Mini Me (for mommy and daddy's little darlings)
You Turn Me On ( and sometimes off)
You've Been Served (order up!)
Vice and Virtue (round up the usual suspects!)
Shop Till You Drop (bagging the best bargains)
Working-Class Heroes (we salute you)
Special Places (deep in our hearts)
Who picked these winners? You did, silly. And if you didn’t, it’s your own fault. The paper ballot ran for four weeks straight in the paper, and was available online, too. Keep an eye out for next year’s readers’ poll. It’ll open in late February, close in late March, and include several new categories. The capsules and short stories honoring your selections were written mostly by staff, with the assistance of dedicated freelancers Leigh Baldwin and Ron Bechtol.
Speaking of which, how do I nominate a category? Email your suggestions for new Best of SA categories to Jeremy Martin, [email protected]. If you’re the first reader to suggest a category that we use for next year, you’ll receive an invitation to our Best of SA party.
Why don’t all categories list second- and third-place winners? In most cases, it means that more than two winners tied for the second- and/or third-place slots. In many of those instances, there were four or more winners for a slot, which makes it impractical to list all of them, and dilutes the purpose of a readers’ poll.
What happened in the YouTube and Social Media Phenom categories? While there were many votes in those categories, in the first instance they failed to produce a clear winner, and in the second, it seems we weren’t specific enough about our intentions. The results, in order, were: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace. We were looking for a local online networker. Our bad; we’ll be clearer next year.
Why Lowriders? Aren’t you the global-warming watchdogs?Lowriders are all about form over function. They’re beautiful, impractical art that is the antithesis of mainstream American car culture, with its emphasis on speed and commuting. They are what we hope all cars will one day become: lavish hobbies to polish on the weekend and celebrate with friends, rather than crutches we use to hobble hurriedly from one obligation to the next. Meet the craftsmen (and woman) behind our models, online at sacurrent.com.
Meet the Cars and Drivers:
You've Been Served (order up!)
Best 24/7 Restaurant
Jim’s Restaurants
Multiple locations
2. IHOP, multiple locations,
3. Mi Tierra Cafe´ & Bakery
Best AYCE Buffet
China Sea
13802 Embassy Row
(210) 490-6500
2. Golden Corral, multiple locations, goldencorral.com
3. Golden Phoenix, 9323 Perrin Beitel, (210) 590-8448
Best Bakery/Panaderi´a
Mi Tierra Cafe´ & Bakery
218 Produce Row
(210) 225-1262
mitierracafe.com
2. Broadway Daily Bread,
3. Nadler’s Bakery & Deli,
Best Barbacoa
El Milagrito
521 E. Woodlawn
(210) 737-8646
elmilagritocafe.com
2. Culebra Meat Market,
3. Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa,
Best Barbecue
Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q
Multiple locations
rudys.com
2. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, multiple
3. Barbecue Station, 1610 NE Loop 410,
Best Breakfast Tacos
Taco Taco Cafe´
145 E. Hildebrand
(210) 822-9533
2. Las Palapas Mexican Cafe´, multiple
3. Panchito’s Mexican Restaurant, multiple locations, panchitos.net
Best Buffalo Wings
WingStop
Multiple locations
wingstop.com
2. Buffalo Wild Wings, multiple
3. Hooters, multiple locations,
Best Local Burgers
Chris Madrid’s Nachos & Burgers
1900 Blanco
(210) 735-3552
chrismadrids.com
2. Chester’s Hamburger Co.
3. Big’z Burger Joint
Best Burritos
Freebirds World Burrito
11224 Huebner
(210) 877-9606
freebirds.com
2. Chipotle Mexican Grill
3. Habaneros Grill
Best Local Chef
1. Jason Dady (tie)
The Lodge, Bin 555, Tre Trattoria,
Two Bros. BBQ Market
1. Andrew Weissman (tie)
Le Re^ve, Sandbar, Sip, Big’z, Il Sogno
(summer 2009)
2. Mike Behrend, Green Vegetarian Cuisine & Coffee
3. Jeffrey Balfour, Citrus, Hotel Valencia
Best Chicken-Fried Steak
De Wese’s Tip Top Cafe´
2814 Fredericksburg
(210) 732-0191
tiptopcafe.com
2. Lulu’s
3. Longhorn Cafe´
Best Chinese Food
PF Chang’s China Bistro
Alamo Quarry Market
255 E. Basse
(210) 507-1000
pfchangs.com
2. Golden Wok
3. Formosa Garden
Best Local Coffee House
Olmos Perk Coffee Bar
5223 McCullough
(210) 858-2956
olmosperk.com
2. Candlelight Coffee House,
3. Sip Coffee & Expresso Bar,
Best Deli
W.D. Deli
3123 Broadway
(210) 828-2322
wddeli.com
2. Jason’s Deli
3. McAlister’s Deli
Best Desserts
Cheesecake Factory
7400 San Pedro
(210) 798-2222
thecheesecakefactory.com
2. Liberty Bar, 328 E. Josephine,
3. Nadler’s Bakery & Deli
Best Enchiladas
Blanco Cafe´
Multiple locations
blancocafe.net
2. Rosario’s Mexican Cafe´,
3. Los Barrios (tie), 4310 Blanco
3. Picante Grill (tie), 3810 Broadway,
Best Falafel
Demo’s Greek Food
Multiple locations
demosgreekfood.com
2. Hookah Cafe´
3. Pasha Mediterranean Grill,
Best Farmers Market
Olmos Basin
7:30am-1pm Tue & Sat, in season
Jackson Keller and McCullough
(210) 649-1853
2. Uncertain Farms, first and third Sundays, Green Vegetarian Cuisine & Coffee,
3. San Antonio Botanical Garden,
8am-1pm Thu, in season
Best Food & Wine Festival
San Antonio Wine Festival
February 2010
sawinefest.com
2. San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival, November 10-15, 2009
3. A Taste of the Northside, 5:30-10:30pm Wed, Apr 22, the Club at Sonterra
Best French/Bistro
La Frite Belgian Bistro
728 S. Alamo
(210) 224-7555
bistrovatel.com
2. Bistro Vatel
3. Le Re^ve
Best Guacamole
Boudro’s Texas Bistro
421 E. Commerce
(210) 224-8484
boudros.com
2. La Fogata
3. Acenar Comida Mexicana
Best Ice House
La Tuna Grill
100 Probandt
(210) 212-5727
latunagrill.com
2. Hill & Dales Ice House
3. Sanchez Ice House
Best Indian Food
India Palace
8474 Fredericksburg
(210) 692-5262
indiapalacesa.com
2. India Oven, 1031 Patricia
3. Simi’s Indian Cuisine
Best Italian Food
Paesanos
Multiple locations
paesanos.com
paesanosriverwalk.com
paesanos1604.com
2. Little Italy Restaurant
3. Tre Trattoria, 4003 Broadway
Best Korean BBQ
Ilsong Garden
6905 Blanco
(210) 366-4508
2. Go Hyang Jib Korean BBQ House
3. Kiku Garden
Best Mole
Rosario’s Mexican Cafe´
910 S. Alamo
(210) 223-1806
rosariossa.com
2. La Fogata
3. Picante Grill
Best Nachos
Chacho’s
(Monster Kong Nachos)
Multiple locations
chachos.com
2. Tomatillos Cafe´ y Cantina
3. Taco Cabana (Super Nachos)
Best Patio
La Fogata
2427 Vance Jackson
(210) 340-1337
lafogata.com
2. La Hacienda de Los Barrios
3. Chuy’s, 18008 San Pedro
Best Local Pizza
Dough Pizzeria Napoletana
6989 Blanco
(210) 979-6363
doughpizzeria.com
2. Rome’s Pizza
3. Goomba’s Pizzeria
Best River Walk Restaurant
Boudro’s Texas Bistro
421 E. Commerce
(210) 224-8484
boudros.com
2. Acenar Comida Mexicana
3. Paesanos Riverwalk
Best Salsa
Rosario’s Mexican Cafe´
910 S. Alamo
(210) 223-1806
rosariossa.com
2. Chuy’s
3. La Fogata
Best Seafood
Sea Island
Multiple locations
shrimphouse.com
2. Wildfish Seafood Grille
3. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
Best Steakhouse
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Two locations
ruthschrissa.com
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Morton’s the Steakhouse,
Best Sunday Brunch
Magnolia Pancake Haus
606 Embassy Oaks
(210) 496-0828
magnoliapancakehaus.com
2. Madhatters Tea House and Cafe´
3. Las Canarias Restaurant, 112 College
Best Sushi
Sushi Zushi
Multiple locations
sushizushi.com
2. Godai Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant
3. Goro’s
Best Taco Truck
Stop ’N Taco
18322 Sonterra Pl.
(210) 908-0380
2. El Tacomiendo, 700 Division, (210) 843-1735
3. Guero’s, 1824 N. Main
Best Takeout Tortillas
Alamo Cafe´
multiple locations
alamocafe.com
2. Taco Cabana
3. Blanco Cafe´
Best Tamales
Delicious Tamales
Multiple locations
delicioustamales.com
2. Ruben’s Homemade Tamales
3.Tamahli
Best Thai Food
Tong’s Thai
1146 Austin Highway
(210) 829-7345
tongsthai.com
2. Thai Taste
3. Thai Chili
Best Vegetarian Options
Green Vegetarian Cuisine and Coffee
1017 N. Flores
(210) 320-5865
greensanantonio.com
2. Twin Sisters Bakery and Cafe´
3. Adelante Mexican Food
Best Vietnamese Food
Pho Cong Ly
300 W. Bitters
(210) 499-5572
2. Van’s Restaurant
3. Viet Nam Restaurant
Best Wine List
Bin 555
The Shops at Artisan Alley
555 W. Bitters
(210) 496-0555
bin555.com
2. Copa Wine Bar, 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy.
3. Bianco Pasta Vino, 7115 Blanco
SA Current Best of 2009 Interactive Map
Shop Till You Drop (bagging the best bargains)
Best Bookstore
The Twig
5005 Broadway
(210) 826-6411
thetwig.booksense.com
2. Nine Lives Books
3. Half-Price Books
Best Place to Buy Rare and Hard-To-Find Music
Hogwild Records,Tapes & CDs
1824 N. Main
(210) 733-5354
myspace.com/hogwildrecords
2. Music Town
3. Half Price Books
Best All-Around Music Store
Hogwild Records,Tapes & CDs
1824 N. Main
(210) 733-5354
myspace.com/hogwildrecords
2. CD Exchange
3. Music Town
Best Comics Shop
Heroes & Fantasies
Multiple locations
heroesandfantasies.com
2. Atomic Comics & Gaming
3. Alien Worlds
Best Gaming Shop
Gamestop
Multiple locations
gamestop.com
2. Dragon’s Lair
3. Heroes & Fantasies
Best Thrift/Vintage Shop
Thrift Town
12247 Nacogdoches
(210) 656-8696
thrifttown.com
2. Jive Refried
3. Redemption Garb
Best Department Store
Macy’s
Multiple locations
macys.com
2. Nordstrom
3. Dillard’s
Best Mall
The Shops at La Cantera
15900 La Cantera Pkwy.
(210) 582-6255
theshopsatlacantera.com
2. North Star Mall
3. Rolling Oaks Mall
Best Jewelry Store
James Avery
Multiple locations
jamesavery.com
2. Tiffany & Co.
3. Americus Diamond
Best Cigar Shop
Club Humidor
Multiple locations
clubhumidor.com
2. Finck Cigar Company
3. Chango’s Havana Club
Best Lingerie Store
Victoria’s Secret
Multiple locations
victoriassecret.com
2. Frederick’s of Hollywood
3. Shades of Love
Best Arts & Crafts Fair
Fiesta Arts Fair, Southwest School of Arts & Crafts
April 17-18, 2010
swschool.org
2. King William Fair, 10am-6pm April 25
3. First Friday, Southtown and the Blue Star Arts Complex, 6-9pm, First Friday of each month
Best Shoe Store
Nordstrom
15900 La Cantera Pkwy
(210) 332-1900
shop.nordstrom.com
2. Sole Boutique
3. Aldo’s Shoes
Best Local Fashion Boutique
Sole Boutique
5926 Broadway
(210) 822-7653
soleboutique.com
2. Julian Gold
3. Cork
Best Handbags and Accessories
Nordstrom
15900 La Cantera Pkwy
(210) 332-1900
shop.nordstrom.com
2. Coach
3. Macy’s (tie)
3. Serendipity Trading Company (tie)
Best Plant Nursery
Shades of Green
334 W. Sunset
(210) 824-3772
shadesofgreensa.com
2. Milberger’s Landscaping and Nursery
3. Arbolitos Nursery
Best Flea Market
Bussey’s Flea Market
18738 IH-35 North
(210) 651-6830
busseysfm.com
2. Poteet Flea Market
3. Eisenhauer Flea Market
Best Wine Shop or Section
Central Market
4821 Broadway
(210) 368-8600
centralmarket.com
2. Joe Saglimbeni Fine Wine & Spirits
3. Costco Wholesale
Best Makeup Counter
MAC
North Star Mall
7400 San Pedro
(210) 375-7804
and several department-store counters
maccosmetics.com
2. Sephora
3. Clinique
Best Local Designer
Angelina Mata Atelier
711 S. Presa
(210) 223-8955
2. Kathleen Sommers
3. Agosto Cuellar
SA Current Best of 2009 Interactive Map
Mini Me (for mommy and daddy's little darlings)
Best Kid-Friendly Park
Brackenridge Park
3700 N. St. Mary’s
sanantonio.gov/sapar/
2. Kiddie Park
3. McAllister Park
Best Kids’ Clothing Options
Gap Kids
North Star Mall
7400 San Pedro
(210) 340-1433
gap.com
2. Small World Children’s Store
3. Sweet Repeats
Best Place for Birthday Parties
Incredible Pizza Co.
11743 West Ave.
(210) 342-2121
incrediblepizza.com
2. Chuck E. Cheese’s
3. Peter Piper Pizza
Best Family-Friendly Fiesta Event
King William Fair
10am-6pm April 25
kwfair.org
2. Battle of Flowers Parade,
11:50 a.m. vanguard, 12:45 p.m. parade, April 24
3. Fiesta Arts Fair, April 17-18, 2010
Best Kid-Friendly Museum
The Witte Museum
3801 Broadway
wittemuseum.org
2. The Children’s Museum
3. McKenna Children’s Museum
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
The Cove
606 W. Cypress
(210) 227-2683
thecove.us
2. Big’z Burger Joint
3. EZ’s
Best Library Branch
Central Library
600 Soledad
(210) 207-2500
sanantonio.gov/library
2. Hannah Landa Memorial Library
3. Brook Hollow Library
Best Party-Supply Store
Party City
Multiple locations
partycity.com
2. Amols’ Specialty
3. Dollar Tree
Best Toy Store
Toys “R” Us
Multiple locations
toysrus.com
2. Toy Zone
3. Learning Express
Best Mommy Meet-Up Spot
Hannah Landa Memorial Library
233 Bushnell
(210) 732-8369
Best Pet-Care Services
Lucy’s Doggy Day Care & Spa
2250 Thousand Oaks
(210) 495-3647
lucysdoggydaycare.com
2. Pawderosa Ranch
3. Petsmart
Best Pet Boarding
Pawderosa Ranch
923 Clydeville
(210) 404-9941
pawderosaranch.com
2. Lucy’s Doggy Day Care & Spa
3. Petsmart
Best Place to Adopt a Pet
Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County
4804 Fredericksburg
(210) 226-7461
humanesocietyspca.org
2. Animal Defense League
3. Animal Control Services
SA Current Best of 2009 Interactive Map
You Turn Me On ( and sometimes off)
Best Radio Talk-Show Host
John Lisle & Steve Hahn
KISS 99.5 FM
kissrocks.com
2. Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo, WOAI 1200 AM, radio.woai.com
3. Peter Burns, Ticket 760 AM, ticketsports.com
Best Radio Station, News
NPR/KSTX/TPR
89.1 FM
tpr.org
2. WOAI, 1200 AM, radio.woai.com
3. KTSA, 550 AM, ktsa.com
Best Radio Station, Music
KSYM 90.1 FM
accd.edu/sac/ksym/index.htm
2. JACK FM 102.7 (Classic and Modern Rock), hellojack.com
3. KISS 99.5 FM (Alternative), kissrocks.com
Best Evening News
KSAT 12
ksat.com
2. News 4 WOAI, woai.com
3. KENS 5, kens5.com
Best News Anchor
Randy Beamer
News 4 WOAI
woai.com
2. Chris Marrou, KENS 5, kens5.com
3. Ursula Pari, KSAT 12, ksat.com
Best Weatherwo/man
Jennifer Broome,
StormTracker 4
Chief Meteoroligist
News 4 WOAI
woai.com
2. Steve Browne, Meteorologist, KSAT 12, ksat.com
3. Bill Taylor, Meteorologist, KENS 5, kens5.com
Best Sportscaster
Greg Simmons
KSAT 12
ksat.com
2. Don Harris, News 4 WOAI, woai.com
3. Joe Reinagle, KENS 5, kens5.com
Best Local Columnist
Cary Clack
San Antonio Express-News
2. Carlos Guerra, San Antonio Express-News
3. Michael O’Rourke, San Antonio Express-News
Best Local Blogger
Emvergeoning
emvergeoning.com
Local arts blog Emvergeoning continues to be a daily check-in site for the local arts community. Emvergeoning has evolved over the years as various members contribute in different ways: photographer Justin Parr adds images and occasional travelogues; photographer Thomas Cummings adds updates on the local scene; and Ben Judson contributes longer philosophical pieces that open up the conversation to issues in the national and international art world. The comments are filled with esoteric tangents, which often provoke a wide range of responses, and have become just as much of the blog as the bloggers themselves.
Best Local YouTube Videographer
No winner
No clear favorites emerged from this second-time category, but readers did speak up for the faux-human newscasters at “Perspectives,” found at youtube.com/user/jerrodkingery. The puppet duo of Laughn De La Croix and Rodney Grimes are “back in the future, looking at the past,” dropping some illuminating nuggets (which I am assured is normal for felt creatures), including San Antonio’s cultural debt to the controversial decision to allow the Tower of the Americas restaurant to rotate, and the purchase of some “second-hand flamingos.”
If you need a place to get started with your Alamo YouTubing, may we suggest you crack the 9/11 conspiracy (or simply enjoy some huffing and puffing with irritating protestors and bitch cops) by wedging your url into WeAreChangeSA. Keep in tune with the spirit of independent media with TV4SA. And, if there’s a march, you can bank on sacrangervideos to bring you the moving pics.
Best Social Media Phenomenon
No winner
You weren’t born online, but you got there as fast as you could, dincha, you with your txt-weary thumbage? Now, as you trade furious tweets between classes, update your status from the loo, and post video clips of yourself at some of the city’s less appropriate landmarks, maybe it’s time to think about what this wired life hath wrought. When we asked what the Best Social Media Phenom was, it wasn’t celebrity we were after, but platforms. Is Facebook still your boy? Is MySpace really a bad hook-up site? Who’s caught up in the gravitational field of video-rich Seesmic? So, log in, sign up, and make yourself felt in the social-media stratosphere. We’ll try you again next year.
Best Local Website
The Express-News also won Best Local Columnist.
2. sacurrent.com
3. emvergeoning.com
SA Current Best of 2009 Interactive Map
Working Class Heroes
Best Roller Derby Player
Tonya Hurting
alamocityrollergirls.com
myspace.com/tonyahurting
2. Harmin Electra
3. Barbara Coa
Best Nonprofit
Esperanza Peace & Justice Center (tie)
922 San Pedro
(210) 228-0201
esperanzacenter.org
Southwest School of Art & Craft (tie)
300 Augusta
(210) 224-1848
swschool.org
2. Animal Defense League
Best Bike Mechanic
Jimmy Hover, Blue Star Bikes
1414 S. Alamo,
bluestarbrewing.com/bikes
2. Carlos Montoya, Bike World
Best Bike Shop
Bike World
5911 Broadway
(210) 828-5558
bikeworld.com
2. Blue Star Bikes
3. Ride Away Bicycles
Best Local Athlete
Tim Duncan, the Spurs
2. Tony Parker, the Spurs
3. Manu Ginobili, the Spurs
Best Activist/Watchdog
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
922 San Pedro
(210) 228-0201
esperanzacenter.org
2. Patti Radle, founder of Inner City Development and former District 5 Councilwoman
3. DeAnne Cuellar (tie), Texas Media Empowerment Project
3. Fay Sinkin (tie), Environmentalist, civil-rights activist
Best Club Owner/Music Promoter
Steve Silbas and Barbara Wolfe, Casbeers (tie)
1150 S. Alamo
(210) 271-7791
casbeers.com
Colin Wells, the Warhol (tie)
1011 Avenue B
(210) 271-7791
myspace.com/thewarhol
2. Drunken Monkey Promotions,
3. Rhonda Sciaraffa, White Rabbit
Best Bartender
Lauren Brown & Omega Trevin~o, Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes
Best Evening News
Best Sportscaster - Greg Simmons
KSAT 12
ksat.com
KSAT can’t match the flash of KENS 5’s “Eyewitness Newsreel” or the attention-getting international reporting of WOAI. But our readers value the station for its solid, unprepossessing presentation and its experienced on-air team. Steve Browne displays meteorological authority during his weather reports, Greg Simmons is an affable source of sports expertise (best demonstrated on Sunday night’s Instant Replay), and Ursula Pari brings a welcome versatility to the anchor position.
Simmons is a San Antonio native who never dreamed of being anything else but a sportscaster. He’s turned down opportunities to move to ESPN, CNNSI and larger markets like Dallas because he’s already got his dream job covering the Spurs, local high-school football and the Dallas Cowboys. He also runs a golf tournament that raised $22,000 last year to help feed San Antonio’s homeless.
Regarding the Spurs’ dramatic comeback vs. New Orleans for the division title, Simmons says “games like `this` recharge not only the fans but the team as well, and going into the postseason with a four-game win streak and home-court advantage can’t hurt. And the fact it’s the 1-35 rivalry `in the first round` just makes it better.”
The busy station airs live news, weather and sports broadcasts five times a day at 5 a.m., noon and 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Another feature of the KSAT evening news is the Defenders segment, featuring Rosenda Rios and Brian Mylar, which seeks to stand up for the man on the street by investigating local issues of concern. The station solicits viewer suggestions on their website. The KSAT news team is active on Twitter too, with 16 different feeds to the microblogging service, so news junkies can get their fix all day long.
Best Radio Talk-Show Host
John Lisle & Steve Hahn
KISS 99.5 FM
kissrocks.com
Kings of mundane banter and proud role models for middle-aged crazies, John Lisle and Steve Hahn (with considerable help from sidekick Kelley Kendall) are the deans of SA morning talk. No concept is too thin for them to stretch and no gimmick too questionable for them to attempt. Whether opining on gross eating habits, dating, or Spurs basketball, or licking nacho cheese off the stomachs of fitness models, they’re indestructible ratings magnets for people who consider Howard Stern too artsy.
2. Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo,
WOAI 1200 AM, radio.woai.com
3. Peter Burns, Ticket 760 AM,
ticketsports.com
Best Radio Station, News
NPR/KSTX/TPR
89.1 FM
tpr.org
While it’s true that San Antonio was one of the last big cities in the country to jump onboard the National Public Radio ship, NPR has become such an institution in this area that it now claims three stations. Texas Public Radio is a coalition that owns KPAC 88.3, KSTX 89.1 FM, and Hill Country mainstay KTXI 90.1 FM. KSTX is Texas Public Radio’s round-the-clock news station, and they not only deliver trademark NPR shows such as “Fresh Air” and “All Things Considered,” they produce thoughtful local programming such as “Texas Matters.” For SA listeners, it’s obvious that TPR matters, in a major way.
2. WOAI, 1200 AM, radio.woai.com
3. KTSA, 550 AM, ktsa.com
Best Radio Station, Music
KSYM 90.1 FM
accd.edu/sac/ksym/index.htm
Broadcasting “evolutionary radio” from San Antonio College, KYSM is easily the most diverse station in town. Their staff of mostly volunteer DJs plays everything from country, blues, and jazz to alt-rock, hip-hop, and metal, as a sampling of the frequency’s regular shows attests: “Best of the Beatles” on Sunday mornings, “Hillbilly Hit Parade,” and “Punk Rock 101.” “Third Coast Music” features Americana tunes from South Texas and Louisiana from 3-7 p.m. every weekday. With such a diverse play list, you never know when you might discover a new favorite band. Great acts we’ve discovered on KYSM recently include Dallas alt-pop-rockers the Bright, and melodic songstress Maria Taylor.
2. JACK FM 102.7 (Classic and
Modern Rock), hellojack.com
3. KISS 99.5 FM (Alternative),
kissrocks.com
Best Evening News
KSAT 12
ksat.com
KSAT 12’s Greg Simmons won Best Sportscaster.
2. News 4 WOAI, woai.com
3. KENS 5, kens5.com
Best News Anchor
Randy Beamer
News 4 WOAI
woai.com
WOAI’s meteorologist Jennifer Broome won Best Weatherwoman. Read about them on page 68.
2. Chris Marrou, KENS 5, kens5.com
3. Ursula Pari, KSAT 12, ksat.com
Best Weatherwo/man
Jennifer Broome,
StormTracker 4
Chief Meteoroligist
News 4 WOAI
woai.com
WOAI’s Randy Beamer took home another Best of SA award, for Best News Anchor.
2. Steve Browne, Meteorologist,
KSAT 12, ksat.com
3. Bill Taylor, Meteorologist, KENS 5, kens5.com
Best Sportscaster
Greg Simmons
KSAT 12
ksat.com
KSAT 12 also won Best Evening News.
2. Don Harris, News 4 WOAI, woai.com
3. Joe Reinagle, KENS 5, kens5.com
Best Local Columnist
Cary Clack
San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News also won Best Local Website.
2. Carlos Guerra,
San Antonio Express-News
3. Michael O’Rourke,
San Antonio Express-News
Justin Parr
We think it’s the good-natured yet dark humor coupled with the occasional lecture and history lesson: repeat Best of SA winner Cary Clack holds onto his title. Trinity University Press is publishing a collection of his essays this spring.
Justin Parr
Emvergeoning’s elusive, creative hive mind: Ben Judson, Thomas Cummings, Aaron Forland, and Justin Parr.
Best Local Blogger
Emvergeoning
emvergeoning.com
Local arts blog Emvergeoning continues to be a daily check-in site for the local arts community. Emvergeoning has evolved over the years as various members contribute in different ways: photographer Justin Parr adds images and occasional travelogues; photographer Thomas Cummings adds updates on the local scene; and Ben Judson contributes longer philosophical pieces that open up the conversation to issues in the national and international art world. The comments are filled with esoteric tangents, which often provoke a wide range of responses, and have become just as much of the blog as the bloggers themselves.
Best Local YouTube Videographer
No winner
No clear favorites emerged from this second-time category, but readers did speak up for the faux-human newscasters at “Perspectives,” found at youtube.com/user/jerrodkingery. The puppet duo of Laughn De La Croix and Rodney Grimes are “back in the future, looking at the past,” dropping some illuminating nuggets (which I am assured is normal for felt creatures), including San Antonio’s cultural debt to the controversial decision to allow the Tower of the Americas restaurant to rotate, and the purchase of some “second-hand flamingos.”
If you need a place to get started with your Alamo YouTubing, may we suggest you crack the 9/11 conspiracy (or simply enjoy some huffing and puffing with irritating protestors and bitch cops) by wedging your url into WeAreChangeSA. Keep in tune with the spirit of independent media with TV4SA. And, if there’s a march, you can bank on sacrangervideos to bring you the moving pics.
Best Social Media Phenomenon
No winner
You weren’t born online, but you got there as fast as you could, dincha, you with your txt-weary thumbage? Now, as you trade furious tweets between classes, update your status from the loo, and post video clips of yourself at some of the city’s less appropriate landmarks, maybe it’s time to think about what this wired life hath wrought. When we asked what the Best Social Media Phenom was, it wasn’t celebrity we were after, but platforms. Is Facebook still your boy? Is MySpace really a bad hook-up site? Who’s caught up in the gravitational field of video-rich Seesmic? So, log in, sign up, and make yourself felt in the social-media stratosphere. We’ll try you again next year.
Best Local Website
The Express-News also won Best Local Columnist.
2. sacurrent.com
3. emvergeoning.com
Best Local Website
Best Columnist — Cary Clack
San ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
mysa.com
A newspaper guide to destruction: Take the bloodletting Craigslist free online classifieds, add a splash of auto-sales collapse, and fold it into an ever-lengthening trend away from newsprint. Bring to a rapid boil in the U.S. housing bubble rupture and resulting economic depression, and you come out with a (be kind) streamlined San Antonio Express-News paper on your doorstep. To their credit, the daily has managed to carry its product more deeply over to the web with a catchy, shortened url — mysa.com — significantly brighter interface, and easily navigable home page with a growing roster of bloggers. The moderated forum is seeing some use, too. Keeping things easy-on-the-eye and useful, mysa.com has taken the paper’s presence in a positive new direction even as economics led to dozens on dozens of news staff being shown the door.
Our readers also found Cary Clack (way back there in SA Life, no less) a continuing source of illumination, followed closely by Carlos “You Got the Wrong Guy” Guerra.
Best News Anchor — Randy Beamer
Best Weatherwoman — Jennifer Broome
NEWS 4 WOAI
woai.com
Blessed with a perfect anchorman name (so Ron Burgundy-classic, it sounds made up), and an easygoing manner, Randy Beamer has also shown a willingness to (literally) plunge into some dangerous waters. He reported on San Antonians who run a hospital in Iraq, tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka, and New Orleans residents recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Beamer beat out KSAT’s Ursula Pari and KENS 5’s venerable Chris Marrou, the man whose “Eyewitness Newsreel” has elevated the blooper montage to an art form.
Stormtracker 4 Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Broome backs up her meteorology chops and reassuring delivery with a perfect storm of community involvement, including her “Jen’s Kids” partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Witte Society, the Cancer Center Council, and the Junior League of San Antonio. Those cumulus-sized billboard photos (and cinematic “Stormtracker” title) haven’t gone to her head: As folks who bump into her around town as she runs (her own!) errands will tell you, she’s friendly and down-to-earth.
