Houston Matters
Houston PR
Houston Matters is a radio program airing weekdays at 9 am on Houston Public Media News 88.7 FM in Houston. During each hour, we’ll investigate the issues and ideas, people and places that make Houston…well…Houston! We’ll talk about current events, politics, education, health care, the environment, business, transportation, arts and culture, literature, sports and leisure. But we also hope that what we do each day on Houston Matters serves as the beginning of a conversation — one we hope you’ll continue here, at home, at work, with family, with friends and neighbors. We hope to introduce Houstonians to one another, to celebrate our diversity, and to engage one another through stories and conversations that demonstrate depth and context. Just the sort of thing you count on from public media.
Houston Matters is a radio program airing weekdays at 9 am on Houston Public Media News 88.7 FM in Houston. During each hour, we’ll investigate the issues and ideas, people and places that make Houston…well…Houston! We’ll talk about current events, politics, education, health care, the environment, business, transportation, arts and culture, literature, sports and leisure. But we also hope that what we do each day on Houston Matters serves as the beginning of a conversation — one we hope you’ll continue here, at home, at work, with family, with friends and neighbors. We hope to introduce Houstonians to one another, to celebrate our diversity, and to engage one another through stories and conversations that demonstrate depth and context. Just the sort of thing you count on from public media.
Location:
Houston, TX
Genres:
News
Networks:
Houston PR
Description:
Houston Matters is a radio program airing weekdays at 9 am on Houston Public Media News 88.7 FM in Houston. During each hour, we’ll investigate the issues and ideas, people and places that make Houston…well…Houston! We’ll talk about current events, politics, education, health care, the environment, business, transportation, arts and culture, literature, sports and leisure. But we also hope that what we do each day on Houston Matters serves as the beginning of a conversation — one we hope you’ll continue here, at home, at work, with family, with friends and neighbors. We hope to introduce Houstonians to one another, to celebrate our diversity, and to engage one another through stories and conversations that demonstrate depth and context. Just the sort of thing you count on from public media.
Twitter:
@houstonmatters
Language:
English
Contact:
713-440-8870
Episodes
A growing divide between home owners and renters (June 24, 2022)
6/24/2022
On Friday's show: New research examines the growing divide between home owners and renters in Houston.
Also this hour: On The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – we revisit a story from late December about fish falling from the sky in Texarkana. It turns out the reason we were given for why it happened might have been wrong. An alternative theory is intriguing -- but also just a little bit gross.
Today's show was abbreviated so that News 88.7 could air special coverage the U.S. Supreme Court...
Duration:00:24:18
Preparing for more triple-digit heat, and how tax incentives keep costing taxpayers (June 23, 2022)
6/23/2022
On Thursday's show: The Houston area is set to face triple digit temperatures later this week, and local municipalities are taking action against the heat.
Also this hour: State lawmakers are ending a costly tax break program that has allowed large corporations to avoid paying billions of dollars in school property taxes. We discuss why this expiring tax code will continue to cost taxpayers billions and ponder whether such tax incentives really do help create jobs.
Then we learn how...
Duration:00:49:52
Watson settles lawsuits, the week in politics, and the loss of the Shamrock Hotel (June 22, 2022)
6/22/2022
On Wednesday's show: Former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has reached an agreement to settle 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits that had been filed by women who accused him of sexual assault and harassment, an attorney for the women said.
And we discuss why TxDoT is going forward on demolition of the Ballpark Lofts for the expansion of I-45, despite a federal pause on the project.
Also this hour: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.
Then, we reflect on the...
Duration:00:49:45
COVID vaccine for young kids, Make Music Day in Houston, and the co-creator of ‘Deadpool’ (June 21, 2022)
6/21/2022
On Tuesday's show: Houston children as young as 6 months old could begin receiving a COVID vaccine this week. We learn about the recent approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and about the potential vaccine rollout in the area.
Also this hour: Today is Make Music Day in Houston and in many cities around the world. We learn more about what's planned for this free celebration of music and hear performances from local musicians Heather Rayleen and Alex Coba.
And we talk...
Duration:00:49:41
Effects of the heat wave, and the potential slippery slope from the leaked SCOTUS decision (June 20, 2022)
6/20/2022
On Monday's show: With the state dealing with a major heat wave, we learn how the high temperatures are affecting agriculture.
Also this hour: With the leaked Supreme Court ruling that would potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, we discuss concerns that the decision could lead to other rights being taken away on similar grounds.
Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers your pet care questions.
And we get an update on Houston sports from Jeff Balke.
Duration:00:49:47
The legacy of Watergate at 50 (June 17, 2022)
6/17/2022
On Friday's show: We preview a pair of Juneteenth programs you can hear on News 88.7 this weekend.
Also this hour: University of Houston Professor Nancy Beck Young discusses the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in and ensuing scandal.
Then, on this month’s edition of The Bigger Picture, Joshua Zinn and his guests will recall the great film about Watergate, All The President’s Men.
And we may soon have trillionaires among us – including a couple of them here in Texas. And a...
Duration:00:51:06
Chronicling a crisis in American democracy (June 16, 2022)
6/16/2022
On Thursday's show: The U.S. House passed a bill that would provide $1.5 billion to states for wildlife conservation, including $50 million for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. We learn how it might affect Greater Houston.
Also: The U.S. Supreme Court sided with El Paso’s Tigua tribe in their decades-long fight with the state over gambling.
Also this hour: New York Times correspondent Jonathan Martin talks about the book he co-authored with Alexander Burns called This Will Not...
Duration:00:49:33
Jan. 6 hearings, and a billion-dollar bond proposal from Harris County (June 15, 2022)
6/15/2022
On Wednesday's show: We discuss the House select committee hearings on the Jan. 6 capitol insurrection and learn what some Harris County Commissioners hope to convince voters to spend around a billion dollars on in a proposed November bond referendum. Then, we walk through results and analysis from four state primaries and talk about the framework for a proposed bipartisan Senate bill to address school safety and guns. We take on those and other topics in a double dose of our weekly...
Duration:00:49:58
The market for liquified natural gas, and Fort Bend Co. Judge KP George (June 14, 2022)
6/14/2022
On Tuesday's show: One of the largest export plants producing liquified natural gas has been shut down following an explosion at its export facility last week. We take a look at how this closure could impact the global liquified gas market.
Also this hour: Fort Bend County Judge KP George joins us to answer your questions about issues facing the county.
Then, columnist Dwight Silverman discusses several recent developments in consumer technology.
And we meet the Houston filmmakers and...
Duration:00:50:17
Texans involved in the capitol insurrection, overhauling NASA’s spacesuits, and Hari Kondabolu (June 10, 2022)
6/10/2022
On Friday's show: The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 capitol insurrection had its first primetime public hearing yesterday. We discuss what to expect during the hearings and learn about the Texans involved in the riots.
Also this hour: NASA is upgrading its spacesuits. Two Houston companies are involved in the overhaul.
Then, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.
And comedian Hari Kondabolu discusses becoming a father during the pandemic and...
Duration:00:50:22
Gymnasts sue the FBI, and returning to the office (June 9, 2022)
6/9/2022
On Thursday's show: Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar are seeking more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him.
Also this hour: We discuss how easy -- or challenging -- it is to get around Houston these days, whether by bike, car, public transit, or on foot.
Then, Elon Musk says all Tesla employees have to come back to the...
Duration:00:50:24
Shrinking childcare options, Houston’s best BBQ, and author Grace Li (June 8, 2022)
6/8/2022
On Wednesday's show: New data reveals that Texas lost one in five childcare providers between 2020 and 2021. We discuss why those closures happened with Children at Risk president and CEO Bob Sanborn.
Also this hour: The University of Houston’s Brandon Rottinghaus and Beth Simas join us to discuss the latest developments in politics.
Then, food writers discuss their favorite places for barbecue in Houston in this month's installment of The Full Menu.
And we talk with Pearland native...
Duration:00:50:05
Can the power grid withstand record energy demand? (June 7, 2022)
6/7/2022
On Tuesday's show: ERCOT expects record high energy usage today. Can the state’s power grid hold up?
Also this hour: Houston City Council Member Amy Peck join us to answer your questions about issues facing the city.
Then, Marshall Project reporter Keri Blakinger joins us to discuss her new memoir Corrections in Ink, which chronicles her journey from promising figure skater, to heroin addict, to prisoner, to award-winning reporter covering prisons.
And the new season of the Apple TV+...
Duration:00:50:15
Hidalgo staffers hope to disqualify DA Kim Ogg from prosecuting their case (June 3, 2022)
6/3/2022
On Friday's show: Two of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s aides have filed a motion to remove District Attorney Kim Ogg from their case involving a controversial COVID-19 outreach contract. We learn why.
And we discuss the $1 billion plan to expand the Houston Ship Channel.
Also this hour: Jim Smith, the new Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston Field Office, discusses his job and efforts to fight crime in the area.
Then, from a man throwing cake at the Mona Lisa to the potential...
Duration:00:49:33
Annise Parker and Ed Emmett on bridging the political divide (June 2, 2022)
6/2/2022
On Thursday's show: This week’s Supreme Court ruling temporarily blocking a Texas social media law from taking effect demonstrates it’s not always strictly about political ideology in the courts. But as South Texas College of Law Houston’s Rocky Rhodes tells us, it is about politics a lot more often than it used to be.
Also this hour: We talk about the state of our politics with former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. Though the two differed on...
Duration:00:49:19
Preparing for another hurricane season in Houston (June 1, 2022)
6/1/2022
On Wednesday's show: On this first official day of the Atlantic hurricane season we present a special edition of Houston Matters with everything you need to get ready for whatever tropical weather the next six months may have in store for us.
We talk with Matt Rosencrans of NOAA about the hurricane forecast and what we can expect in terms of the number and severity of tropical storms between now and the end of November.
Also, we offer a first-timer’s guide to hurricane season for newbies...
Duration:00:50:50
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, and the life of Ken Caminiti (May 31, 2022)
5/31/2022
On Tuesday's show: Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia discusses the school shooting in Uvalde and answers listener questions.
Also this hour: Why former Houston Astros star Ken Caminiti admitted he'd used steroids long before anyone else did -- and the demons that led to his untimely death -- are the subject of a new book by journalist Dan Good. It's called Playing Through the Pain.
And a judge has ruled that the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston can keep a painting by Bernardo Belloto, which may or...
Duration:00:49:21
Protests planned as NRA convention arrives in Houston (May 27, 2022)
5/27/2022
On Friday's show: Protests are planned this weekend as the National Rifle Association's annual convention takes place in Houston just days after the school shooting in Uvalde. News 88.7 reporters outline who's speaking at this year's events and what to expect from activists outside the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Also this hour: We learn about the new podcast Line in the Land from Texas Public Radio and the Houston Chronicle. It tells the story of how and why thousands of Haitians...
Duration:00:49:44
The response to gun violence, and the Muslim experience in Houston (May 26, 2022)
5/26/2022
On Thursday's show: Since 2018, homicides involving a gun have been on the rise here, according to Harris County’s Institute for Forensic Science. In the wake of the horrifying school shooting in Uvalde, and ahead of this weekend’s NRA national meeting in Houston, we discuss the implications of gun violence in the area and what to do about it with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. We also discuss how gun laws in Texas haven’t changed since a similar tragedy at Santa Fe High School.
Also...
Duration:00:49:38
School shooting in Uvalde, primary runoff results, and the life of George Floyd (May 25, 2022)
5/25/2022
On Wednesday's show: We learn the latest on the fatal shooting at a Uvalde elementary school.
Also this hour: We discuss the results from the Texas primary runoff elections and the latest news in our weekly political roundup.
Then, on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, Washington Post journalists Toluse Olorunnipa and Robert Samuels examine his life growing up in Houston and the factors that led to his death in their new book, His Name is George Floyd.
Duration:00:48:44