Lone Star Radio
Breakthrough news radio show shakes up airwaves with Texas talk
A new statewide public radio program is bringing residents the national news stories of the day, but this time it comes with a narrative specific to Texans. Called Texas Standard, the show provides a platform to connect locals to those stories and to each other.
"A lot of people living in Texas don't feel connected to where most Texans live, as in the urban areas," says host David Brown of KUT Austin. "In the same way, people living in urban areas — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin — we don't feel connected to each other."
"I would like to think we're asking questions that Texans are asking, and we're exploring the subjects they care about," says host David Brown.
The one-hour weekday 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.
"Originally, the idea was that KUT would have a signature program," Brown says, "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 affects 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 weekdays at 10 am on KERA 90.1 FM. Past shows are available on the program's website.