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There may be no personal income tax in Texas, but property tax? That’s another thing. And perhaps, the next big thing in Texas politics. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey joins us with more on what’s emerging as a new theme in Texas politics for 2026: Property taxes.
4 million Texans signed up for health plans from the Affordable Care Act marketplace, and all are expected to be paying more for their premiums in the new year if subsidies are allowed to expire.
And look back at some of the big stories in TV and film in Texas as we close out the year.

The post What to know if Affordable Care Act subsidies expire appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

It’s almost time to turn the page on 2025, but we’re stretching out Texas Standard’s 10th birthday celebration a little longer with our 10 favorite book interviews from the past decade.  

It’s a list that includes children’s books, young adult literature, and books diving deep into history. Join us as we count them down. 

The post Our top 10 books stories of the past decade  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This week, Kim Masters is joined by Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw for a year-end Megabanter, looking back at a messy 2025. From the devastating Los Angeles fires to the shadow cast by the Trump administration over Hollywood, the trio digs into the Skydance-Paramount deal, a surprise Warners-Netflix upset, and Disney’s move to partner with OpenAI.

Just a few weeks ago, the editors and producers of the Texas Standard made out their lists and checked them twice, picking out stories from the past year that filled them with a certain sense of uplift – something that can at times seem so elusive.  

In the spirit of the season, we’re sharing some of these feel-good stories with you on a special Christmas Day edition of the Texas Standard. 

The post Stories to warm your heart this Christmas  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Music is a huge part of what makes Texas what it is. And as part of Texas Standard’s yearlong 10th birthday celebration, we’re celebrating our top 10 favorite music stories from the past decade.  

Those include an exclusive interview with Phil Collins at the Alamo, an expansive conversation with the boundary-pushing band Khruangbin, and deep dives into the lives and legacies of Texas greats Johnny Canales and Nanci Griffith. 

We’ll also hear from the man entrusted to take care of Willie Nelson’s guitar – and much more. 

The post Our top 10 music stories of the past decade  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This week on The Metallica Report…

Steffan and Renée search for the meaning of Christmas. Well… at least what it means to James and Kirk. The guitarists share how their families spend the holidays, including traditions, favorite movies, and some silly memories from Christmases past.

The Metallica Report – your official, weekly guide for all things Metallica, straight from the source. New episode every Wednesday.

Become A Fifth Member: metallica.com/register 

Music from The Metallica Report: metallica.lnk.to/TMR-music 

Upcoming Tour Dates: metallica.com/tour 

Wanna be featured in a future fan debate? metallica.com/podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How will you remember 2025? This hour we’re listening back to some of our favorite stories of the year from reporters with the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom. 

Remember the author of “Holes,” who made a sharp turn in 2025? Or when it was blazing hot outside and the swimming pool became too irresistible to say no to? What about the rise and rise of Labubus?  

All this and more on a special holiday edition of the Texas Standard.  

The post Our favorite stories from the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This holiday season, we’ve been listening back to some of the most compelling reporting by our in-house journalists here at the Texas Standard, as well as a team of public media reporters statewide known as The Texas Newsroom.  

From an effort to help more adults complete a high school education, to a mystery Bible in Boerne, to the long-awaited launch of a new college football team in the Rio Grande Valley, you’re in for a treat on this special edition of the Texas Standard.   

The post The best of the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom in 2025  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Change can be scary — especially when your podcast format is “working well enough.” But doing the exact same thing every week can lead to burnout, stale content, and flat growth. In this episode of Podcast Insider, Mike and Dave dig into how to experiment with your show format without confusing your audience, tanking downloads, or losing the core of what makes your show work.

Whether you’re thinking about shorter episodes, new segments, rotating co-hosts, or even a full refresh down the road, this conversation walks through how to test changes in a thoughtful, data-informed way over time.

If your show is “fine,” it can be tempting to leave it alone forever. But small experiments can:

Common worries podcasters have:

Breaking down the difference between:

Blubrry helps: Use your Blubrry stats to compare performance before and after changes—episode downloads, trends over a few weeks, and listener behavior over time.

You don’t have to flip your show upside down to “try something new.” Mike and Dave walk through small, manageable experiments you can test over a few episodes:

Structure Experiments

Politicians can raise a lot of money running for election. But what happens to it when the campaign trail ends? Elected officials in Texas have a loophole to help them spend the money they raise on campaigns after they retire.
How many concert venues have made it 75 years? We’ll take a tour of Dallas’ historic Longhorn Ballroom.
All that plus the latest political headlines, SpaceX going public, and the Typewriter Rodeo.

The post Dallas’ Longhorn Ballroom marks 75 years appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.