As the host of “Texas Country Reporter”, Bob Phillips has touched the lives of Texans from Amarillo to Brownsville and all cities in between for more than half his life. With more than 1,000 hours of programming highlighting the people and places of Texas, Bob Phillips is truly a legend in Texas broadcasting. “Texas Country Reporter” is a celebration of the Texan way of life and a tribute to the “real” people of our time – the everyday men and women who make our state such a special place. Few shows in the history of television have endured and maintained a loyal audience for more than three decades.
Bob Phillips started his television career at KDFW-TV in Dallas while he was a student at SMU. He was a photographer and a reporter, covering several state and national political conventions and the inauguration of President Nixon. He also ventured into the sports arena traveling for several years with the Dallas Cowboys and shooting for NFL Films. His “Country Reporter” series began at KDFW-TV in 1972 and continued on that station until Phillips moved his program to WFAA-TV in Dallas in October of 1986.
In January of 2003, Bob moved “Texas Country Reporter” to the CBS-owned and operated station KTVT in Dallas/Ft. Worth and its sister station KTXA UPN 21. “Texas Country Reporter” is regionally syndicated on 26 television stations throughout Texas and surrounding states. Rating services estimate that more than 1.4 million people statewide see Bob’s program each week.
Phillips is a Professor of Communications at Amberton University. In addition, Bob frequently consults corporations on media relations matters and has conducted classes for reporters on the art of story telling. Bob Phillips’ familiar baritone voice and his unique story telling style has made him an indelible part of the fabric of Texas and an important part of the history of television statewide. “Texas Country Reporter” reminds us weekly that being a Texan is more than geography – it is an attitude.
The Lone Star Emmy Chapter’s Silver Circle is comprised of Texas television professionals who have spent at least 25 years of their broadcasting career in either a performing, creative, technical, administrative or journalistic role within the industry or a peripheral area directly related to television, such as education or commercial production. Inductees have made significant contributions to both their industry and the community throughout their careers.