The Wake Up Call with Benji Snead Podcast

Benji Snead talks to KCBD sports director Pete Christy over the phone to discuss Texas Tech Softball in the WCWS Finals and what Pete's journey has been like with KCBD.

Benji Snead chats with Katie Sandifer about the annual 4th on Broadway event in Lubbock. Katie covers what her role is in 4th on Broadway, the history of the event, what changes to it people need to know about, and expectations for this year's festivities.

Benji Snead is joined by Victoria Whitehead, who is the CEO of the West Texas Home Builders Association. Victoria promotes the upcoming Parade of Homes and shares what people need to know about the event, what goes into putting it together, and what people should expect to see in this year's showcase. Victoria also gives her take on impact fees, what challenges home builders face, and how demands...

The mayor of Lubbock Mark McBrayer joined Benji Snead for this episode to break down the facts and information to know regarding a new AI data center opening in Lubbock. Mark shares the city's overall approach and mindset towards data centers, how the city is handling and meeting water needs, and what the differences are between small scale and "hyper" scale centers.

Benji Snead sits down and talks with Danielle Sweat, who is the city of Wolfforth's Executive Director for Economic Development. Danielle shares what plans the city's economic development has for the city, how they are preparing for more growth, if the city is growing smart, and how the city is meeting the needs and demands of its citizens.

In this episode, Benji Snead talks to Steve Massengale, who is a former city councilman and former Lubbock ISD board member. Steve gives his thoughts on the winners of local elections, his time on the school board, where the city is on downtown development, and being on city council during COVID. He also talks about his life outside of politics and what's next for him.

Benji Snead is joined by former mayor of Lubbock Dan Pope. Dan talks about his time as mayor, what it was like to be the mayor during COVID, and what the hardest decision was during that time. He also gives his thoughts on local elections and opinions on those who won their races, like Tom Sell and Ken Paxton. Dan shares what Lubbock needs to see from Commissioner's Court and if Lubbock should hav...

Benji Snead sits down with Jordan Rackler, who is running in the Republican primary runoff for Lubbock County Commissioner - Precinct 4 as the incumbent. Jordan gives an update on where the county is on the Expo Center Project, where they are with the funding, and what the dynamic of the LCEC looks like. Jordan also talks about the difference between him and his opponent Chad Seay, what it's like...

In today's episode, Benji Snead chats with Matt Smith, owner of Fat Matt Roofing. Matt also was a candidate in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 19's congressional seat. Matt talks about why he ran for Congress, why there was not a recount in the primary, what it was like to run a campaign with his family, and what's next for Matt. He also shares what surprised him about the Rep...

Benji Snead is joined by Lubbock county elections administrator Roxzine Stinson to talk about early voting turnout for the primary runoffs, what's driving high turnout for the runoffs compared to the city elections earlier this year, and the process behind prepping for an election.

Benji Snead had a chance to visit with Chad Seay, who is running for Lubbock County Commissioner's Court in Precinct 4. Chad talks about why he's rerunning after being on the Court from 2019 to 2022 then lost reelection in 2022, and he also talks about what he wants to do if he gets back on the Court. He shares what he took away from his first term, what he thinks about the Expo Center project, th...

Benji Snead is joined by candidates in the Republican primary runoff for Lubbock County Precinct 2 commissioner Trey Newton and Kevin Pounds. In this debate, the two candidates cover a wide variety of topics and issues and make their case why they should be voted in. They give their takes on introducing new taxes, what they want addressed in commissioner's court, and what should be prioritized in...

Benji Snead sits down with Tom Sell, who is a candidate in the Republican primary runoff for Texas 19th Congressional District. Tom discusses his top priorities if elected, what issues the congressional district faces, and what separates him from his opponent Abraham Enriquez. Tom shares how being a 5th generation Texan has shaped his view on public service and gives his take on data centers and t...

In one of our most informative and spirited episodes yet, Benji Snead sits down with Matt Rose, who is the Chief Public Affairs Officer for Lubbock Power and Light (LP&L). Matt explains the trends in energy usage and cost since deregulation started in Lubbock, what the function of LP&L is now, what more competition in the energy market does for the cost of electricity, and how data centers...

Benji Snead is joined by Mike Dalby, who is the Lubbock County Commissioner for Precinct 1. Mike goes over a handful of issues the Commissioner's Court is facing, what the dynamic with the Court is like, and what makes a commissioner effective in their position. Mike also explains his stance on the Expo Center project and gives his thoughts on data centers.

Benji Snead had the chance to talk to Texas Tech Vice Chairman for the Board of Regents and prominent athletics booster Dusty Womble. Benji asks Dusty about what it means for him to be a booster for Tech Athletics, what is the impact of the new facilities on Tech, and how involved Dusty is within the athletic department. They also discuss what athletics does for the university, why Dusty is invest...

Benji Snead sits down and talks with David Pierce, who is with the company Parallel and leading the Student Housing Project in South Overton. David shares the behind-the-scenes details on the project, when they expect to finish, and what concerns they have handled regarding it. He also talks about being involved in the community and what makes college towns different from other cities.

Benji Snead is joined by Chris Snead to discuss the state of Texas Tech Athletics, including the baseball program, what is making Texas Tech University successful, and how Tech has changed over the years. Chris also shares his background, what went behind starting the Tech Hecklers group, and what he thinks about NIL.

For this episode of The Wake Up Call Podcast, Benji Snead visits with Lubbock county judge Curtis Parrish. Judge Parrish speaks on how he got into law, what's on the horizon for Lubbock County, how the city is growing smart, and how Lubbock is avoiding a dire road situation like Austin is facing. He also gives his takes on the proposal for a new Expo Center, no-new-revenue rate, and funding public...

Benji Snead chats with newly elected city councilman for District 3 David Bruegel. David discusses what goals he has for his district, why he wanted to run for city council, and shares what issues he wants to address, like the abundance of wild dogs in the community. David also shares his perspective on the election, his approach to working with other council members, and what he thinks about Lubb...

Benji Snead is joined in the studio by local attorney and former Lubbock mayor Tray Payne. Benji asks Tray about his background, including working in the District Attorney's office, and what stories he has about his time trying cases. Tray talks about what he took away from his time as mayor, what the most difficult aspect of being mayor was, and what the difference is between the DA's office and...

Benji Snead talks to Christy-Martinez-Garcia as she was reelected as councilwoman of District 1. Christy shares what issues her constituents are wanting addressed, how she represents a variety of people within the district, and how she's further involved in the community. She addresses what needs to improve in the city and what her priorities as a councilwoman are.

Benji Snead talks with the CEO of University Medical Center Mark Funderburk. Mark discusses how things have developed in the health industry, how UMC meets the needs of the community, what the hardest part is of delivering on a regional scale, and how UMC is funded. Mark talks about the new family medicine clinic in Wolfforth and what stands out with the expanded cancer center that opened back in...

Benji Snead chats with James Arnold, who is the President of UMB Bank and an economic voice in the community, for this episode. James gets into what trends he's seeing in the Lubbock economy, how inflation is affecting banking, and what needs to be improving in the city.

Benji Snead is joined by KCBD news director and meteorologist Matt Ernst. Matt shares his background and talks about how things have changed in the news industry, how recruiting has changed in the industry, and how KCBD handles their coverage on issues such as elections. Matt also discusses preparation for severe weather season, his thoughts on what's going on downtown, and how he's involved in th...