Best of Austin 2002, Readers Poll

Media

Twine Time on Saturdays and Blue Monday on Mondays are two really fun shows. For more than 20 years, KUT-FM has carried Larry Monroe’s wizened voice, also heard on Phil Music and Segway City, and Paul Ray's infectious chuckle into the balmy Austin night. Both are veritable encyclopedias of Texas music (Ray also spins jazz), who come off more like blissed-out audiophiles than pretentious radio hosts. While some radio stations put their warhorses out to pasture, KUT understands the public loves tradition as much as innovation. Ray and Monroe keep the standard high.

Save the Trees: Eradicate the Bushes! Actually, given the ongoing amount of material ol' Shrub Dubya provides Ms. Molly, maybe there is a sunnyside to junior's presidency. In light of Enron and WorldCom, etc., it's a damn good thing we got free speech champion Ivins to get us through. We can say that, can't we?

This might be the first time that a non-print news source has taken this prize, and no wonder: News8austin.com is a well-designed, user-friendly local TV site that doesn't waste bandwidth on connections to national network fluff. Our local 24-hour news channel's Web site is easy to search, easier to read, and best of all, its first name is "news."

photo by John Anderson

Alex Jones is part little boy who cried wolf, part Nietzschean madman, and all patriot. Alex has no problem coming off like a nutter so long as he is keeping the New World Order on its Ps and Qs and the public informed. His webzine, Infowars.com, isn?t just some paranoid HTML rant; it is an organized and informative site dedicated to what is headline news in the world of conspiracy theories, with links to international news sources to back it all up. For every three or four hare-brained Clan of the Owl schemes, there's at least one Waco.

Eklektikos was born in the early Seventies with host John Aielli and is now KUT's longest-running radio show. His show pays tribute to the fact that, well, people are complicated, and as a result, personal music preferences are usually a little broader than The Best of the Eighties or any other single-themed, Procrustean-minded music show. As the name implies, Eklektikos navigates deftly among almost all musical genres, with some literary and theatrical sources thrown in just to keep you on your toes, plus a slew of live, in-studio guests from local faves like the Rude Mechs theatre group and national touring celebs like Deepak Chopra. Engineer Cliff Hargrove's crisp production keeps it all in tune. Monday-Thursday, 9am-2pm, Fridays, 9am-1pm,

Live Music. Pure and Simple. This phrase has been the rightful motto of Austin City Limits since its premiere in 1976. Their unfettered format and intimate setting has inspired memorable performances from famous and not-so-famous acts alike for 27 years, with no sign of slowing down. Executive producer Terry Lickona gets credit, of course, but so does the staff and crew, whose dedication and loyalty make going home with the armadillo a journey worth taking. saturdays, 7pm, Tuesdays, 10pm, Fridays, 11pm, Cable Channel 9, KLRU-TV

A champion of local and visiting music, theatre, and literary acts, a derring-do promoter of playing the same song (different versions) 50 (or so) times in a row, a smooth-voiced soothester with an absurdly broad taste in everything audio, Austin's favorite radio host truly is a local living legend. And coming up in second place is sometimes-Aielli-replacement and KVRX Elk Mating Ritual Show morning dude John Erler.

Why, thank you, Austin. We try our darndest to get you the news and doings around our town in a cheap and timely manner (still wild & free, every Thursday!). But, really, you shouldn't have. The way we see it, you guys are just voting for yourselves in this category, because, after all, without you, dear, loyal readers, we are nothing.

Yes, his subject matter is frequently of a political nature instead of some endless string of celeb-studded glamour shots. But our readers are not swayed by content alone; Pogue has technical skills that art directors swoon for, but chooses to use it in documenting the more serious sides of life.

photo by Dan Brown

Like one of those edgy boîtes too hip for a sign out front, The Show With No Name may be the best-kept secret in Austin. Those in the know tune in on Sunday nights to wise guy Charlie Sotelo's giddy pile-up of vintage video clips and forgotten movie trailers. Watching Charlie stare out in disbelief as he takes calls from fellow videophiles, precocious 10-year-olds, and crazy people is like having the wrong view at a freak show. Curated with an evolved eye for the absurd and arcane, the video quality may be ninth generation at times, but still tapeworthy, so load up a blank and enjoy.

photo by John Anderson

Mix 94.7 FM's JB & Sandy are our readers' new, No. 1 choice for that intimate wake-up cackle first thing in the morning. Their morning crew (featuring the likes of Steakboy, Digitz, and Autumn the Intern) will get you out of bed in no time. On the other hand, sexy new Brit sidekick Debi (who won the Mix SuperMouth contest, including a year's contract on the air, amongst other goodies) might lure you right back under the covers with her dulcet mother tongue. Weekdays, 6-10am,

Regularly airing award-winning national and international programming from sources such as National Public Radio and Public Radio International, KUT is also the station that, as they note in their mission statement, "mirrors the unique nature of Austin and Central Texas …" as evidenced by shows like "Live Set" and the programming talents of hosts Olivier Chateain, Michael Crockett, Teresa Ferguson, Jeff McCord, Hayes McCauley, Angela Miller (and the other "Overnite"rs), Ed Miller, Julie Moody, David Obermann, Jay Trachtenberg, and other BOA winners John Aielli, Larry Monroe, and Paul Ray, not to mention all of the unmentioned and behind-the-scenes folks (who should pat themselves on the back right now).

Regularly airing award-winning national and international programming from sources such as National Public Radio and Public Radio International, KUT is also the station that, as they note in their mission statement, "mirrors the unique nature of Austin and Central Texas …" as evidenced by shows like "Live Set" and the programming talents of hosts Olivier Chateain, Michael Crockett, Teresa Ferguson, Jeff McCord, Hayes McCauley, Angela Miller (and the other "Overnite"rs), Ed Miller, Julie Moody, David Obermann, Jay Trachtenberg, and other BOA winners John Aielli, Larry Monroe, and Paul Ray, not to mention all of the unmentioned and behind-the-scenes folks (who should pat themselves on the back right now).

The Dallas native knew he wanted to be a sportscaster since the age of 8, after a few seasons of frequenting Cowboy and Rangers games with his father. “That is, if the whole playing in the NFL thing didn’t work out,” Mike Barnes laughs. After graduating from UT, Barnes did his time at a station in Aggie country (Bryan) before coming to Austin in 1989 as the main sportscaster for KVUE-24 News.

Sports fans cheer when Austin American-Statesman writer Kirk Bohls goes to bat. His cheeky, opinionated style and his way with words bring readers back time and time again while he serves up Texas-sized helpings of down-home sports.

Judy Maggio’s name is synonymous with news. She is the quintessential familiar face of Austin media, serving as anchor on KVUE 24 news, which is where she’s worked since graduating from UT’s journalism school. She keeps us informed and entertained with her warm smile. And since this is Ms. M’s 12th time garnering this award, one gets the distinct feeling that we're not alone in our sentiment.

Last year Austinites were torn over which station they loved the most. This year, however, KXAN came out on top. Whether you prefer the First Cast, the nifty Doppler radar, or the brand spanking new Live at Five, KXAN seems to live up to their claim that they are Austin's news and weather leader.

KXAN's multiple-award-winning journalist Jim Swift ties with KXAN's multiple-award-winning journalist R.J. DeSilva as Austin's favorite television reporter. A fixture at KXAN since 1977, Swift's Out on the Porch feature is a staple on Channel 36, offering arts and human interest features that are a charming respite from the daily news grind, and his coverage of hard news adds insight and depth to what would otherwise be basic facts and figures. DeSilva, at KXAN since 1996, has made a big splash, both as co-anchor and journalist. Regardless of what the story is, he combines a no-nonsense approach with style and grace, and is a shining example of excellence in local television.

Last year Austinites were torn over which station they loved the most. This year, however, KXAN came out on top. Whether you prefer the First Cast, the nifty Doppler radar, or the brand spanking new Live at Five, KXAN seems to live up to their claim that they are Austin's news and weather leader.

Jim Spencer, director of weather services for KXAN 36, has been with the station since 1990, and he's been bringing Future Radar to Austin since February, 1998. They said he was crazy, said it couldn't be done! They were wrong, of course, and Future Radar is where our readers turn, "weather" or not.