Media Rumblings

New Texas radio show is shaking up the airwaves with Lone Star talk

A new statewide public radio program is bringing Lone Star State residents the national news stories of the day, but this time it comes with a narrative that's specifically geared toward Texans.

The program — called Texas Standard— provides a platform to help connect Texans in a similar way that NPR's Morning Edition connects listeners to stories from communities around the country and the world.

"A lot of people living in Texas don't feel connected to where most Texans live, as in the urban areas," says award-winning journalist David Brown of KUT Austin, who hosts the daily program. "In the same way, people living in urban areas — Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin — we don't feel connected to each other."

The new one-hour news program is the product of a cross-station collaboration — the first of its kind among Texas public radio stations — between KUT Austin, KERA North Texas Houston Public Media and Texas Public Radio in San Antonio.

"Originally, the idea was that KUT would have a signature program," says Brown, "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 effects 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 at 10 am weekdays on 90.5 FM. Past shows are available on the program's website.

unspecified

Make that paper

This is how far a $100k salary goes in Austin, according to new study

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

Seven Texan cities appear in the study’s top 10 where a six-figure salary goes the furthest.

Many people daydream about making six figures in their career before they enter the workforce. But the rising cost of living certainly throws a wrench in the works. Luckily for Texans, a six-figure salary still goes pretty far in the state.

In a new report from SmartAsset, a $100,000 salary in Austin is worth an average of $73,777 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living. The financial technology company analyzed income in 76 United States cities, and adjusted them for the cost of living in each location. Austin ranked No. 24 on the list.

Seven Texan cities appear in the study’s top 10 where a six-figure salary goes the furthest. Houston ranked No. 6 as the fourth Texas city on the list, after El Paso (No. 2), Corpus Christi (No. 4), and Lubbock (No. 5). A Houstonian's six-figure salary is reduced to $74,515 after taxes, but is technically worth $81,350 when adjusted for the cost of living.

In a three-way tie with San Antonio for No. 7, a person who makes $100,000 a year in Fort Worth and Arlington takes home about $74,515 after taxes. When adjusted for the cost of living, which is seven percent lower than the national average, that money is worth $80,124.

Dallas appears at No. 34 on the list, with the average six-figure earner bringing home $72,345 after taxes. That salary shrinks in the northern Dallas suburb of Plano (No. 59), where the worker brings home $59,422.

The place where $100,000 goes the furthest is Memphis, Tennessee. Much like Texas, Tennessee doesn’t have a state income tax and has a lower cost of living in comparison to the national average.

After Memphis is El Paso, followed by Oklahoma City (No. 3), then Corpus Christi, Lubbock, and Houston. After the Texan three-way tie for No. 7, St. Louis, Missouri rounds out the top 10.

The 10 total Texas cities that appear in SmartAsset’s study include:

No. 2 – El Paso
No. 4 – Corpus Christi
No. 5 – Lubbock
No. 6 – Houston
No. 7 – Fort Worth, Arlington, San Antonio (tied)
No. 24 – Austin
No. 34 – Dallas
No. 59 – Plano

The report and its methodology can be found on SmartAsset’s website.

SmartAsset six figures texas salaries austin austin salaries