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The inaugural KUT Festival is happening this weekend in Austin. It was scheduled to take place on the UT campus, but now a majority of the events are taking place elsewhere. More about the changes and the back-and-forth between UT and KUT leadership.
Beef prices are sticking near record-high prices, an issue that’s been exacerbated by severe drought in some of the country’s main cattle producing regions. That’s forced some Texans to great creative about how they get their meat.
Austinites have many preferences and takes on their tacos. What’s your taco hot take? Tacos of Texas podcast host Mando Rayo has some to share.
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] The inaugural KUT Festival is happening this weekend here in Austin, it was scheduled to take place on the UT campus, but now a majority of the events are taking place elsewhere. More about the changes and the back and forth between campus and station leadership. And beef prices are sticking near record highs, and that’s an issue that’s been exacerbated by severe drought in some of the country’s main cattle producing regions. That’s forced some Texans to get creative about how they get their meat, more about that coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:37] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:42] Austinites have many preferences and takes on their tacos. What’s your taco ha take? We’ve got some to share with you, plus some Texas music history for you. All that coming up today, right here on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, you are listening to Austin Signal. It is Thursday, April 30th. I’m your host, Jerry Kihannel. Thank you for tuning in to Community Powered Public Radio. This is KUT News. The University of Texas announced in an email this week to KUT staff and KUT festival panelists that the bulk of the event’s programming would be moved off the UT campus. This change came just days before the festival was set to begin. The university says it was because of safety concerns. KUT general manager Debbie Hyatt says KUT has, quote, agreed to every health, security, and safety request that has been made of us and our production company, end quote. Now Amanda Cochran-McCall, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel at UT says that, and other statements by Hyatt are false. Cochrane-McCall made the allegations in a letter Wednesday to Hyatt. It’s a situation that has raised questions from festival attendees, listeners, and panelists alike, and it’s one that Neena Satija is looking into. She is the Texas newsroom’s investigative editor and reporter. Neena, thanks for talking with us.
Neena Satija [00:02:10] Thanks so much for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:11] So, in case folks are not familiar with what has been happening this week, can you just set the scene? What happened initially on Tuesday?
Neena Satija [00:02:18] On Tuesday, there was a communication from the Moody College of Communication, which is essentially what houses KUT and its sister station, KUTX. And Moody college had a surprising update. They basically said the KUT festival is gonna have to move major portions of the festival. And the interim dean of Moody’s college wrote that that was because of poor planning, essentially on KUT’s part.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:42] Okay and you spoke with Debbie Hyatt after those emails, what did she have to say?
Neena Satija [00:02:46] I did. And I’ll just note, of course, I am an employee of KUT. I am and investigative editor reporter for KUT in the Texas newsroom. But this is being done outside of the purview of university officials and our executive leadership here at KUT and I’ll continue. And to say that in an on the record interview, Debbie told me she was quite surprised and confused by the Moody College emails allegations.
Debbie Hiott [00:03:09] It also said that there had been KUT Festival organizers’ unwillingness to accept UT staffing and safety recommendations. And there was nothing that our production company had said that they were unwilling to do.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:28] And then Wednesday there was a letter from UT about Hyatt’s comments. This is from UT legal counsel Amanda Cochran McCall. What did that letter say?
Neena Satija [00:03:35] That was a very strongly worded letter. I’m going to read from it a little bit. At one point, it says, the university is disappointed that the inaugural KUT festival had to relocate due to poor planning. However, it was the right decision. It also has some strong allegations against Debbie Hyatt. It says, contrary to your public statements, it was false to assert that you and your staff agreed to every health, security, and safety request. It was also false to a assert that KUT did not have an opportunity to sit down with campus safety officials. So it’s. It’s a pretty strongly worded email, no requirement of action, not clear if she’s under some sort of disciplinary review, but it’s certainly a reprimand, a harsh reprimande.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:14] So there were more details about security requests. You still have a request out for the analysis that was referenced on Tuesday, is that right?
Neena Satija [00:04:22] Yes, we have requested that, a copy of that, which Debbie Hyatt and others that we spoke to told us they never saw that in advance of that email from Moody College.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:30] Okay, so what’s going to happen now? How does this move forward?
Neena Satija [00:04:34] That’s a really great question. I think we don’t know the answer to that. I reached out to the university for comment. I’ll know that the university sent me this letter yesterday. They wanted me to have it. And they’ve said, I just heard from spokesman Mike Rosen, that they don’t anticipate commenting beyond that. So I don’t what happens next. Of course, operationally, we’ll see the festival is planned for this weekend. But I think. Who knows, this could be the end of this tense exchange between the general manager of KUT and the university, or it could be an ongoing exchange.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:12] Okay so normally when we see KUT in headlines on the website it’s because we’re announcing events like the KUT Festival but this time it has been, it’s there because it’s part of the news that’s happening. Why is this being reported on? And why has this risen to the level of news?
Neena Satija [00:05:27] That’s a really good question. I think it’s clear that a KUT is part of the fabric, the cultural fabric of Austin. I think there was a lot of interest in this festival as a community event. There were some pretty big newsmakers that were gonna be there at the festival that are still planning to be there as panelists. We had musicians that are popular like Shaky Graves who were set to perform, who I believe are still gonna perform. And so when those last minute changes occurred, people in the community noticed. We heard from. Listeners and from readers and from our audience, and they wanted to know what happened. But I think I would say it’s gotten more newsworthy, in my view, since the letter that the university sent, you know, since we heard about this letter and since the university sent me a copy of this letter that they sent to KUT’s general manager. Um, and it does feel like it is part of this ongoing escalation. Um, you know, of. Politics in our country today, particularly when it comes to universities and their on-campus radio stations that’s played out in other parts of the country. Also in the politics of UT, which we cover here at KUT, in which lots of local media organizations and statewide and national media organizations cover, that has changed over the years. We’ve seen changes, major changes to UT that are happening right now under this current political environment that we’ve reported on, So this feels like a part of that story.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:53] Alright, that is Neena Satija. She is the Texas Newsroom’s investigative editor and reporter. We’re gonna have a link to her reporting in today’s show notes. Neena, thank you for your time. Beef prices remain near record highs, with the pound of ground beef currently costing on average about $6.70. That’s due in part to low cattle supply, exacerbated by severe drought in some of the country’s main cattle-producing regions. With eye-popping beef prices persisting at the grocery store, some folks are getting creative on how to save on meat, up to and including purchasing entire cows. And one Austin area company is helping meet that demand. For Harvest Public Media, Michael Marks reports.
Michael Marks [00:07:46] I’m in Casey Ginnert’s Tidy Garage in Canyon Lake in Central Texas, and she’s giving me a tour of her freezer.
Casey Ginnert [00:07:53] Okay, so I like to organize, so at the top we have mostly we’ve got beef flank, we’ve got any roast I have, we got the osso buco. It is packed.
Michael Marks [00:08:04] Mostly with beef. She’s got roast ribs steaks and a whole trove of her favorite cut
Casey Ginnert [00:08:11] This third row, this is literally nothing but beef tenderloin. Is that not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
Michael Marks [00:08:19] These will last Ginnert and her partner more than a year, and these are folks who eat beef about five nights a week. They ordered the meat in bulk from a ranch about 75 miles east called Bastrop Cattle Company. Buying meat direct from a rancher is not a new concept, but the industry boomed thanks to COVID. Back then, grocery stores couldn’t keep their cooler stocked, and customers wanted to know they’d have a stable meat supply. Before the pandemic, Bastrop Cattle Company had been selling their grass-fed beef to restaurants. Here’s one of the owners, Max Kremke.
Max Kremke [00:08:54] And then 2020 happened and we were the only ones, one of the few places that was still able to process because we’re small. And then we were able to sell to the public and we had a decent website. And so ever since then, it’s kind of just been direct to customer only.
Michael Marks [00:09:10] The cattle crowd in the shade about 50 yards away from us, munching and mooing, some of them just a few days old. Kremke says that buying a whole cow from a rancher like him used to be a more complex process.
Max Kremke [00:09:22] You’d buy the cow from the rancher live weight, then go to the butcher, and then it would turn into a hanging weight, which is with all the inedible parts removed. Then you pay a processing fee, pay a kill fee, give cutting instructions.
Michael Marks [00:09:35] Now, customers don’t have to think about all that. They pick how much beef they want, decide how they want it cut with Kremke’s help, and then pay one fee. It’s over $2,000 for a half cow and nearly $4,000 dollars for a whole. That’s a lot of money. But with retail beef prices still near record highs, it might end up cheaper than the grocery store, which is even a surprise to Kremkes.
Max Kremke [00:09:59] I remember the exact moment whenever somebody said to me, oh, we did the numbers and actually we think it’ll save us money. And I was like, oh, okay, that’s wild.
Michael Marks [00:10:09] Smaller operations like Kremke’s pay more than big meat packers to process, package, and ship their food, which gets passed on to the customer. But as beef prices go up in stores, buying in bulk from a rancher becomes a better deal.
Erin Beyer [00:10:22] I think that you probably were paying a premium to be purchasing the more local products in bulk. My hypothesis is that that gap has shrunk a little bit.
Michael Marks [00:10:33] That’s Erin Beyer, Extension Meat Specialist for Kansas State University. She says there are caveats. You have to have enough money to pay for the beef up front and a freezer to store it all. Beyer says some people who bought a whole cow during the pandemic got more than they bargained for.
Erin Beyer [00:10:49] That was a big issue from the beginning of, oh, I bought a half of beef or a quarter of beef and then they would get it right. And they have one small chest freezer. There’s no way that’s going to fit.
Michael Marks [00:11:02] Back in Canyon Lake, Casey Ginnert likes how buying a few hundred pounds of beef at a time shields her from fluctuations in price.
Casey Ginnert [00:11:09] Once you buy it at that price, if it goes up because something’s going on, political science-wise, whatever, my pricing has stayed the same, at least for a good year, year and a half.
Michael Marks [00:11:22] Ginert has not penciled out exactly how much money she’s saving, but after buying three orders from Bastrop Cattle Company, she’s convinced it’s the way to go.
Casey Ginnert [00:11:31] The upfront cost is a little painful, but it is worth it in the long run. And just think that you’re not gonna see beef, probably, for a good year to year and a half on your grocery bill, and that makes a huge difference.
Michael Marks [00:11:43] She says this is how she’ll buy beef from now on. For Harvest Public Media, I’m Michael Marks.
Jerry Quijano [00:11:50] Some news into the KUT newsroom today, Camp Mystic has announced that it is withdrawing its application with the Texas Department of State Health Services for a license to operate this summer. In a statement, the Christian Girls summer camp, where 28 campers and counselors died last summer in deadly floods, said, quote, This decision is intended to remove any doubt that Camp Mystics has heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate Investigating Committees, and citizens across our state,” end quote. The announcement from the camp comes after a legislative hearing this week where lawmakers heard testimony from investigators, victims’ families, and Camp Mystic’s operators about the preparations and emergency response to the deadly July 4th floods last year. Investigators said that the camp exhibited, quote, a complacent attitude toward flooding and safety before the 2025 downpour. Chemistic operators apologize to victims’ families during this week’s hearing. KUT’s Kaylee Hunt is working on that story. We’re gonna have more about that this afternoon on All Things Considered, and we have more Austin Signal coming up after this break. This is Austin Signal, welcome back. This week, way back in the 60s, Austin jazz musician Martin Banks joined forces with saxophonist Archie Shepp, one of the driving forces behind the development of avant-garde jazz. Jason Mellard, with the Center for Texas Music History at Texas State, tells us about Austin Jazz Trumpeter’s appearance on the pivotal album, The Magic of Juju.
Music [00:13:26] AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Jason Mellard [00:13:35] This week in Texas Music History, an Austin Jazz man makes some magic. On April 26, 1967, Austin-born trumpeter Martin Banks appeared on Archie Shepp’s LP The Magic of Juju, recorded for Impulse Records. It was the first of two recording dates for Banks with the legendary saxophonist and composer Archie Shep, one of the most prolific and uncompromising figures in jazz and authorized music. The magic of Juju relies on a percussion-heavy ensemble, along with Banks and company rendering intricate arrangements in support of Shep’s lengthy solos. Martin Banks attended Anderson High School in Austin and owned his skills in regional bands before embarking for California, San Francisco, then Los Angeles, where he made his first recordings in 1961 with saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Banks toured with the Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton bands. He tried his hand at Broadway, playing in the band for the counter-cultural hit, Hair, in a Hollywood film, working on the music for 1971’s Cotton Comes to Harlem, featuring Red Fox and Teddy Wilson. In his genre-hopping career, he toured with Ray Charles and appeared on Brother Ray’s landmark LP, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, that staked a claim for the black presence in and influence on country music.
Music [00:15:01] Love me half as much as I love you
Jason Mellard [00:15:12] Over the span of his career, Banks also worked with fellow Texans King Curtis, Freddie King, and Dr. James Polk. In 1988, he moved back home to Austin and became a stalwart of the local jazz scene, performing frequently at the Elephant Room downtown and appearing at the fabled Liberty Lunch with another free jazz giant, Sun Ra. Banks passed unexpectedly in 2004, his legacy in Texas jazz secure. You can hear music from the Lone Star State 24-7 on the Texas Music Experience at tmx.fm.
Jerry Quijano [00:15:59] When we’re talking food, everyone has their preference and an opinion, and it seems like more often than not when it comes to talking tacos, there are some definite hot takes. Perhaps you’ve got your own you’re thinking about right now. Taco journalist Mando Rayo has his share of taco hot takes, and he talked to some folks who wanted to share their top thoughts. He spoke with Texas Standards’ Angela Kocherga.
Angela Kocherga [00:16:24] Well, so first, what’s your top taco hot take? That’s hard to say.
Mando Rayo [00:16:29] Yeah, I do. I have many, but I think salsa should be spicy. What is this thing about salsa? Oh, I just love the texture and, you know, I love the aroma. But no, tiene que picar. You know, like most Mexicans say, no pica no pika means si pica. So for me, salsa has to be spicy
Angela Kocherga [00:16:51] Yeah, and I mean, you need flavor, not just texture. I know. Well, let’s listen to the next Taco Hot Take.
Chris Krensky [00:16:58] My taco hot take is, the most underrated taco is a soft three-pot taco. Just no crisp on it, gushy. It’s meaty, it feels like pate and custard in your mouth.
Angela Kocherga [00:17:11] Zomando, tell us who that was and what you think about that take.
Mando Rayo [00:17:14] Yeah, well, you know, I invited the community to come into the studio to give us their best hot take. And so we heard from chef Chris Krensky from Ramen del Barrio, and he was like all in on soft tripas. And you know if you know what tripas are, you know, they’re basically boiled and fried intestines. And, and so he says that they should be soft and, and, you know, they should be gelatinous and definitely stirred up, stirred up a conversation online and, you know? Cause everybody usually loves crispy. They love tripitas, but they have to be crispy, right? And then some people said, no, it could be a mix of both, but, and but most everybody was like, man, what are you talking about? Who’s going to eat? You know, soft boiled three-pass.
Angela Kocherga [00:18:08] Yeah, well, yeah, talking about texture, not not doesn’t sound appealing, but let’s listen to the next hot take.
Juana Torres [00:18:16] My hot take is that salsa should be free. I think in San Antonio you can find salsa at every taqueria and you can have as much as you want, as little as you want. You can add it at your gusto. And here in Austin they charge you for every little bucket,
Mando Rayo [00:18:32] like 25%
Juana Torres [00:18:32] for a little extra. It’s so good. Yeah, I know. As part of the back goal.
Angela Kocherga [00:18:36] So Mando, tell us who that was and what you think about that take.
Mando Rayo [00:18:40] Yeah, so I spoke to Juani Torres. He’s a community activist from San Antonio. So, you know, when you go to a restaurant, you get your chips and salsa. Nowadays, some restaurants, because the economy, they have to charge for the salsa. So she’s like, old school, hey, no, you don’t come into the restaurant, I’m supporting, the salsa should be free. And by now, everybody kind of came in her defense, to be honest. And you know there was some that like, well, well, you they have pay for, You know, the increased jalapeno prices. But now she’s stuck to her guns and she’s like, you know what? I’m sorry salsa. She’ll be free
Angela Kocherga [00:19:16] Yeah, well, salsa goes with your tacos, huh? You can’t have naked tacos. I guess I’m like, it’s all part of the package. Well, I’ll chime in. I like the same with the Torreados. You know, if you can ask for those. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Mando Rayo [00:19:28] Yeah, yeah, Chile Torreados. Okay, now that’s like, that’s definitely a side, right? So it’s not just part of like, you know, the, yeah. That’s very specific for Chile Torredos.
Angela Kocherga [00:19:39] I know. I love them. I wish they were for you, but they’re not. Well, what else are you hearing from folks? I mean, there definitely are some opinions out there when it comes.
Mando Rayo [00:19:46] Well, you know, I talked to Brandon Boone out of an Austin group called Warrior Latto. Here it is. Let’s listen.
Brandon Boone [00:19:54] I’m just a traditional guy when it comes to taco. I just like the ground beef, the cheese, tomato, lettuce and I like to run it like that. Whether it’s on a soft taco, flour, that’s like my go-to. Okay, ground beef on everything. Yeah, for some reason that’s just my go to.
Mando Rayo [00:20:10] Man, everybody came after him. I was like, you know, but you know, I think people when they think of ground beef, they might think of Taco Bell or just very bland type of taco. But you know, most of the time actually got to come back to in his defense. Because i was like most of the time if you go to a mexican restaurant or tex-mex place if you order ground beef tacos you’re eating picadillo yes and so that’s why i’m like what what are you guys talking about you know but yeah you’re even if you’re if you like if you are down With ground beef tacos, you’re probably eating picadillo.
Angela Kocherga [00:20:42] Yeah, no, and definitely very popular. Okay, so we’ve got one more hot take.
Mando Rayo [00:20:47] Yes, Rene Chavez from, actually from KUT in Austin, he said that Birria was overrated.
Rene Chavez [00:20:56] I think quesadilla tacos are overrated, overhyped. Why? It’s style over substance to me. So I think a lot of places are prioritizing the pornographic cheese pool, you know, for the Instagram reel or the TikTok vibe. A lot of food porn, for sure. Totally. And I think they kind of let the quality of the beef slip a little bit.
Mando Rayo [00:21:20] Yeah, so he was like, even with the dipping, it’s just like this whole trend that just took off and lost its way.
Angela Kocherga [00:21:27] So too much, too much popularity. He needs to make a trip to Mexico and go to one of these old places off the road.
Mando Rayo [00:21:34] Yeah, birria as a soup, as a caldo, okay. As a stew, yes. But yeah, the whole thing about the red tacos all over the internet, it’s been trending for the last 10 years.
Angela Kocherga [00:21:49] Wow, yeah another one that kind of a victim of its own popularity. Yeah exactly. You’re never going out of style. We really appreciate you sharing your insight. We’ve been speaking with Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast. Mando, thank you so much for your time.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:08] And thank you out there for tuning in to Austin Signal. Before you get out of here today, just wanted to let you know the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch that will go into effect tonight at nine o’clock and be in effect until Friday night at nine o’ clock, National Weather service, giving us a 90% chance of precipitation tomorrow. So have multiple ways to stay weather aware and keep it tuned in to KUT for the latest out there and be careful, take care of your neighbor. That is very important. This is Austin Signal. We are community powered public radio. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Alexandra Hart is our producer. And Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. We’ll have more in today’s podcast show notes and at kut.org slash signal. I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. We will talk to you tomorrow.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
