Houston Matters

Houston Matters is a radio program airing weekdays at 9 am on Houston Public Media News 88.7 FM in Houston. During each hour, we’ll investigate the issues and ideas, people and places that make Houston…well…Houston! We’ll talk about current events, politics, education, health care, the environment, business, transportation, arts and culture, literature, sports and leisure. But we also hope that what we do each day on Houston Matters serves as the beginning of a conversation — one we hope you’ll continue here, at home, at work, with family, with friends and neighbors. We hope to introduce Houstonians to one another, to celebrate our diversity, and to engage one another through stories and conversations that demonstrate depth and context. Just the sort of thing you count on from public media.

Houston Matters is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 50 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Houston Matters, a news show with 50 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Houston Matters

  AI and jobs (Oct. 2, 2026)

  Oct 2, 202650 min

  On Friday's show: The Trump administration is seeking to ban diesel exports for 90 days to stifle rising fuel prices. But how might that hurt refineries and oil and gas companies in Greater Houston? Also this hour: We consider how the growth of AI is affecting jobs here in Greater Houston and what our future workforce will look like as the technology develops. Then, from Astros players criticizing fans who booed their playoff performance, to a new junior hockey team in Houston being forced to delay their debut , our panel of non-experts weighs in on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week. And we talk with filmmaker Mye Hoang, the director of a new documentary called 25 Cats from Qatar , which will be shown Sunday at River Oaks Theatre . The film tells the story of a Milwaukee woman who flew to Qatar to rescue 25 cats, bring them back to the United States, and get them adopted. It was not easy. Watch

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Houston Matters

  Prisons and punishment (Oct. 1, 2026)

  Oct 1, 202650 min

  On Thursday's show: Chris Brown, who serves as Mayor John Whitmire’s financial integrity director, has admitted to working 15-hour weeks for a $127,000 salary but defended his work at a tense city council meeting . Houston Public Media's Dominic Anthony Walsh tells us what happened and updates us on the latest developments from City Hall. Also this hour: A federal judge has ruled that Texas has to accelerate its timeline to install air conditioning in all state prisons by the end of 2029. The judge seemed to suggest the state was slow-playing the installation, which may fit an attitude about prison conditions built around the notion that people in prison are being punished not by doing time, but how they do that time. We discuss that and other observations about the ethics surrounding Texas prisons. Then, since we Houstonians tend to do a lot of driving and gas prices are so high these days, keeping our cars in peak condition is more important than ever. In that spirit, we welcome your long-term car care questions for Jeremy Robertson of Christian Brothers Automotive . And we talk with Tom Kenny , the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, who’s also a musician. He and his band The Hi-Seas will perform Friday night at the Continental Club. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwEpEOYJvLk

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Houston Matters

  The week in politics (Sept. 30, 2026)

  Sep 30, 202650 min

  On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup. Also this hour: We learn how the Trinity River has shaped the politics, economy, and environment of Texas and Houston from Scot McFarlane , author of The River That Made Texas: A Forgotten History of the Trinity . And two local arts groups celebrate the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar with events in the coming days. Akhtar will hold a reading on Oct. 5 of his latest novel, The Radiance , with Inprint Houston. And Houston's Shunya Theatre is staging a production of Disgraced, the play that won Akhtar the Pulitzer Prize for drama. We learn about both. Watch

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Houston Matters

  Child of a mail-order bride (Sept. 29, 2026)

  Sep 29, 202650 min

  On Tuesday's show: We remember former Houston health authority Dr. David Persse , who has passed away at age 66. And we get an update on the latest step toward a proposed desalination plant in Galveston. Also this hour: Ahead of Stand Down Houston , an event on Oct. 2 promoting education, career, home ownership, and other resources for veterans, we discuss benefits available to veterans in Greater Houston and how to access them. Then, we talk with Katya Suvorova , who grew up here in Houston, and is the author of the new book Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter: A Memoir From the Child of a Mail-Order Bride . And we preview this weekend's Festival Chicano at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Watch

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Houston Matters

  New flu season (Sept. 28, 2026)

  Sep 28, 202651 min

  On Monday's show: We examine how the new flu season is shaping up. Also this hour: We discuss the future of commercial spaceflight, ahead of the latest SpaceX launch taking astronauts to the International Space Station. Then, we talk through the latest stories in the world of education, including how politicians statewide may address K-12 education if elected in November and how school districts like HISD exit from state control . And the Astros became the first team in MLB history to win their division with a .500 record. We talk about their chances against the White Sox in the playoffs. Watch

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Houston Matters. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.