DALLAS — Y'all-itics is turning 2 years old, so grab a beer and raise a glass. We're celebrating by looking back at the top five episodes that have been downloaded.
Since the podcast was launched (four months before the pandemic), the Jasons have laid out the issues and covered topics, ranging from the bullet train to the crazy housing market to hemp vs. marijuana.
If you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? Another February winter storm? Dale to wrestle another bear?
Oh, and pick up the phone because you can also send us a voicemail today! 214-977-6020. Here are the top five episodes.
Subscribe to Y'all-itics wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music
But first, check out a special birthday edition of Y'all-itics, recorded Friday:
5. Emergency Podcast: ERCOT's CEO talks to Y'all-itics
Release date: Feb. 16, 2021
STORY: WFAA conducted a 20-minute interview with Bill Magness on Tuesday morning to discuss the electric crisis Texas is facing as temperatures plunged statewide. Magness is the CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the agency that manages the state's power flow.
He spoke with Jason Whitely from inside the control room in northeast Austin that oversees the Texas electric grid.
Among the highlights of the conversation: the number of megawatts offline on Tuesday has increased substantially since Monday, presenting more potential power problems for the state.
4. Dale Hansen Unplugging
Release date: May 19, 2021
STORY: Have you ever heard about that time Dale Hansen wrestled a bear? This is not the beginning of a terrific joke. It’s the beginning of a true story and it’s how the legendary sportscaster wound up in Dallas in the first place.
First, let’s rewind to the late 1970s when Hansen was a sportscaster in Omaha, Nebraska.
“I really was the fourth rated sportscaster in a three-station market,” Hansen quipped on a special edition of Y’all-itics.
3. They tripped. We froze.
Release date: Feb. 15, 2021
STORY: We knew what was coming, so why were Texas electric utilities not ready for the severe winter weather? The widespread electric outages did not surprise energy experts in the state. In fact, history is repeating itself here.
The issue that caused the widespread electric outages this week was the same thing that caused a similar failure in 2011. And one before that in 1989. A state lawmaker also told the Jasons that Texans deserve answers.
2. We're out of houses in Texas
Release date: March 29, 2021
STORY: It is a seller’s market on steroids right now in Texas. Healthy housing inventory is typically six months. But some cities in Texas, including Austin, are down to days.
Todd Tramonte is a well-known real estate marketer and broker in north Texas. And he has some stories.
“We have women swinging umbrellas at other women on sidewalks because they literally are, it’s like children at school, they’re fighting over who was in line first,” Tramonte said on Y’all-itics. “We’ve had 80 plus offers on homes. We have had 100 plus showings on homes.”
1. Forget Trump. The Lincoln Project now targets Senator Ted Cruz
Release date: Jan. 18, 2021
STORY: The Lincoln Project is well known for its attacks on President Donald Trump.
But after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the group has turned its attention to another well-known politician: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
“We all know Ted Cruz is sort of a political force of nature. He is what he is. You either hate him or you hate him,” Rick Wilson said on Y’all-itics. “And he is a guy who went so far over the edge, not just to appease Donald Trump and Trump’s base, but because he felt like Josh Hawley had gotten out ahead of him on it.”