How does a real-deal journalist find his way into the heritage and cultural tourism scene? Bob Phillips, host of television’s Texas Country Reporter, says his long-running fan favorite “isn’t strictly a travel show — we wanted to take it a step further and get into the culture. By doing that, you have to tell the individual stories of people.” Although born and raised in Dallas, Phillips spent weekends and summers on the family farm near Whitesboro (in Grayson County, up near the Red River). Inspired by Charles Kuralt, a popular newsman who was the first anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning and host of the long-running On the Road with Charles Kuralt, Phillips decided at a young age that he, too, would be a television reporter. Taking the first step toward his career while still a freshman at Southern Methodist University, he began working at Dallas’ CBS affiliate, KDFW, where he learned to use a camera and itched to be part of the action.
One day while waiting to help develop the next big story, Phillips was called to cover a scene when no other reporters were available. Sure enough, he set up his camera and performed an interview as a “one-man band.” Phillips has been reporting solo ever since — until, that is, his wife, Kelli, joined him in front of the camera starting with the 2015 season of TCR.
Phillips’ folksy show started out as more of a hobby, filmed during his weekend shifts at Channel 4 to highlight the stories of ordinary people, just like Kuralt used to do. In October 1972, Phillips finally convinced management to let him and a couple of others work on a quick segment, and on the heels of that success 4 Country Reporter was born.
In 1986 Phillips started producing his own show, retitled Texas Country Reporter, with his own crew and production company and a statewide broadcast. TCR isn’t just any ordinary director of the special marketing division at Six Flags over Texas, took Phillips to lunch and pointed out that Phillips was more than a journalist: he was part of the Texas tourism industry. “You do a lot of things in your career or life that have an impact,” says Phillips of that light-bulb moment, “but then you realize you have an impact in another area – not realizing the broader effect. That brings responsibility.” As a reporter, traveler and Texas storyteller, Phillips says if you’re going to travel the state, do your research – get online, grab a book and watch the show. You’ll be interested to know about all of the hidden gems (both people and places) you’ll find on your journey across the state.
Bob Phillips has been honored with numerous awards for his work from AP, UPI, Dallas Press Club, the Telly Awards, the Texas Historical Commission, WorldFest International and the coveted television Emmy Award. Most recently, Phillips was honored as the 2017 recipient of the Texas Travel Industry Association “Tall In Texas” award.
It’s worth noting that Phillips deliberately doesn’t exclude the stories set in locations that people can’t just walk in and visit, “because it’s just as important to tell those stories since they reflect the culture and heritage. You may not be able to visit the exact location,” he explains, “but hopefully our viewers are inspired by the story to learn more about our state.”
Given the choice of big-city locales and off-the-beaten-path tales, Phillips is drawn to the rural areas of Texas because of where he grew up and the memories he made there. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small “no-name town,” knowledge of the people there and how the place got its name “makes a town come alive,” says Phillips. “Every place is there for a reason.”
