Biography of Ron Whitlock

  Ron knows the needs of the Mexico Border Region along the Rio Grande River and the Gulf Coast because this is his home with his Grandparents coming to the Rio Grande Valley in the 1920s from Oklahoma during the Great Dust Bowl to farm and raise a family. His love of the Border Region and its people began and was nourished from being raised on a farm in a then rural-San Juan, TX. He worked in the cotton fields picking cotton and a very loud cotton gin. He graduated from the then Pharr/SanJuan/Alamo High School (better known as PSJA). He also attended Pan American College in Edinburg, TX. (now UTPA) and Texas A&I (now A&M Kingsville) in TX.

KSOX-AM 1240 / KRIO-AM 910/ KRGV-TV
Ron started his career in broadcasting in the Rio Grande Valley at KSOX-1240 AM Radio in Raymondville, TX. as a Commercial Manager. After just 3 months there he was promoted by the management at KSOX-AM to their sister station in Falfurrias, TX. There he learned the ins and outs of Radio Business including trafficking, sales, creating his own ads for his clients, and doing some on air programs.
Ron eventually went back to his home town in the RGV and started working at the then Valley’s #1 radio station, KRIO-910AM located in McAllen, TX. He became an Account Executive there but his true talents were soon to be noticed. He began doing the news and was such a natural at it that he soon became the News Director for KRIO-AM. While at KRIO as News Director he won numerous broadcast awards in his coverage of Hurricane Inez (1966) and Hurricane Beulah (1967). As News Director & Chief Field Reporter, Ron knows first hand what a Hurricane’s worst can be as KRIO-AM, was the only media broadcasting live for 5 long days during Beulah. His infield reporting documented the devastation she did from Rio Grande City to South Padre Island including Northern Mexico while it was happening. He became the Founder and first President of the Rio Grande Valley Press Club and was vice-president of the United Press International Broadcasters of Texas. He was active in civic affairs in McAllen and San Juan, on the board of directors of Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hidalgo County Red Cross and the San Juan Methodist Church. He left his McAllen News post at KRIO-AM and joined the news department at KRGV-TV channel 5 (then an NBC Affiliate) in Weslaco, TX. There he became a news anchorman on the 6pm, 10pm, and 12 midnight newscasts following Johnny Carson.

KIII-TV
Texas Coastal Bend - including his coverage that made National News of Hurricane Celia hitting Corpus Christi in 1970.
Ron’s efforts in coverage of Hurricane Beulah and the flooding that followed culminated in his move to ABC’s affiliate in Corpus Christi, TX Mike McKinnon’s KIII-TV channel 3 as Managing Editor of the news team. His being at the right place & getting the important interviews did not go unnoticed and before long he became one of the evening news anchors at KIII-TV where people tuned in to watch his respected & knowledgeable demeanor of delivering the news important to the Texas Coastal Bend. He left KIII-TV after the Corpus Christi Independent School District asked him to come to work for them in their Public Relations Department. He became President of the Texas School Public Relations Association, Internal and External Communications for all school districts in the state of Texas. He was also President of the Volunteer Services State Council (VSSC) of the 26 hospitals and facilities of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation with 160,000 volunteers. As President of VSSC he developed Public Responsibility Committees (to protect patients rights) at each facilities, which are still functioning through out the State of Texas to this day. Before leaving Corpus Christi Ron became experienced in Consulting private businesses and state businesses, Marketing, Public Relations, and Advertising as Exec. Vice President of Ferrell Advertising.

KDUV-FM 100
Founder/part owner of his 1st FM radio station.....KDUV-FM 100
Ron moved back to the Valley to build his first of 4 FM Radio Stations he would build in Texas. KDUV-FM in Brownsville, TX covered all the Rio Grande Valley. Ron and his hand selected talented staff made KDUV-FM the number 1 Radio Station in the Valley in the mid ‘70s. Ron along with his partners, one being Jim Phillips (2005 TAB’s Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year) sold KDUV-FM and went on with his partners to build his 2nd FM Radio Station in Corpus Christi, TX. KDUV’s new owners gave up the call letters and took on the call letters KTEX-FM 100 which continues to be the Valley’s number one Radio Station today.

KITE-FM 105
Founder/part owner of his 2nd FM Radio Station.....KITE-FM 105 in Corpus Christi, TX. After 5 years the station was sold.
Soon after KITE was up and running Hurricane Allen was aiming at Corpus. Ron led the Media to be the first FM to go all talk and prepare KITE’s listeners for Allen. Kite became the #1 top rated FM station in the Corpus area during his ownership. KITE was sold in 1988. Ron joined Rotary International and became the Founder and First President of Corpus Christi’s Rotary Club-Sunrise Chartered as the largest new Rotary International Club; and the first to sponsor the first Female Rotarian in the history of Rotary International. He was also selected and joined Leadership Corpus Christi XII.

KINE-AM 1330/ KDUV-FM 97.7
While still co-owning KITE-FM 105 in Corpus
Ron and a new partner (a childhood friend) purchased KINE-FM and AM Radio Station from the Clement and Kleberg (owners of the King Ranch) families in Kingsville, TX. The FM station call letters were changed to KDUV and was upgraded to become a Corpus station then purchased by the owners of Whataburger Corp. the Dodson family.

Trade Show Promoter / KITE-FM 92.3
Founder/ Gen.Mgr. / Owner of his 4th FM Radio Station....KITE-FM 92.3
Still living in Corpus, Ron started a Trade Show Business and started the plans to build a Radio station in Kerrville, TX (Texas Hill Country) with his wife. Ron started successfully the 1st Home and Garden Trade Show, and Business Trade Shows in Corpus Christi. His Home and Garden Shows were considered one of the largest trade shows in the then new Bayfront Plaza Convention Center (now American Bank Center). Ron moved to Kerrville, TX to construct and run it successfully. After 9 years the Station was sold. KITE-FM 92.3 became KRNH-FM 92.3 and upgraded to cover the San Antonio metro city area.

A Return to KRGV-TV & The Rio Grande Valley
In 1999 Ron was called back to TV Broadcasting on KRGV-TV channel 5 (now an ABC affiliate) in the RGV by their General Manager Ray Alexander (2002 TAB’s Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year) to host 5's Public Affairs program, Borderline. When Bob Gilmartin, who was the Host/Executive Producer of Borderline, learned he was dying of Cancer recommended his friend, Ron, to take over. As the new Host/Executive Producer of the Public Affairs Program, it did not take Ron long to get “his sea legs back”. Eventually Borderline evolved to become Valley Newsline with Ron Whitlock.

Valley Newsline Website/Ron Whitlock Reports
Launched FIRST Texas Political Video Interview Program on Internet
Valley Newsline w/RW brought interviews discussing important issues with policy makers and those directly involved to the net. The site's intent was to make sure South Texas' needs were heard worldwide. Valley Newsline evolved into today’s RW Reports, which took VN’s style to cover issues concerning all of South Texas and beyond.

-- SOME OF THE AWARDS RON HAS RECEIVED --

› “TEXAS BEST COVERAGE “ AWARD 1966
› FROM: United Press International

› “TEXAS BEST COVERAGE “ AWARD 1967 (Hurricane Beulah)
› FROM: United Press International

› “TEXAS BEST COVERAGE “ AWARD 1968
› FROM: United Press International

› “TEXAS’ BEST LOCAL NEWSCAST “ AWARD 1968
› FROM: Texas Association of Broadcasters

› LETTER OF COMMENDATION 1966 (Hurricane Beulah)
› FROM: The Weather Bureau, US Department of Commerce, the › › › › › › › › › Environmental Science Services Administration

› SPECIAL SERVICE AWARD 1968
› FROM: Willacy-Hidalgo Soil & Water conservation District No. 312

› OUTSTANDING SERVICE DEDICATED TO THE IDEALS OF EDUCATIONAL › › › › COMMUNICATION AWARD 1972-73
› FROM: National School Public Relations Association Texas Chapter Corpus › › › Christi Independent School District

› PAUL HARRIS FELLOW AWARD 1995
› BY: The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International - Kerrville, TX

-- SOME OF THE MORE NOTABLE PEOPLE RON HAS INTERVIEWED --
Only out of office politicians mentioned.

› U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson

› U.S. President George H.W. Bush

› TX Governor John Connally who was seriously wounded while riding with Pres. Kennedy

› Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neil Armstrong

› Don Knotts

› Ray Charles

-- HURRICANES RON HAS BEEN THROUGH --

› Hurricane Alice (1954)

--

› Hurricane Inez (1966)

› Hurricane Beulah (1967)

› Hurricane Anita (1977)

› Hurricane Allen (1980) pictured right by Ron

› Hurricane Dolly (2008)

› Hurricane Ike (2008)