It’s like asking where were you when man landed on the moon or when JFK was assassinated or when 9-11 happened. I’m sure you will always remember the day Big Tex died. It was the middle of the day when our newsroom began getting reports that seemed absurd.
Big Tex is on fire!
What? That’s like saying Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny is on fire. Tex had been around forever and although he had seen various incarnations through the years, he had never seen his demise in such a public way.
The wiring in his mechanical mouth shorted out and Tex burned from the face first, then his giant shirt and other duds went up like the Hindenberg. Fair goers were shocked. Children cried. When it was done, Tex was nothing but a charred frame, his arms really the only thing much recognizable.
But now, Tex is back. You just can’t keep a good man down. And all is well. The enormous Cowboy is said to be better than ever with all the latest robotic technology and no doubt fire-retardant materials as part of his make-up. His unveiling brought more attention to the State Fair of Texas than the annual fried food debut and that’s saying something.
No doubt Tex looks a bit different. He appears a bit heavier and his complexion is darker. Nonetheless, we’ll get used to the new look. It’s about the spirit of Tex, not so much his physical appearance.
Welcome back Tex. This year’s fair is your comeback party.
Speaking of partying, one of our longtime news anchors celebrated her tenth anniversary with us. Amy Chodroff, who now anchors mornings on our sister station KLIF, but can still be heard on WBAP contributing news stories, has been here a decade. She says it’s the longest she’s stayed anywhere. With a hubby in the television news business, Amy’s life had been like that of a military brat, with a few years here and a few years there.
I hired Amy and that means I’ve been news director here for over a decade. Best I can tell it’s been almost a dozen years now. That’s pretty hard to believe. I should remember exactly when I was promoted, but I don’t. It’s been an honor to survive that long in this position. Heck, it’s hard to stay that long anywhere. And consider I’ve been with WBAP for going on a total of 18 years, that’s quite incredible and still amazes me that they’ve put up with me that long. It’s been a pleasure to serve you.
Another reason to celebrate, cooler weather. The scorching Summer heat has finally broken. Sure we were back in the mid-90’s this past week, but Fall is here and the mornings and nights are cool and we’re not far from griping about it being too cold. After months on end of being fried day in and day out, this cooler weather is very refreshing.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Rick Hadley
24/7 News