This Just In

On this episode of This Just In, Rich and Bryan sit down with longtime photojournalist Jorge Villarreal, whose path from South Texas to the Dallas–Fort Worth television market started with a simple love of still photography.

But as you’ll hear, it didn’t take long for Jorge’s intelligence, instincts, and natural problem-solving ability to set him apart. That passion for images eventually led him behind the camera in one of the largest and most competitive news markets in America, where he became a trusted presence in the field and a key part of telling some unforgettable stories.

Over the years, Jorge would take on challenges far beyond North Texas — traveling internationally and covering major events alongside Rich, from the tension of a coup in Central America to high-impact reporting assignments in Mexico City.

Episode 52

In the previous episode, Rich and Bryan spoke with Kingsley Smith about how an East Texas kid who planned to go into the oil business ended up helping lead a Dallas–Fort Worth newsroom to the top of the ratings game. But as impressive as that chapter was, it turns out it was only the beginning.

In Part Two, Kingsley shares how the higher-ups at Fox took notice of the strategy and leadership that transformed a station into a powerhouse. Before long, they were calling on him to do it again — and again — sending him to stations across the country to repeat the formula.

That journey would eventually take him to one of the biggest stages in television news: Los Angeles, the second-largest market in America, where the stakes were higher, the competition tougher, and the spotlight brighter than ever.

In this episode of This Just In, Rich and Bryan sit down with a man whose journey to the top of the television news business was anything but predictable.

Kingsley Smith grew up in a prominent East Texas family and fully expected his future would be in the oil business. But a series of unexpected turns — and a few bold leaps — took his life in a completely different direction. First to Australia, and eventually to Dallas–Fort Worth, where he would become a key force behind the rise of Fox4 News into a dominant number-one station.

In Part One of our conversation, Kingsley shares the story of those early years, the decisions that changed his path, and how a young man who thought he’d spend his life in the energy industry found himself helping shape one of the most successful news operations in Texas.

n Part One, we pulled back the curtain on one of the most consequential investigations in Texas sports history — the reporting that helped bring down SMU football and led to the NCAA’s only “death penalty.” But as Rich and Bryan quickly discovered, that headline-making chapter was just one piece of an extraordinary career.

In Part Two, legendary investigative producer John Sparks takes us far beyond Dallas… and into stories even we didn’t know were part of his journey.

From an unexpected stop in New York City to the heart of some of the biggest news events of our time, John shares firsthand experiences covering monumental moments in American history — including the chaos, courage, and human drama surrounding the attacks of September 11th.

It’s a conversation about journalism at its highest stakes, the stories behind the stories, and a career that kept placing John at the center of history as it unfolded.

This week on This Just In, we take a step back in time.Rich and Bryan revisit their elementary school days in the early to mid-1960s, when the space race captured the imagination of an entire generation and every rocket launch felt like a moment the whole country shared together. From classroom countdowns to black-and-white TVs rolled into the gym, it was a time when space felt close enough to touch.But the conversation also turns deeply personal.Both men covered two of the darkest days in American space history — the shuttle disasters of Challenger and Columbia. In one especially powerful memory, Richard and his wife Catherine were in Florida and witnessed the launch of Columbia. Just days later, they were back home in North Texas when the shuttle broke apart overhead — a moment that connected their lives forever to one of NASA’s most tragic times.

**Fuzzy Recollection Note: The moon landing happened on July 20, 1969, not 1968, and the SpaceX capsule is Dragon. The rocket is Falcon. That's one small step for correcting the record. One giant leap for TJI.**

Some stories take years to come full circle.

This one began a decade ago with a Lone Star Adventure TV feature on adult baseball — a simple news story that quietly sparked another life adventure. Ten years later, that story leads Rich to Texas Rangers Fantasy Camp, living out a dream that started long before the cameras ever rolled.

In this episode, Rich takes you behind the scenes at camp, sharing unforgettable moments with Hall of Famers Pudge Rodríguez and Fergie Jenkins, along with other Rangers greats — legends of the game who suddenly become teammates, coaches, and storytellers.

It’s about baseball, yes — but it’s also about timing, gratitude, and saying yes when opportunity knocks.
A reminder that some dreams don’t expire with age.

For a 75-year-old Boy of Summer, this was truly a dream come true.

Leave us a comment for the link to sign up for next year.

In Part Two of our conversation with Tim Ryan, the story takes a turn.

After building an award-winning career as a television reporter, Tim made a side trip into newsroom management in Salt Lake City — only to discover that life behind a desk, running a newsroom, wasn’t where he belonged.

Then came a moment of perfect timing.

Out of the blue, Tim got the call to return to Dallas — this time as the morning anchor of Good Day. What followed was a defining chapter in North Texas television history. Tim became the steady, sometimes grumpy, always sharp and endlessly informative leader of FOX 4’s number-one-rated morning show, leaving a legacy viewers still remember.

In this episode, Tim also opens up about something rarely discussed in TV news:
the physical toll of overnight hours, early alarms, and the long-term impact that schedule had on his health.

Host 1: Richard Ray

Host 2: Bryan Lochhead

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

THIS JUST IN — PART ONE WITH TIM RYAN

This week on This Just In, we kick off a special two-part conversation with a man who, for decades, was one of the most recognizable and trusted faces in North Texas television news — Tim Ryan.

In Part One, Tim takes Rich and Bryan on a remarkable journey through a long and illustrious career that began not in a newsroom, but in childhood — watching wall-to-wall coverage of a national political convention and realizing, even then, that storytelling and journalism were his calling.

It’s a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at a career path that carried him from Chicago to Arizona, back to Chicago, and ultimately to Dallas, where he became a morning-news fixture for generations of viewers.

From early ambition to hard-earned credibility, newsroom lessons, career pivots, and the moments that shaped him along the way, Part One is about how a broadcaster is built — long before the anchor desk ever comes into view.

In Part Two of our conversation with Brett Shipp, we pick up with more of the unforgettable TV news stories that helped define his career—investigations that made an impact and moments that only happen when you’re chasing the truth day after day.

But then the conversation takes a turn. Brett opens up about a life- and career-changing decision—leaving the newsroom for a move into politics. It was a bold step, fueled by a desire to make change from the inside.

It didn’t end the way he hoped.

And yet, Brett tells us why he has no regrets about making the move, what he learned from it, and how that chapter shaped the person he is today.

This week on This Just In, we welcome a very special guest—one of the best investigative journalists we’ve ever worked with.

Brett Shipp was quite literally born and raised to be a hard-hitting reporter. Journalism runs deep in his DNA, and over the course of his career he’s proven that calling again and again—breaking major stories, holding the powerful accountable, and earning dozens of awards for his work along the way.

Rich and Bryan sit down with Brett for a fascinating conversation about investigative reporting, newsroom instincts, chasing the truth, and what it takes to do this job the right way—especially when the stakes are high.