Hello Houston

On today’s Hello Houston, with a federal judge ordering Texas to air condition all its prisons by the end of 2029, we talk with Amite Dominick , the founder and president of Texas Prisons Community Advocates , who’s also one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to this ruling. Next, Ernie talks with musician and composer Nathan Felix for this week’s edition of On the Marquee , who discusses h...

On today’s Hello Houston, we’re joined by Joshua McGinty , a professor and agronomist at Texas A&M University, who discusses this year’s widespread drought and what it could mean for Texas farmers, food production, and the growing season ahead.   Then, in this week’s Five Simple Questions , Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik sits down with Andrew Youngblood, founder of The Secret Gro...

On today’s Hello Houston, Houston Public Media reporter Bianca Seward joins us to discuss her story on Barbers Hill ISD and the controversy surrounding their superintendent’s unconventional strategy to grow the district’s finances. Then, we hear this week’s Producer Spotlight , in which Hello Houston producer Laura Walker talks with Asia Society Texas curator Owen Duffy about Yoshitaka Amano: Big...

On today’s Hello Houston, we're LIVE at the 60th Original Greek Festival on the grounds of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral to explore what keeps this decades-long tradition thriving with festival leader Dana Kantalis. Also, we hear the newest edition of Tessa’s regular feature, Tessa Takes On , in which she sits down with author and podcaster Princella Clark for a conversation about rela...

On today’s Hello Houston, writer-director Bassam Tariq , who grew up in the Houston area, joins us to discuss his new film, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother , what inspired it, and its connection to Houston, with the film being set in the Bayou City.  Then, we talk with Houston Public Media reporter Michael Adkison , who helps us make sense of an unusually busy week in space exploration, from S...

On today’s Hello Houston, we discuss Prairie View A&M’s 150th anniversary with the university’s president, Dr. Tomikia LeGrande , who also tells us about its remarkable journey becoming a nationally recognized HBCU, what its legacy means today, and what's ahead in its future. Then, in this week’s On the Marquee , Ernie talks with Kevin Earley , who’s playing Captain Georg Von Trapp in the nati...

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with Andrew Rothman , the Wildlife Campaigns Director for Environment America, who discusses the Trump administration’s major changes to the Endangered Species Act and how these changes could impact us in the state of Texas. Then, we hear from the winner of the 2026 Houston Blues Challenge, Sara Van Buskirk, who sits down with Hello Houston executive producer Jim...

On today’s Hello Houston, New York Times Texas bureau chief David Goodman breaks down the state’s governor's race, the U.S. Senate race, and the controversy over the thousands of voter registration applications that went unprocessed due to an error at the Texas DPS. Then, in this week’s Producer Spotlight , Hello Houston producer Laura Walker talks with the founder and owner of Houston's Upstream...

On today’s Hello Houston, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Houston native Benjamin Moser discusses his new book, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History , which uncovers the history of Jewish thinkers who became known for their opposition to Zionism. Then, we hear the newest edition of Tessa’s regular Friday feature, Tessa Takes On , which spotlights Houston Dash midfielder KiKi Van Zanten , who discusses...

On today’s Hello Houston, former Houston Astros TV play-by-play broadcaster Bill Brown talks about his nearly thirty years with the team, his memories of calling Astros games, and his thoughts on whether they can make the playoffs this season. Then, we do our Thursday feature, HPM in Focus , in which Houston Public Media reporter Bianca Seward helps us understand where Houston ISD stands as the di...

On today’s Hello Houston, Beth Wiedower Jackson , executive director of the Astrodome Conservancy , joins us again on the show to give us the latest plans and proposals that are being considered for the 8th wonder of the world and what it would take to give it new life. Next, we’re joined by Come From Away director and choreographer Valerie Rachelle and cast members Shawn Hamilton and Heather Hall...

On today’s Hello Houston, we begin the show by talking with Katherine Maher , the President and CEO of NPR, who discusses how public media is changing, how NPR is navigating the loss of federal funding, and what the future of public media looks like. Then, we’re joined by the newly crowned Miss America, Houstonian Regan Hutsell , who tells us about her journey to the crown, what this win means to...

On today’s Hello Houston, we discuss the Environmental Protection Agency eliminating rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants with Jennifer Hadayia and Thelisa Lavergne of Air Alliance Houston .  Next, we turn to film and hear Hello Houston producer Garrett Bohlmann and longtime Houston-area film critic Joe Leydon talk about the 30th anniversa...

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with Alie Brumel of The Breasties and Michele Lampach of Bobbies for Change , who both tell us about Connie’s Bill and how it aims to help provide coverage for mothers who are medically unable to breastfeed their children. Then, we talk with local comedian Liz Faublas-Wallace , who discusses how she made the move from journalism to comedy and how she found her voi...

On today’s Hello Houston, Francisco Romero , the main Spanish radio broadcaster for the Houston Astros Baseball Club, talks to us about his career, his hopes for the postseason, and what it means to be the Spanish voice of one of baseball’s biggest franchises. Then, Houston Public Media reporter Sarah Grunau reports live from Harris County Commissioners Court ahead of the vote on the county budget...

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with David Gantz , the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, who breaks down the U.S.-Canada trade war with both countries imposing tariffs on each other and what this means for the broader North American economy. Then, Ernie spotlights the arts with his weekly feature, On the Marquee . Today, he talks w...

On today’s Hello Houston, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Erik Ibarra, co-founder of Ox St. Kitchen, and Ivan Chavez of Chavo’s BBQ, who both discuss how Latino-owned businesses are creating new opportunities and flavors in Houston. Also, we have another edition of our Tuesday feature, Five Simple Questions , in which Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik talks with Houston-based...

On today’s Hello Houston, we’re joined by Dr. Luis Ostrosky , chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston, who helps us understand what Houstonians should know about the recently updated COVID vaccine as we prepare to enter the Fall season. Next, we have our first Producer Spotlight , in which Hello Houston producer William Menjivar talks with Madison Elaine Sutton, the founder and artistic d...

On today’s Hello Houston, we observe the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with Christopher Combs, a former FBI agent who was at the Pentagon minutes after the building was struck. He recounts to us what he witnessed and the lessons he carries with him to this day. Then, Tessa hosts the first edition of her feature, Tessa Takes On , in which she talks with Andrew Johnson, known to football fans as the Hous...

On today’s Hello Houston, Dr. Zoabe Hafeez , a nonresident fellow at the Baker Institute’s Center for Health Policy, joins us to discuss a new study that looks at how changes to streets and school campuses could make traveling to school safer for students. Then, we have our first HPM in Focus with Houston Public Media reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh , who joins us to discuss his article on how misd...

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with Dr. Anitra Beasley , an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who shares her thoughts on President Trump’s new leader of the FDA and how this choice could impact women’s health. Then, we turn to the arts and debut the first edition of Ernie’s On the Marquee , in which he learns all about the upcoming production Gloria: A Life with Janye Anderson,...

On today’s Hello Houston, we discuss a new report that finds renting a starter home is still cheaper than buying in all fifty of the nation’s largest metro areas with Jiayi Xu , an economist with Realtor.com, who also explains what the numbers look like in the Houston area.  Then, Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik launches our brand-new Tuesday feature, Five Simple Questions , where he...

On today’s Hello Houston, with food recalls growing in recent months, we talk with Dr. Byron Chaves , a professor in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, who discusses food safety and how food contamination is prevented. Then, Brandon Johnson , a professional athlete, impact speaker, and founder of The AWAKE Program and The No Script Nonprofit, shares his story of turning his own...

On today’s Hello Houston, Ronaldo and Lorenzo Salgado join us to discuss the emotional impact of the death of their father, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent on July 7 in Houston, and what they’re looking for when it comes to justice. Then, we turn to medicine and talk with Dr. Vipal Durkal , a medical oncologist with Texas Oncology-Houston Medical Center, who tells u...

On today’s Hello Houston, retired NASA astronaut, engineer, and NFL football player Leland Melvin tells us how he went from the football field to the stars, his experiences in space, and his post-NASA career ahead of his upcoming event at Space Center Houston. Next, director Tyler Mann , actress Rachel DeRouen and actor Eric Roberts discuss their film I Voted , which takes a real-life experience a...