Radio KURV 710 News Radio reinforces the afternoon show The Drive Home with Davis Rankin & Roxanne Garcia
Texas Border Business –
Even though he does not indulge Roxanne Garcia, Davis Rankin the radio veteran of the Rio Grande Valley says about his cohost, “I think between Roxanne and I, we are plugged into what’s going on in the Valley.”
In case you have not listened to KURV710 AM News Radio lately, this is a good excuse to tune in to the best talk radio of the Valley. The big change is that The Drive Home with Davis Rankin & Roxanne Garcia just got better.
Texas Border Business told Rankin that he has the most beautiful cohost he has ever had, to which he replied, “I don’t indulge her. Personality comes from men. I never told her she’s real beautiful. It’s creepy. It would be creepy if I did that.” His responses were made in humor where his cohost Roxanne was also part of the conversation and they were all laughing.
Rankin said, “For years, I didn’t have a cohost. For 25 years I did it by myself, and we started cohosting in 2012 and I like it better. I used to do a lot of interviews. We do few interviews, more discussion, more audience involvement, so it gives people a chance to sound off on what they want to sound off on.”
Rankin has been in the broadcasting industry for the last 28 years. He told Texas Border Business that every day they try to pick topics that are in the news or are of interest to them.
He said, “We talk to each other about it, and talk to the audience, have interviews with people in the news or people we think will be interesting about news items, or sometimes they are just cultural items; whatever suits our fancy. Whatever we think is interesting in headlining.”
KURV710 AM News Radio has an enviable audience, they reach the middle and upper income managers and business owners. He said, “The audience here is a little older than a rock-and-roll music station but there are a lot of people who are not the stereotypical talk radio listener as you see nationally here in the Valley. We have a completely different demographic.”
Rankin was raised here, and left the area to attend college. He came back and was on KGBT Channel 4 News then left to work in politics at CBS News in New York as a desk assistant. He said, “Then I came back after that and I’ve lived here ever since.” Rankin has a bachelor of fine arts in journalism. He explains, “The Journalism School at Southern Methodist University was in the fine arts department then. It makes no sense to me but that’s what it is.”
In addition, he said, “Having been raised here, and worked so long on radio we know a lot of people. We interviewed a lot of the decision makers, and the people in the news, making the news, commenting on the news. If you want to be informed and be entertained from 4:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon, KURV710 AM is the place.”
Roxanne Garcia, the cohost at KURV710 AM News Radio is 24 years old and with a brief conversation it is easy to find out that she is fast in expressing her ideas and opinions. How long have you been Rankin’s cohost? “I have been a KURV since September of 2014, about 10 months. I graduated last May of 2014, and right out of internship, got hired at KURV. I’ve been there ever since.”
Roxanne graduated with a bachelor of science in broadcasting from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Are you a native of the Valley? “I was born in Santa Ana, California, and lived there until the age of three. Then my family decided to come back to the Valley, and I’ve been here ever since in McAllen.”
Tell me about your experience being a cohost with a veteran of radio? “I’m like, it’s amazing because I know that working with him is helping me establish the credentials I need, and all the qualities I need to probably transition to another job, into the many aspects of my future.”
Roxanne added that it had been overwhelming and amazing. “When I first started I never thought God would put me in radio. I wanted to do sports. That was my dream being a sports reporter, however God has different plans for me.” She continued, “I got hired at KURV within the first week, they wanted to put me as a cohost, and I was really uninformed about politics. Davis would do most of the talking for about three months maybe four months because I was learning during that time.”
In addition, she said, “To me learning from the best like Davis Rankin when he has been there for 28 years, and I pick up a lot.” Roxanne loves the fact that they reach so many people. “I don’t think people understand the platform that we have, and I didn’t understand until months into it how blessed we are to reach the entire Valley.”
The Drive Home with Davis Rankin & Roxanne Garcia is every day Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on KURV710 News Radio on the AM dial. They can also be found at KURV.com. Roxanne said that there is an app for iPhone and Android which will let you listen to the programming of the radio station.
Is there anything else that you would like to add to this conversation? “I just feel so blessed to have this job. I was driving over here, and I was like how many 24-year-olds get the chance to sit down in a luncheon and talk about the 84th literacy session? Not that many get to do that. I feel really honored and blessed to be a part of KURV, and just to be where I am right now, and I really want to grow when it comes to politics.” TBB
