Episodes

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we focus on the future of San Antonio and other Southwestern cities through the lens of urban design, infrastructure, and climate resilience. Bob sits down with Duke Reiter, architect, educator, and founder of the Ten Across initiative, to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the cities connected by Interstate 10—from water scarcity and aging infrastructure to rapid growth, affordable housing, and the realities of climate change. Their conversation exp...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we take a closer look at one of San Antonio’s cornerstone cultural institutions as it enters its centennial year—the Witte Museum. Marking 100 years since its founding in 1926, the Witte continues to serve as the city’s foremost museum of nature, science, and Texas heritage. Bob sits down with Michelle Cuellar Everidge, President and CEO of the Witte, to dissect the museum’s deep local roots, its evolving role in the community, and the challenges and opportunities...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we look at how UT San Antonio's Klesse College of Engineering is driving new ambition among San Antonio students—and earning global attention in the process. As UT San Antonio continues its evolution into a Tier 1 research institution, the experience of freshman-led Team 210 Robotics provides a window into both the campus culture and the resources shaping today’s engineering talent. Host Bob Rivard is joined by Israel Elizondo and Dyshana Torres, two under...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we take a close look at the evolution of solar energy in San Antonio, a city that now leads Texas and ranks among the top five in the nation for solar capacity. As CPS Energy’s long-running rebate programs wind down and the policy landscape shifts, what does the future hold for local solar initiatives—and for the residents and businesses looking to take part? In conversation with Robert Miggins, CEO and co-founder of Big Sun Solar, the discussion explores how co...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine how San Antonio is preparing for—and managing—the increasing threat of extreme heat. As another sweltering summer grips the city, heat is no longer just an annual inconvenience but a growing risk to public health, infrastructure, and the local economy. Cory Ames speaks with Laura Patiño, Director of the Department of Resilience and Sustainability for the City of San Antonio. The conversation focuses on the city’s new Heat Resiliency Playbook, what makes...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we examine the latest ALICE data and the stark realities of financial hardship facing working families in San Antonio and Bexar County. According to a new report from UnitedforALICE and United Way, 44% of local households are struggling to afford basic needs—even when earning more than twice the federal poverty line. Host Cory Ames is joined by Stephanie Smith of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, and Jonathan Gurwitz, United Way board member and partner...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we turn our attention to Knight Aerospace—an innovative San Antonio company with a global footprint, yet little name recognition. Based at Port San Antonio, Knight Aerospace specializes in creating advanced modular systems for military and government aircraft, enabling rapid transformation for missions ranging from medical evacuations to VIP transport. Bob sits down with Bianca Rhodes, CEO and president of Knight Aerospace, to examine her journey from the Rio Gran...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we explore the unlikely journey of Tio Pelon’s Salsita, a San Antonio-made salsa brand found across Texas grocery shelves—and the story of the entrepreneur behind it. Bob sits down with Oscar Perez, architect-turned-founder of Tio Pelon, to examine how a borderlands upbringing, a family recipe, and a series of calculated risks transformed a backyard experiment into a recognizable name in local stores. Bob and Oscar discuss: • The personal, cultural, and economic ...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, the conversation turns to the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) at a pivotal moment in its history. As YOSA prepares for its 50th anniversary and the opening of its first permanent home, the discussion examines the organization’s impact on music education, city culture, and the future of classical music in San Antonio. Bob is joined in the studio by YOSA Music Director Troy Peters, who reflects on his long tenure, the challenges faced by young musicians, and ...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, the focus shifts to homelessness in San Antonio—an issue that remains top-of-mind for both policymakers and residents, despite substantial public and private investment. Bob welcomes Rhonda Mundhenk, who recently stepped into the role of CEO at the San Antonio shelter, Haven for Hope. They discuss the realities on the ground, the evolving demographics of homelessness, and how San Antonio’s approach compares to other major cities. The conversation explores what’s...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we sit down with U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, a San Antonio local who has served 32 years on the federal bench. Known for his distinctive, often witty legal opinions, Judge Biery offers a candid look into the realities of the Western District of Texas—one of the nation’s largest and busiest federal court districts, encompassing everything from Austin to El Paso. Bob Rivard and Judge Biery discuss the pressures facing the federal courts, the increasing case ba...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we visit Clementine, a family-owned restaurant in Castle Hills that has quietly become a fixture for neighborhood dining and local sourcing in San Antonio. Bob Rivard sits down with Chef John Russ to discuss the realities of operating an ambitious independent restaurant outside of the city’s trendiest areas—and how decisions around location, size, and sustainability have shaped Clementine’s identity and resilience since opening in 2018. They discuss: • The challe...

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we turn our attention to local leadership and public service in San Antonio. Bob sits down with former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, now the Democratic frontrunner for Bexar County Judge, to discuss his new memoir, The Education of a Texas Public Servant, published by Trinity University Press. The conversation delves into Nirenberg’s journey from jazz station manager to public servant, as well as the personal and professional experiences that have shaped his ti...

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 eating and community well-being, Claudia brings her experience as a columnist, former television host, and founder of the Diplomacy Diet to the discussion. Bob and Claudia discuss the roots of San Antonio’s health issues, the realities of changing eating habits in a city k...

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 September 2026, Chief McManus offers a candid reflection on two decades of service in a city that has grown and changed dramatically. Bob Rivard guides a conversation that covers the evolving challenges facing law enforcement in San Antonio. From changes in public celebrations t...

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 for offices has grown into one of San Antonio's largest and most diversified private companies, with 2,500 employees, operations in all 50 states, and a growing presence in Monterrey, Mexico. They discuss: How two friends from the Gulf Coast reunited in college, learned the ...

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 special advisor to the global law firm White & Case in Mexico City, to discuss the state of the U.S.-Mexico relationship at a moment of unusual tension and opportunity. They discuss: Why the transactionalism defining U.S.-Mexico relations today was always present beneath the sur...

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 organizations are merging. Effective July 1st, the San Antonio Report will donate its assets to Texas Public Radio, combining operations under one roof to strengthen independent, nonprofit journalism in San Antonio. They discuss: Why two financially healthy organizations...

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 Company, whose family also owned Newsweek Magazine, where Bob worked as a war correspondent and later chief of correspondents in the 1990s. Dr. Abel Antonio Chávez is the 10th president of Our Lady of the Lake University, a position he has held since July 2022. A first-generatio...

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 narrated oral history, recorded in the field at the park itself, weaving together tape from a morning walk Cory took with former Mayor Phil Hardberger and natural resources manager Wendy Leonard. Just a week or so before this episode was released, a bronze statue of Phil Hardberg...

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 green spaces in San Antonio — how we grow them, how we protect them, and how we creatively integrate nature into a city that is expanding fast. Joining Cory are Brandon Ross, capital programs manager for San Antonio Parks and Recreation, where he has spent two decades oversee...

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 it looks like to build a creative life and creative career in San Antonio — and what the city still needs to get there. Joining Cory are Lionel Sosa, founder of what became the largest Hispanic advertising agency in the United States, a consultant on multiple national pre...

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 into his role, Sabatino is making the rounds — meeting architects, developers, civic leaders, and students — and bringing a historian's eye and a pedestrian's sensibility to one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. They discuss: What drew Sabatino from the Illinois ...

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 Pecos County, cutting through some of the most ecologically sensitive terrain in Texas. Host Bob Rivard welcomes Ted Flato, founding principal of Lake|Flato Architects and founder of the Headwaters Alliance, and Jada Jo Smith, owner of Orange Blossom Realty in Utopia and a...