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KUT 90.5 to Broadcast Award-Winning Program 'Think'

Texas-based show features interviews with prominent regional, national newsmakers

AUSTIN, Texas – Dec. 19, 2016 – “Think,” the award-winning radio program that sparks interesting conversations in Texas through intimate, thought-provoking long-form interviews, joins the KUT 90.5 lineup on Jan. 2.

Hosted by acclaimed journalist Krys Boyd, “Think” features hour-long discussions with regional, national and international newsmakers, including authors, politicians, actors, scientists, artists, innovators and more.

“Think” will air live at 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, giving listeners the opportunity to join in a statewide conversation five days a week.

Adding a new program to the schedule requires other programs to shift or discontinue airing on KUT. As a result, the NPR Newsmagazine “Here and Now” (currently airs on a one-hour delay) will move up by one hour to air live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “The Takeaway,” which airs from 11 a.m. to noon, will drop from the KUT schedule. Its final airing on KUT 90.5 will be Dec. 30.

“Bringing ‘Think’ to KUT will give Austin listeners a chance to interact with listeners across the state regarding topics that are important to Texans,” said Hawk Mendenhall, associate general manager, and director of content and broadcast on KUT 90.5. “‘Texas Standard’ has already established itself as the national news program of Texas and we believe ‘Think’ will soon become the national talk show of Texas with the show being picked up by stations across the state.”

KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station, joins leading public radio stations across Texas in airing “Think,” which has broadcast exclusively on KERA in North Texas for more than 10 years. In that time, “Think” has earned awards for “Best Radio Talk Show” and “Best Broadcaster” from numerous publications. Through her in-depth research and enlightening questions, Boyd has earned a reputation as one of the most thoughtful and skilled radio hosts in the country.

Other stations that will begin airing “Think” on Jan. 2 include Houston Public Media, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and KWBU in Waco. Additional Texas stations are expected to begin broadcasting “Think” later in 2017. As the program reaches more listeners, the important conversations that begin in North Texas will start a dialogue across the state.

“My favorite conversations are the ones that raise more questions than they answer,” Boyd said. “By presenting ‘Think’ to new audiences, we’ll hear more insights and perspectives — not only about what’s dominating the headlines, but about all the ideas that brought us here: history, science, art, culture and philosophy.”

About “Think”
Since launching in February 2006, “Think” and host Krys Boyd have earned more than a dozen local, regional and national awards, including the 2012 Public Radio News Directors Inc. first place award for best call-in show, the 2016 Texas AP Broadcasters 2nd place award for local talk show, the 2013 Regional Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage and more. In addition to airing on KERA FM, “Think” also is among the most-downloaded local podcasts in the public radio system, receiving about 200,000 downloads each month – more than half of which come from listeners outside the state. In each of the past two years, “Think” has been invited to broadcast live from the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“Think” led a national conversation following the tragic shootings of Dallas police officers on July 7, 2016. On the day after the shootings, Boyd hosted a two-hour special episode of “Think” that offered a thoughtful reflection on the tragedy and its aftermath. Public radio stations across the country broadcast the special episode, which featured insights from U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson and other local leaders.

During each episode of “Think,” listeners have the opportunity to call, email or tweet with questions or comments for the show’s guest. In expanding to new markets in Texas, “Think” will give hundreds of thousands more listeners the opportunity to join conversations with prominent figures from a wide variety of subjects. Previous guests include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jane Goodall, Sen. John Cornyn, artist Frank Stella, author Malcolm Gladwell, actor Bryan Cranston and filmmaker Werner Herzog.

The expansion of “Think” represents an extension of the ongoing Texas Station Collaborative, which connects the newsrooms of the state’s four largest public radio stations: KERA in North Texas, KUT 90.5 in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and Houston Public Media. The Collaborative worked together to launch “Texas Standard” in 2015. The daily newsmagazine, which airs weekdays at 10 a.m., provides a unique opportunity for participating stations to enhance coverage of Texas news and share local stories with audiences across the state. With the expansion of “Think,” more Texans will have access to compelling, in-depth interviews, in addition to the diverse collection of daily news stories provided by “Texas Standard.”

“Think” is available via podcast on iTunes and kera.org/podcasts. For information about “Think,” visit kera.org.

About KERA
KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization serving North Texas through KERA TV, KERA WORLD, KERA 90.1 and the Triple-A music station KXT 91.7 FM. For over 50 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a vibrant destination for community engagement and lifelong learning. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org.

About KUT 90.5
For more than 50 years, KUT 90.5, Austin's NPR station, has been directly supported by the local community whose investments give voice to the stories that matter to Central Texas. KUT delivers in-depth stories by and about people in Austin – for Austin – with the highest journalistic standards from a variety of thoughtful perspectives. A founding member of NPR, KUT News has won more than 200 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence. “Texas Standard,” KUT’s one-hour daily news program heard on 27 public radio stations across the state, offers crisp, up-to-the-moment coverage of politics, lifestyle, the environment, technology, innovation and business — from a Texas perspective.

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Media contacts:
Erin Geisler, KUT 90.5, (512) 475-8071
Andy Canales, Think, (214) 740-9236