This was simultaneously the easiest, yet hardest, interview I’ve ever done: talking to my friend and teammate about saying goodbye to KSAT.
For years, Steve Spriester has been at the helm of the Spriester Sessions series, interviewing newsmakers and shakers to get the deeper story behind the headlines.
WATCH BELOW: San Antonio newsmakers say ‘farewell’ to Steve
But this time, Steve was the subject.
I got the honor of asking the questions.
We’ve both done countless interviews. Lights, cameras and mics blend in with the background these days.
But this time was different.
It was time to say goodbye.
A taco joint on the west side
Steve and I chose to have our interview at Tacos El Rey on Castroville Road because that was the site of our first live broadcast in our Know My Neighborhood series.
It’s grassroots journalism centered around telling the stories of one neighborhood at a time — what Steve coined as “the good, the bad, and the frustrating.”
Know My Neighborhood was Steve’s idea. He wanted us to feature stories of everyday people, not politicians.
“I still believe passionately in that,” Steve said. “And I’m proud of everything we did with Know My Neighborhood. We have made a difference in these neighborhoods that we’ve profiled.”
“Just this one... I mean, you can look right out the window, and there’s a stoplight that wasn’t there. The H-E-B is getting remodeled up the street,” he said. “The ramps that used to go to nowhere that were right out the door aren’t there anymore.”
No matter what side of the city our viewers are from, Steve believed there was far more that unites us than divides us, no matter your neighborhood.
And he was right.
Steve changed San Antonio
Journalists are often asked, “What’s your favorite story you’ve covered?”
Coming up with just one answer is never easy.
For Steve, there are a few among his most memorable.
“I think the homeless special that I did, you know, more than 15 years ago, probably closer to 20 years ago, where we just told the story of San Antonio’s homeless and the fact there wasn’t a 24/7 shelter,” he said.
“So if somebody that’s homeless wanted to take a shower, brush their teeth, put on a fresh set of clothes before they went to a job interview, there was no place they could do that in San Antonio,” Steve said. “So we aired that, and Mayor Phil Hardberger saw it, then Valero CEO Bill Greehey saw it. Community activist Patty Raddle got on board, and they made Haven for Hope happen.”
The city’s first 24/7 shelter opened in 2010.
WATCH BELOW: Steve’s reporting over the years
Then, there are Steve’s stories centered around a man named Ray Hildebrand, a former police officer and investigator with the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
“He had a stroke at the justice center. Just a few blocks away is downtown Baptist. He was taken there, but the city had no stroke centers,” Steve said.
“So it took hours before he was airlifted to Austin to get the proper stroke care he needed. And Ray and Suzanne sat down with me and told their story,” he said.
“He was a strong man and for him to allow me to show him at his weakest, I think he realized something had to change,” Steve said. “So we aired that, Suzanne became very involved in trying to get stroke centers and now there’s stroke centers all over town.”
“Just all the people that trust you with their stories is humbling,” he said. “They trust us to tell their stories, and that has never lost on me.”
Steve also recalled Spurs championship celebrations, walking miles into downtown San Antonio and being handed bottles of beer by other revelers who gathered to celebrate on the streets.
We talked about Fiesta, too, and his coverage of the parades and the parties over the years.
“It was like one big happy family,” Steve said. “That just confirms everything I’ve thought about San Antonio. And I’ve just had it reconfirmed time and time again.”
My personal note
I have been blessed to co-anchor with Steve for nearly nine years.
Working in broadcast news is a beautiful, beast of a business. You rely on teamwork, communication and collaboration day in and day out.
News breaks. Technology fails. But that “on-air” light illuminates on time, every time, no matter what happens behind the scenes.
I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate than Steve. He has made me a better anchor and a journalist. He has led by example. He has reminded our entire team, over and over again, why we do what we do.
It’s people. People are the “why.”
People’s lives, people’s safety, their families, their dignity, their voice.
That’s why.
Steve is an advocate. He lifts others up.
And not just those who are the subject of his stories.
For every new face who has come through KSAT, he has embraced them and said, “Welcome to the team.”
That was me once. The new kid standing next to the guy who’d been the face of KSAT years before I arrived.
And we became a team. How lucky am I?
Steve may be stepping away from the anchor desk, but I know he’ll keep advocating.
He knows the “why” better than anyone.
Thank you, Steve. For everything.
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