working on several cooperative projects, much like our 2022 salute to then centennial of Texas radio.

Our strategic alliance with the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications in Kilgore is thriving. Our annual Radio Reunion is drawing record attendance. Following the 2022 production of our salute to the Pioneers of Black Radio in Houston, the Hall of Fame is planning a similar project this year focusing on Hispanic broadcasters. We have scheduled recording sessions designed to capture audio and video with many of the trailblazers in Texas radio who are still with us.

Following the 2022 production of our salute to the Pioneers of Black Radio in Houston, the TRHOF is planning a similar series later this year focusing on Hispanic broadcasters. We have also scheduled recording sessions designed to capture audio and video from many of trailblazers in Texas radio who are still with us.

Contact Ken Hoffman at ken@culturemap.com or on Twitter.

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”