stan the man

Well apparently, now that it's been two months since Lisa Hernandez gave birth (and barring her bio being dropped from the KHOU website), I wouldn't be shocked if we started seeing changes this week or next while we're still getting over Christmas dinner and firing up that new Peloton (or Mirror or what have you). But I also noticed a big change at the FCC with regards to children's programming...The FCC has relaxed KidVid rules that required three hours of educational programming on each subchannel, which CBS fulfilled by providing its affiliates with three hours of such programming under the brand CBS Dream Team. Whereas they could only have aired between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in the past, the FCC now allows stations to air as early as 6 a.m. now. Additionally, the FCC now only applies the three-hour rule to refer to what a licensee can air across any one of a station's subchannels (as opposed to mandating a licensee carry three hours of KidVid programming on each subchannel in the past), and a licensee can now offload up to one hour of KidVid per week (13 hours per quarter) to a digital subchannel. So how does this tie into KHOU and the desire to expand weekend news coverage? I can explain the changes KHOU has made recently with regards to the weekends (WARNING: Lots of esoteric nerding out to come on this matter!): With regards to the KidVid changes, KHOU technically could push the one hour of CBS Dream Team KidVid shows it airs on Sunday over to its Bounce subchannel or push it back to 6 a.m. where two televangelist programs air. Speaking of televangelists, the station has lost its 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts of Joel Osteen to KTRK. KHOU now airs an infomercial between Sports Extra and a rerun of NCIS: New Orleans in place of the latter, and the second half-hour of Face the Nation (which used to be delayed to 2:30 a.m.) now airs after the first half in place of the former leading into Ed Young's Winning Walk at 10:30 a.m. KHOU is also dropping The Church Without Walls (6:30 a.m.) effective the Sunday after Christmas, so apparently KHOU could be launching a Sunday morning newscast to lead into CBS Sunday Morning. They also carry the sermons of two other majority black churches in Houston, Mount Corinth and Lilly Grove, as well as some Houston public access program (Latina Voices) with mostly ancient episodes before the sun rises. I am certain one of those three will be dropped as well to make room for a Sunday morning newscast with Ron Trevino. CBS This Morning's Saturday broadcast now airs continuously from 6 to 8 a.m., as opposed to being split into two hours with the second hour (the one with the cooking and music segments) being delayed two hours in favor of KHOU's Saturday morning newscast. CBS apparently is mandating their stations air CTM on time and in pattern, and there have been consequences for affiliates who buck their demands (as evidenced by WWL in New Orleans moving its 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. local morning newscast over to sister station WUPL). At least two CBS stations even lost their affiliations, including KHOU's former corporate sister in Indianapolis, WISH-TV (the former flagship of the Whitney Corporation that bought KHOU when it was still KGUL-TV and eventually became Corinthian Broadcasting), which lost CBS to WTTV in that market. Inside High School Sports, which used to air after the Saturday morning news during high school sports season, now also airs at 11 p.m. on Saturdays as well, and has pushed KHOU's entire Saturday late-night serial repeat block (NCIS: New Orleans, Madam Secretary and Murdoch Mysteries) as well as Boomer Esiason's sports interview show back a half-hour. KHOU could even try airing a midday news on Saturday similar to what CBS11 in DFW (KTVT) does, so they might try expanding there as well...and they now have a new meteorologist (Addison Green) on board, making it five assuming Chita, Erika Lopez or Blake Mathews don't leave. I'll be shocked though if they add a newscast at 5 p.m. since it is certain to be preempted by CBS Sports programming. Texas Country Reporter already broadcasts there, though especially when CBS Sports broadcasts SEC football, college basketball or golf at 5 p.m. Saturday, it either gets preempted or airs at 5:30 a.m. Saturday instead (a long-lived CNBC-produced program, On the Money, usually airs in that Saturday morning slot). Speaking of On the Money (which used to be called The Wall Street Journal Report), it could very well be dropped by CNBC, which is ending the Nightly Business Report on PBS/KUHT this week and might cancel it as well to focus exclusively on cable, per a Katz Media report of barter syndicated shows I came across that had it lasting through 2020. It could also very well move to KPRC (a more appropriate venue for a program produced by an NBC entity), except I am not the programming God at either station. Even the Winning Walk may not be safe, especially if TEGNA decides to expand WFAA's Inside Texas Politics beyond Dallas to across the state and air it on KHOU at 10:30 a.m. (Fun fact: former KHOU reporter Jason Whitely hosts that program, which airs live on WFAA at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.) Again, KHOU has not had a traditional Sunday morning newscast according to my recollection, but they did have such programming for a time in the 90s dealing with local public affairs or current events - First Sunday hosted every first Sunday of the month by Sylvan Rodriguez, and Steve Smith's Sunday featuring its namesake anchor every other Sunday of the month. Clearly, some of the changes at KHOU are of CBS' own doing as well as those of the FCC, but considering KHOU is looking to shore up their weekend news offerings to catch up with KPRC, KTRK and KRIV, these moves don't seem surprising. The only question is now, will Lisa Hernandez actually be anchoring on weekend evenings or not at all? The time has come.

I remember when Prime Cable in Sugar Land only went as high as channel 36 back around 1992, and went beyond that around 1994. There was quite a big difference in cable choices between Sugar Land and Missouri City back then: Sugar Land's cable TV offerings were less robust than Missouri City's Warner Cable system up until the two systems merged circa 1999, and it was not until 2002 when Time Warner dropped Sugar Land's own channel lineup (shared with Richmond) and replaced it with one for the entire metro area. I noticed this because I had a grandaunt who lived over in Quail Valley, and later an aunt who resided on the Missouri City side of First Colony, and their cable TV offerings were more robust. What I do remember (or at least can guess, hence the "?"s) of the channels circa '92... 1: Cinemax 2: KPRC (swapped with KTMD circa '94) 3: The Disney Channel? (on basic cable unlike Warner Cable which still had them on a premium tier) 4: The Movie Channel 5: HBO 6: KRIV? 7: TBS? 8: KUHT 9: KHTV? 10: KTXH? 11: KHOU 12: KTMD (swapped with KPRC circa '94) 13: KTRK 14: Showtime? 15: Request PPV 16: TNT? 17: VH1? 18: WGN? 19: KXLN? 20: Prevue Guide? 21: HSE (later Prime Sports and eventually Fox Sports SW) 22: Comedy Central 23: MTV 24: A&E? 25: Headline News? 26: The Discovery Channel? 27: TNN 28: ESPN 29: AMC 30: Nickelodeon? 31: BET 32: USA 33: Lifetime 34: The Weather Channel 35: CNN 36: CNBC That's 36 channels in all, and they did not even have converter boxes readily available at that time. I remember having to turn to an antenna to watch KNWS, KHSH or what eventually became KPXB (when it was a Galavision station) back then in the pre-"must carry" years. By 1994, they started issuing converter boxes and would add Cartoon Network, CMT, Sci Fi, TLC, E!, ESPN2 and Flix in addition to KNWS and what eventually became KUBE (it was another shopping channel airing Value Vision and infomercials), along with an expanded PPV service and its own dedicated preview channel, a community TV channel covering Sugar Land City Council, Fort Bend ISD football and basketball games and community affairs programming, and two additional HBO channels. They would add Odyssey, Food Network and HGTV the following year I believe. Over time, the basic lineups went to 68 channels by 1997 when TCI took over for Prime and started offering digital cable services, before eventually being absorbed into Time Warner by 1999 and dropping Sugar Land's channel lineup for the Houston one already utilized in Missouri City by 2002 (this was also around the time Nickelodeon moved to accommodate News 24 Houston, remember that?), including even the basic blue screens Warner Cable broadcast customer service information in English and Spanish on. As for outside of Sugar Land, I recall TCI stirred controversy after it took over Storer's cable systems and dropped BET to accommodate KNWS because of new federal "must carry" rules, which made the Chronicle. They were going to drop EWTN/TBN, but religious stations were reportedly protected. That was not the last time; they also dropped A&E, TNN and WGN before they were about to merge with Time Warner which led to angry calls to the FCC from many cable subscribers. Needless to say, that also made the Chronicle as well as the local TV news. Of course, we can start seeing plenty of attrition in cable TV these days, given so many are unwilling to fork over hordes of money to pay for channels they don't even watch. I can understand paying for CNN to get Fox News and ESPN, but the same can't really be said for say, MTV Classic or Chiller. NBC/Comcast already got rid of G4 and Cloo and they're fixing to drop Esquire, likely with no replacements in sight. The "skinny bundle" really is that big of a deal, since it's basically the popular channels we got in the 90s and then some. In closing, I will also add that Kingwood had its own cable service during the 90s simply called "Kingwood Cablevision", which eventually became Suddenlink, and United Artists also operated in The Woodlands around that time as well. There was also Group W Cable in Galveston around the 80s, operating out of the former KGUL-TV facilities on the island, I believe? I could go on and on, but I'd like to stop here and get a big, deep collective breath.

According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Lidl (pronounced like "beetle") is reportedly looking to open at the following spots: 11821 State Highway 6 S, Sugar Land (Woodbridge/Mission Bend area) - Aug 2018 11010 Harlem Road, Richmond (near Harvest Green) - Jun 2018 6160 Sienna Parkway, Missouri City (Sienna area) - Jun 2018 2125 E. League City Pkwy, Dickinson (Tuscan Lakes) - Jun 2018 30073 Katy Freeway, Katy (Katy Mills area) - Nov 2017 8125 Barker Cypress Rd, Cypress (west of Copperfield) - Dec 2017 8802 Jones Road, Jersey Village - Dec 2017 They're also planning four stores in Tarrant County around Fort Worth plus a store in Tyler. Fort Bend and Cy-Fair might as well join the EU since they're getting the lion's share of the stores and Fort Bend itself is saturated with Aldi; their distribution center is even located in Rosenberg. They are planting their Texas office in the Memorial City area, I am told.

I'm surprised Randalls is still chugging along considering the competition on all fronts is leaving them behind in the dust. Wouldn't be surprised if Albertsons starts converting some of the Randalls stores to Sprouts which they are about to snap up. http://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2017/03/20/report-albertsons-talking-sprouts-merger

Alamo Drafthouse to Imperial Market...wow! Would have thought an arthouse-focused, non-brewery-cinema would have gone into that space, especially considering Flix Brewhouse further down 90 at the Telfair development. It will be very interesting to see how two brewery-cinema combinations will pan out in Sugar Land, and whether or not these cinemas will feature the arthouse films that are of interest to folks in and around SL, especially those who can't see themselves seeing a movie at the AMC near First Colony Mall. But what's also interesting is the large amount of space devoted to restaurants including in the silos and near the "Pink Lady" that's fixing to become aloft (assuming Marriott does not dissolve the brand in its purchase of Starwood). Imperial Market's developers are surely taking cues from Hughes Landing in The Woodlands which has its own iteration of a "Restaurant Row", except in the case of Imperial Market the experience is likely going to be more authentic and probably scenic in comparison. Don't expect a Christian's Tailgate, though...that apparently has already been earmarked for Telfair.

This is all I could find on this story -- a post on Kroger's Facebook page, but it is only so obvious what is going on here: https://www.facebook.com/Kroger/posts/10151531060113218 Now if Facebook is not your cup of tea, let me tell it like it is: The cutthroat supermarket competition, a glut of traditional Krogers (three newer, nicer stores surrounding it) and other factors beyond its control proved to be too much for the Rubik's Kroger, which I call it because it kept its 80s-era, graphing paper-esque decor well into the 2000s before a low-grade renovation. To that extent, the store is now winding down operations, and this is sure to become an economic hot potato in the SL. Not just because of the jobs (even if they were mostly minimum wage or less), but also a certain five-letter word that has been the bane of many a suburbanite. As for myself personally, as ubiquitous as it may sound, another relic of my childhood is fading into oblivion. I have been familiar with the store since I moved here as a toddler and as much as progress is a beautiful thing, replacing that space will surely be a challenge and the Settlers Way area of First Colony will never be the same. While I am not going to speculate, I would place my bets on HMart (or another large Asian grocery store for that matter) taking over. Have yet to see something from the TDLR, but the last thing the good people of First Colony need is something below-grade moving in there.

Not surprised...considering the state of brick-and-mortar bookselling in the Age of Amazon. More bizarrely, when Books-A-Million originally decided to close nearly two years ago, there were also rumored reports on Swamplot (link here) that a disability rights lawsuit may have played a hand in their initial decision to pull out before deciding to stay put. Of course, little to nothing has been heard of said lawsuit (I don't even recall seeing this on the news), but nothing changed the fact that Books-A-Million was essentially on borrowed time in the run up to their closing up shop. Now that they're gone, and as the Pavilions is under new management, I wouldn't be surprised if they attempt to attract one of those "fast fashion" concepts downtown given its glassy, street-corner storefront. Whether or not they will succeed remains at best a hard sell.

The GRB is not particularly a bad place to hold a convention. Its design is supposed to pay homage to both the space industry (as evidenced by its white outer shell) and the large shipping industry evident at the Port of Houston (which explains the pipes sticking out of the place and its appearance resembling a giant boat). I went there for an exhibition years ago and it was a spectacle of sorts. I can honestly guarantee you that the east side of Downtown would not be what it is today if it weren't for the GRB...without it, there would be no Minute Maid Park, no Toyota Center, and no Discovery Green.

Saw it all go down on 11 last night..they teamed with the cops to go undercover on an early Saturday morning, and the rest is history. http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/kho...ey.d61d903.html And apparently, from watching it, a radio station plastered its sign in front of the place.

Obviously, the Chron appears to be a Rockefeller Republican rag if that's how they endorse their candidates...pro-public transit, fiscally conservative (maybe not), liberal on social issues.

The Chronicle has become a practical punching bag for the right (via Dan Patrick) and (though maybe not now) the left (the Houston Press). I have also noticed on their website that some of their stories have misspelled words and run-on sentences. They also endorsed George W. Bush - a liberal in conservative clothing to be truthful. Even Texas Monthly gave them a "Bum Steer Award". No wonder they can't seem to get most of the big prizes other big papers get.

I wouldn't be surprised if his opponent (yes, he has one) made an issue out of his complexes. As far as the house goes...

Just passed by Sharpstown yesterday while picking up my laptop and I noticed part of the Macy's signage gone on the south side (sans the star). Not to mention getting ripped off at the $3.46/gal gas station further up 59 (one week after being ripped off at another one near Sharpstown).

Another shoe has dropped at Sharpstown...Fingers is leaving.

Not to mention the fact that Valley View is just approximately 600 yards from the Dallas Galleria (underlined for emphasis).