Media Rumblings
New Texas radio show is shaking up the airwaves: The Lone Star State finally has its own voice
A new statewide public radio program is bringing Lone Star State residents the national news stories of the day, but this time it comes with a narrative that's specifically geared for Texans.
The program — called Texas Standard — provides a platform to help connect locals to stories from communities across their state in a similar way that NPR's Morning Edition connects listeners to stories from communities around the country and the world.
"A lot of people living in Texas don't feel connected to where most Texans live, as in the urban areas," says award-winning journalist David Brown of KUT Austin, who hosts the daily program. "In the same way, people living in urban areas — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin — we don't feel connected to each other."
The new one-hour daily news program is the product of a cross-station collaboration — the first of its kind among Texas public radio stations — between Houston Public Media, KUT Austin, KERA North Texas and Texas Public Radio in San Antonio.
"I would like to think we're asking questions that Texans are asking and we're exploring the subjects they care about."
"Originally, the idea was that KUT would have a signature program," says Brown, "but it became pretty clear that we needed to think bigger than just Austin. It was about what was missing from the larger public media landscape."
The goal according to Brown is "to drive home a larger narrative."
"People might hear the name Texas Standard and think of local news, but we're really not thinking local news, but all news from a Texas perspective," he says.
Brown's aspirations for the show's future revolve around the idea that Texas Standard will serve to inform Texans in a way that truly effects their lives.
"I would like to think we're asking questions that Texans are asking and we're exploring the subjects they care about," Brown says.
"I hope that the show becomes a kind of public service and it's not just another thing in your news diet, but that you feel like you're missing something if you don't listen to it."
The show airs at 1 p.m. each day on Houston Public Media News 88.7 and all the past shows are available on the program's website.
