Jason Wheeler is the creator of Right on the Money, the co-host of the Y'all-itics Texas political podcast, and is a news anchor at WFAA in Dallas, TX.
Jason has been recognized with a RTDNA/NEFE Excellence in Personal Finance Reporting Award, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, four Emmy Awards, a State Bar of Texas Gavel Award, & multiple Texas Associated Press Awards.
1) Who are you? I was born in Texas City, and some of my favorite childhood memories are at the beaches on nearby Galveston Island. My sister and I were raised by a single mother, with a lot of help from a raucous, humorous, interesting group of characters that included great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and my mother’s co-workers. My mom is a paramedic. She taught us all about compassion and work ethic. Both of those things have helped me a lot. I worked multiple jobs to pay for my education at University of Houston, where I earned a degree in Radio/Television journalism. I landed my first TV job in El Paso, followed by stints in Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Miami, Austin, and then Dallas. I’ve moved a lot! But I have some great friends and memories spread out all over the place now. My career has taken me on some phenomenal adventures from the Amazon rainforest to the presidential campaign trail to the decks of aircraft carriers at sea to a front row view of space shuttle launches and inside way too many hurricanes. The work has been sometimes grueling or gut-wrenching, and often exciting and rewarding.
I fell in love with a fellow reporter during my time in El Paso. But then, of course, I moved. We made it work and eventually got married. We have two daughters who are my greatest purpose in life.
2) What are your interests?
As a journalist and during my time off, I am always looking for any opportunity to travel. I am intent on seeing every corner of the world. I'm an audio book guy, but I read volumes of newspaper articles, professional papers and studies. I like anything to do with animals and nature. I am a yogi, an absolute lover of tennis, a pickleball player, an avid swimmer, a hiker, a cyclist, an inline skater, and a great cook (though my grilling/smoking still needs improvement).
Above all, my most important calling is being a dad.
In my second television job, when I didn't know much at all about money issues, I was tapped to produce a weekly segment...on money matters. It was great training. I focus a lot now on consumer-oriented stories, as well as business/economic/financial news. I handle all of my own investing (with varying degrees of success). I'm also interested in (and often report on) real estate, so I learned a lot more and got my Texas real estate license Politics is also an area of great interest for me.
3) What do you like about working at WFAA? I like that WFAA takes chances and tries new things. When I want to tell a story a different way, this place encourages me to think outside the box and experiment. Not only do I get to innovate and tell stories my way, but I also get to do things I hadn't previously done--like podcasting, producing a 30-minute documentary, and creating half-hour Right on the Money specials. I always hear from people who have watched WFAA for a long time. This station has such a history, such a legacy. The great thing is, I think we’re maintaining the principles that made this station great, but changing it just enough to keep it as relevant as it has ever been even in a time when there is more competition out there than ever before.
4) What's one thing people would be surprised to learn about you? Surprises? I don’t know. Pick one. I’m the life of a party but I’m very introverted. I am afraid of heights. I was a volunteer ambulance dispatcher as a teenager. I can’t sleep in a room that is dark or quiet. I made it to an advanced round in tryouts to be part of the 'Clue Crew' team of traveling clue-givers on Jeopardy. My brakes locked up once and my car flipped--I survived without a scratch—hanging by a seatbelt while looking at the grass in front of me. I have caught, and eaten, Piranha in the Amazon. I once went to cut down my own Christmas tree at a flat-fee forest but didn't take a saw or an ax and had to bludgeon it down with a pipe that was in my trunk. I hate long goodbyes and I almost never say goodbye when I leave a gathering.
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