This Just In

Richard and Bryan set the wayback machine to 1986. Richard was in New York City for the unveiling of the repaired Statue of Liberty. President Ronald Reagan was there too and said, "Let the fireworks begin." A spectacular day with memorable moments. Rich and Bryan talk about other cool 4th of July shows including the famous Addison, Texas Kaboom town. Like, Subscribe, and Comment. Your s...

THIS JUST IN — New Episode Witness to Death What is it really like to watch someone die at the hands of the state? This week, Bryan and Rich take you behind the walls of Texas’ execution chamber for one of the most personal and thought-provoking conversations we’ve ever had. Rich was one of the media witnesses to three lethal injections. Together, we discuss what the public never sees, the role of...

On this episode of  This Just In , we visit with Ryan Davis, whose remarkable career in television news often put him high above the story — literally. For years, Ryan covered breaking news from a helicopter: car chases, disasters, crime scenes, floods, fires and moments when the story was still unfolding by the second. And if you watched coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing, you almost certainly...

THIS JUST IN — WACO: THE FINAL CHAPTER Thirty-three years later, the images are still unforgettable. The flames. The gunfire. The end of a 51-day standoff that shocked the world. In the third and final installment of our Waco series, Richard Ray shares firsthand stories from the last day at the Branch Davidian compound — including the unexpected tip that sent him racing to the scene before dawn an...

We decided to rewind and refresh episode 3 of the TJI podcast to reach more listeners. The Fiery End: Day 51 at Mt. CarmelWhen FBI tanks began knocking holes in the wall and inserting tear gas at Branch Davidian compound outside Waco at 6am on Monday April 18, 1993 only a handful of journalists were there. The vast majority had left the previous Friday, convinced the standoff would drag on for wee...

In this episode, 65, Richard and Bryan decided to revisit episode 2 of the TJI podcast, The Waco Siege. It is a story that lives on and had all the elements of high drama, sex, guns, law enforcement, cults, and news coverage that didn't quit for weeks. Richard Ray was there and gives us his first person view of the situation. The podcast rewind will continue in the upcoming weeks with "Th...

This week, the tables are turned on the “This Just In” Podcast. As Rich prepares to board a plane for Africa on another mission trip — literally flying as this episode drops — Bryan takes over the host chair and puts Rich in the guest seat. For the first time in a long time, Rich opens up about HIS story: How a small-town kid from Minnesota with big dreams broke into the TV news business  The earl...

Before ESPN… before sports highlights became fast-paced and personality-driven… Ted Dawson helped change the way TV sportscasters delivered the nightly sports coverage. His legendary career took him from Los Angeles to Dallas, but it was during a decade at the ABC affiliate in L.A. where Ted found himself surrounded by Hollywood stars and sports legends on an almost daily basis. The stories he can...

He’s a farm kid from Kansas who never planned on TV news… until a no-show changed everything. When another student didn’t make it to shoot a basketball game, Paul Beam grabbed the camera — and that moment turned into a career. Now, he’s the chief photographer at the top-rated station in DFW, KDFW-TV (Fox 4 Dallas–Fort Worth). He’s been in the middle of the chaos — chasing breaking news, capturing...

He’s a third-generation Texan who didn’t wait for a door to open — he talked his way in. Kyle Rovinsky started as a gopher with Fox 4 Sports during the Cowboys’ Super Bowl years… and turned it into a successful career as a sports TV producer. Then came the pivot. Using that same hustle and people skills, he built something even bigger — becoming one of North Texas’ top real estate players. And alo...

He’s a kid from New York who got an early taste of TV… and never let go. What started as a spark turned into a mission — not just to make it in television, but to become  the best consumer reporter in America . And he did it. But  Steve Noviello  didn’t stop there. Now, he’s reinventing himself again — creating wildly popular talk shows at  KDFW-TV (Fox 4 Dallas–Fort Worth)  that are not just comp...

He didn’t grow up dreaming of the bright lights of pro sports. In fact, Larry Rodriguez was just a young man trying to figure out his path — until one unexpected turn put a camera in his hands… and changed everything. That moment launched a career that would take him to the biggest stages in sports — on the sidelines with the  Dallas Cowboys , inside the dugout with the  Texas Rangers , and face-t...

Every career has a starting point… but not everyone climbs all the way to the top. This week on This Just In, we sit down with Maria Barrs—a woman who began at the very bottom in a small-market newsroom and worked her way up through the ranks… reporter, assignment editor, news director, and ultimately general manager. And just when you think the story ends there—it doesn’t. In retirement, Maria fi...

On this week’s episode, Richard and Bryan celebrate one year of podcasting. What did we learn? Where are we going? Is anyone listening? Bryan even floated the possibility of a new logo. It’s been a lot of fun sharing our facts, opinions, and fuzzy recollections. This is Episode 57, and we’ve had some great guests along the way—shout out to Becky, Kingsley, Crystal, Raul, Phil, Tim, Doug, Brett, an...

TV news is changing—and fast. On this episode of The ‘This Just In’ Podcast with Rich and Bryan, we talk with Crystal Cooper from CBS 11, who’s right in the middle of that shift. Crystal is a UNT journalism graduate and is helping to redefine how news reaches younger audiences, using social media in ways many traditional newsrooms are still trying to figure out. Crystal represents the next wave of...

Most viewers in Dallas–Fort Worth remember Alan Wang for the role that made him a household name — those groundbreaking, wild, and always entertaining live shots on Good Day Dallas. For a time, it felt like you never knew what Alan might do next, and that unpredictability helped define the early success of the show. But as Rich and Bryan learn in Part Two, that chapter was only a small piece of a...

Back in 1994, Fox4 News was in the middle of a major transition — switching from CBS to Fox and launching a much longer, more ambitious morning program called Good Day. It was a big gamble, and in those early days the station was searching for something — or someone — who could help the show stand out. What they found was Alan Wang. With a fearless style and a willingness to try just about anythin...

On this episode of This Just In, Rich and Bryan sit down with longtime photojournalist Jorge Villarreal, whose path from South Texas to the Dallas–Fort Worth television market started with a simple love of still photography. But as you’ll hear, it didn’t take long for Jorge’s intelligence, instincts, and natural problem-solving ability to set him apart. That passion for images eventually led him b...

Episode 52 In the previous episode, Rich and Bryan spoke with Kingsley Smith about how an East Texas kid who planned to go into the oil business ended up helping lead a Dallas–Fort Worth newsroom to the top of the ratings game. But as impressive as that chapter was, it turns out it was only the beginning. In Part Two, Kingsley shares how the higher-ups at Fox took notice of the strategy and leader...

In this episode of This Just In, Rich and Bryan sit down with a man whose journey to the top of the television news business was anything but predictable. Kingsley Smith grew up in a prominent East Texas family and fully expected his future would be in the oil business. But a series of unexpected turns — and a few bold leaps — took his life in a completely different direction. First to Australia,...

n Part One, we pulled back the curtain on one of the most consequential investigations in Texas sports history — the reporting that helped bring down SMU football and led to the NCAA’s only “death penalty.” But as Rich and Bryan quickly discovered, that headline-making chapter was just one piece of an extraordinary career. In Part Two, legendary investigative producer John Sparks takes us far beyo...

This week on This Just In, we take a step back in time. Rich and Bryan revisit their elementary school days in the early to mid-1960s, when the space race captured the imagination of an entire generation and every rocket launch felt like a moment the whole country shared together. From classroom countdowns to black-and-white TVs rolled into the gym, it was a time when space felt close enough to to...

Some stories take years to come full circle. This one began  a decade ago  with a  Lone Star Adventure  TV feature on adult baseball — a simple news story that quietly sparked another life adventure. Ten years later, that story leads Rich to  Texas Rangers Fantasy Camp , living out a dream that started long before the cameras ever rolled. In this episode, Rich takes you  behind the scenes  at camp...

In  Part Two  of our conversation with Tim Ryan, the story takes a turn. After building an award-winning career as a television reporter, Tim made a side trip into  newsroom management in Salt Lake City  — only to discover that life behind a desk, running a newsroom, wasn’t where he belonged. Then came a moment of  perfect timing . Out of the blue, Tim got the call to return to  Dallas  — this tim...

THIS JUST IN — PART ONE WITH TIM RYAN This week on  This Just In , we kick off a  special two-part conversation  with a man who, for decades, was one of the most recognizable and trusted faces in North Texas television news —  Tim Ryan . In  Part One , Tim takes Rich and Bryan on a remarkable journey through a long and illustrious career that began not in a newsroom, but in childhood — watching wa...