‘Shape of Texas’ aims to cultivate architecturally savvy listeners

Locally produced program was recognized for excellence in radio specialty reporting

By Lauraine Miller Producer/editor of "The Shape of Texas"

There are 77,000 miles of roads and highways in Texas that link the state’s rural past to its urban present and future. Along these routes stand countless examples of the built environment. They include humble agricultural grain silos and ranch gates. Historic county courthouses, churches and cathedrals. Daring skyscrapers and cutting-edge museums.

There’s even a roadside environment outside Amarillo called "Cadillac Ranch" that celebrates the culture of the automobile. And ephemeral architecture like sand castles, which rise along the Texas Gulf Coast only to be washed away and replaced by new creations.

Intense two minutes
These places are featured in "The Shape of Texas," a weekly public radio show about architecture and travel destinations. Each two-minute episode tells a story about a building or site or an architectural concept and its relationship to Texas heritage and the daily lives of Texans.

The goal is to educate listeners about the built environment and to help them understand its impact — to grasp why they feel a certain way in a certain space, whether it’s a mansion or a museum, a chapel or a corral.

"The show came out of a desire to help cultivate a love of architecture among the public," said Elizabeth Chu Richter, AIA, who created "The Shape of Texas."

"By becoming architecturally savvy, the public can do wonders with their cities and towns and make them distinctive and inspired to improve the quality of life."

Painting a picture
Radio was the medium of choice for "The Shape of Texas," Richter said. It’s economical, it reaches a large audience, and it leaves something to the imagination.

"With radio, the words paint an even more beautiful picture than perhaps television can do," Richter said. "You listen and you paint pictures of the places in your mind and that makes you want to go there and visit."

The show is produced by KEDT, South Texas Public Broadcasting, System Inc., in Corpus Christi.

It’s distributed at no charge to public radio affiliates across Texas. Major underwriters include The Texas Society of Architects and Acme Brick.

"The Shape of Texas" premiered on KEDT in April 1999. To date, it includes eight volumes of 208 episodes. The show was recognized by the Press Club of Dallas in 2000 and 2001 for excellence in radio specialty reporting.

"The Shape of Texas" team includes journalists, architects and academics and is led by four Corpus Christi residents: co-executive producers Richter and South Texas Public Broadcasting president and general manager Don Dunlap; producer/editor Lauraine Miller and radio producer/narrator Bill Clough.

Loyal following
The show has gained a following. One fan, Beth Trischitti of Lubbock, said she finds the subject matter and Clough’s voice "mesmerizing."

Trischitti is the financial services manager at the College of Architecture at Texas Tech University. She said she never knew much about the academic side of the school until she became a regular listener to "The Shape of Texas."

"It helped me understand more about what the students are doing," Trischitti said. "It tied it all together for me — the work that I do to keep this place running so they can study and become architects and go on to do the things described on the program."