Episodes

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with registered dietitian Claudia Zapata to examine the challenges and opportunities facing San Antonio’s food culture and public health. A longtime advocate for healthier e...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we sit down with San Antonio Police Chief William McManus as he approaches the end of his nearly 20-year tenure leading the San Antonio Police Department. With retirement on the horizon in Sept...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley, co-founders of SWBC, to mark the company's 50th anniversary. What began in 1976 with $1,500, a third partner in Dallas, and car trunks fo...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Ambassador Tony Garza, a Brownsville native who served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2009 and now works as counsel and specia...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Ashley Alvarado, CEO of Texas Public Radio, and Angie Mock, CEO of the San Antonio Report, to discuss a major development in San Antonio's local news landscape: the two...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with two guests at the podcast studio at Our Lady of the Lake University — a first for the show. Don Graham is the retired chairman and publisher of The Washington Post Comp...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, host Cory Ames tells the story of the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge at Phil Hardberger Park — in a new format for the show. Rather than a traditional guest conversation, this episode is a narrat...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Cory Ames moderates a live panel from Creative Futures, a two-day summit in San Antonio bringing together creators, builders, entrepreneurs, and civic thinkers. This conversation focuses on gree...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Cory Ames moderates a live panel from Creative Futures, a two-day summit in San Antonio bringing together creators, builders, entrepreneurs, and civic thinkers. The conversation centers on what ...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Dr. Michelangelo Sabatino, director of UT San Antonio's School of Architecture and Planning and the Roland K. Bloomberg Endowed Professor in Architecture. Six months in...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the fight over the Howard Solstice Transmission Line — a proposed 370-mile, 765kV power line that would connect CPS Energy's Howard Road Station in Bexar County to a new substation in...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the story behind ProsperOps , a cloud cost optimization startup with roots in San Antonio and Austin. Founded by a group of former Rackspace employees—known as “Rackers”—ProsperOps ha...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we turn our attention to Big Bend—one of the most remote and ecologically significant regions in Texas—amid renewed national debate over plans to build a border wall through Big Bend National Pa...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the state of homelessness in San Antonio—a topic that impacts every corner of the city and reflects larger challenges across Texas. Hosts Bob Rivard and Cory Ames are joined by Katie ...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the career and leadership journey of Lori Houston, former Assistant City Manager for San Antonio and now CEO of CE Group—a prominent event, public relations, and marketing organizatio...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the transformation of Mitchell Lake on San Antonio’s South Side—from decades as a city sewage dump to its current status as a 1,200-acre urban wildlife sanctuary and a critical stop a...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the realities behind CPS Energy’s record-setting proposed budget and the future of San Antonio’s energy infrastructure. As San Antonio and South Texas experience unprecedented growth,...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the pressing issue of San Antonio’s stray animal population and the role of affordable spay and neuter services in addressing it. With a 20% euthanasia rate at the city’s shelters and...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine Grassroots Carbon—a San Antonio-based company working at the intersection of ranching, environmental stewardship, and carbon markets. Founded in 2021 by Lew Moorman and Ed Byrne, Gras...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the future of professional classical music in San Antonio in the wake of disruption, dissolution, and ongoing uncertainty for long-standing arts organizations. San Antonio native Paul...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, host Cory Ames sits down with Jaci Randel, executive director of the Bexar Branches Alliance, to examine the ongoing decline of San Antonio’s urban tree canopy and the push to restore regional “...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we focus on Bexar County leadership and the ongoing challenges facing San Antonio’s county government. In light of the upcoming March 3 primary election, Bob Rivard and Cory Ames interviews Judg...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the race for Bexar County Judge through the lens of former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s candidacy. After serving as mayor from 2017 to 2025—a period marked by both crisis and gro...

In the first episode of bigcitysmalltown of 2026, we reflect on a pivotal year for San Antonio and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of 2026. Bob Rivard and Cory Ames examine how shifts in media—from the podcast’...