Friends of the Texan

06/16/2026

Gerald Johnson named interim general manager of K*T Public Media

K*T 90.5 | By Chelsey Zhu, Neena Satija
The University of Texas at Austin has announced Gerald Johnson as the interim general manager of K*T Public Media, a day after firing former General Manager Debbie Hiott following a major dispute over the K*T Festival.
Johnson is the executive director for innovation and partnerships at the Moody College of Communication. He is also the former director of Texas Student Media, which includes The Daily Texan, and has worked with K*T and Hiott on revenue operations for the stations. He previously managed advertising and revenue at the Houston Chronicle.
"His depth of understanding of media operations, sales and marketing will ensure the continued success of the organization during this transition," said Anita L. Vangelisti, the interim dean of the Moody College of Communication, in an email announcing the appointment on Tuesday.
The Moody College houses K*T and K*TX, and staff are university employees. The newsroom is editorially independent from UT.
Vangelisti and Johnson spoke to K*T staff at an in-person meeting Tuesday about the transition. Vangelisti said firing Hiott was her decision, and that officials plan to launch a search for a new general manager as soon as possible. Johnson said he only plans to serve as interim general manager for a few months, but will be involved in the search for a permanent leader.
Johnson said he wasn't involved in firing Hiott and declined to comment on whether he agreed with the decision. He said he's close friends with Hiott and spoke with her Monday.
Johnson said he doesn't see K*T's work changing as a result of the transition.
“I am not a hatchet man," he said in the meeting. "I am here to take care of you, to make sure that the work continues."
UT Austin has made major changes in recent years, including the consolidation of academic departments. When asked if something similar could happen to K*T, Johnson said he had no indication that was the case but also wouldn't be involved in that type of decision.
Hiott's departure was announced via an email Monday afternoon from Vangelisti. The email didn't provide a reason for the decision. In the Tuesday staff meeting, Vangelisti was asked multiple times for more details on the firing and declined to comment.
Hiott told K*T News she was called into an unscheduled meeting on Monday with Vangelisti, an official with UT's legal affairs department and UT's human resources director. Hiott said she was shown a resignation letter and a termination letter, and was encouraged to resign. After she declined, she was told to leave immediately.
Hiott said the termination letter cited "planning problems with the K*T Festival and security issues" as reasons for her firing.
The inaugural K*T Festival, which took place last month, was thrown into disarray days before kickoff due to a last-minute venue change. UT Austin, the festival's original venue, ordered K*T to move large parts of the event off campus, among other changes, citing insufficient safety planning by festival organizers. Hiott publicly disputed the university's account.
Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who was a speaker at the K*T Festival, called Hiott a hero for speaking out and cast her firing in a political light.
"The White House, and now UT, are trying to crack down on those they think are disobedient," Casar wrote in a post on social media on Tuesday. "I demand full transparency about what led to Debbie's firing."

06/16/2026

John E. Yemma, former Daily Texan managing editor and an editor and foreign correspondent whose career spanned more than four decades at some of America’s most respected news organizations, died June 10, 2026, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was 73.
“John was the perfect partner in what we were endeavoring to achieve at The Boston Globe,” said Martin Baron, editor of the Globe from 2001-12. “He was deeply experienced as a reporter domestically and overseas.”
Baron, who appointed Yemma to direct coverage of the 2004 presidential campaign, called the journalist “masterful as an editor overseeing multiple news departments. When I needed someone to position us for the highly disruptive digital age, I knew instinctively that John would be the ideal person. He was not only a great journalist but also a stellar human being.”
Among his professional achievements was leadership of a 1999 George Polk Award-winning investigative series for the Boston Globe examining the treatment of mental health patients by medical researchers. The project was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Yemma is survived by his wife of 48 years, Robin Jareaux, a former art director at the Washington Post.
Born in Venice, Florida, Yemma spent his early years moving frequently as one of the sons of U.S. Air Force officer Dominic A. Yemma, a World War II veteran. Among his childhood experiences were four formative years in Japan, where his father’s military assignment exposed him to different cultures and perspectives at an early age. He spent most of his youth in Austin, Texas, a period he fondly described as a “Boy’s Life childhood” — filled with adventure, independence, hijinks with his siblings, and the freedom to explore a rapidly growing city.
Yemma graduated from William B. Travis High School in Austin in 1970 and earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. He served as managing editor of The Daily Texan in spring 1974 during his senior year. He often credited a high school English teacher, Jane Smoot, with encouraging him to pursue writing as a profession. Years later, he recalled that she was “the kind of teacher — high standards, unfeigned interest in what you are thinking, open-mindedness — you remember all your life.”
His journalism career began at United Press International in Dallas, where he worked as a reporter and editor from 1974 to 1976. He joined The Dallas Morning News as a magazine staff writer, producing feature stories for the newspaper’s Sunday magazine.
In 1979, Yemma joined The Christian Science Monitor, beginning a long association with the international news organization. He served in a variety of roles, including Washington correspondent, Middle East correspondent, business writer, business editor, and economics columnist. His reporting covered major political, economic, and international developments and earned him recognition as a careful observer of global affairs.
In 1988, Yemma moved to The Boston Globe, where he held several senior editorial positions, including foreign editor, Sunday editor, special projects editor and national political editor during the 2004 presidential campaign. He later became deputy managing editor for multimedia, helping lead the Globe’s digital initiatives during a period of significant transformation in the newspaper industry.
He returned to The Christian Science Monitor in 2008 as editor-in-chief, overseeing its global news operation and helping guide the organization through a period of transition from print to digital journalism. In an [interview](https://commonwealthbeacon.org/.../the-christian-science.../) about his appointment, he said: “I would define Monitor journalism as the journalism of hope. It’s not just about shocking you or titillating you. It’s about essentially coming away with the sense that it’s not all going to hell in a handbasket. The value added is not to try to solve the problem ourselves, but to find people who are trying to solve the problem.”
He later served as a columnist for the Monitor before retiring from full-time journalism in 2017.
In addition to the Polk Award, he received a Headliner Award for editorial work in 1999 on a Globe investigation examining Harvard University’s influence and power. Throughout his career, he received additional honors from The Boston Globe, then owned by The New York Times Co.
Though raised a Catholic, Yemma spent much of his adulthood exploring different religions, philosophies, and belief systems in search of a deeper understanding of life’s larger questions. He valued reason, conscience, and open-minded inquiry, respecting both believers and skeptics. He often described his outlook as closest to Aldous Huxley’s “perennial philosophy,” the shared truths underlying many faith traditions. He said he ultimately found a spiritual home in Christian Science.
Retirement allowed Yemma to devote more time to reading, writing, some traveling, and mostly life at home in Plymouth with Robin, who operates a successful vacation rental business in Southeast Massachusetts. He often joked with his brothers that he oversaw “waste management and lobster detritus,” and had a healthy respect for the Plymouth transfer station.
Reflecting on his life in later years, he summed up his outlook with characteristic bonhomie: “I loved most people, most dogs, several cats, and the majority of the chickens that my favorite person in forever, Robin, and I raised for a time in our happy backyard in Plymouth.”
Colleagues described Yemma as an insightful editor, generous mentor, and steadfast believer in the role of independent “tell the truth “Journalism in a democratic society.
Friends and family knew him as an endlessly curious observer of the world and a gifted storyteller. He told a story of his very early years lazing on a hammock in his ancestral hometown of Yoakum, Texas. “I just like to sit,” he told his granny, who was concerned he wasn’t playing with the other dozens of cousins in 100 degree weather. He said he “could sit through almost anything — long nights at checkpoints, pedantic lectures, bloated PowerPoints, the time-killing bureaucrat, or the droning-on-‘til-midnight house guest, you’re welcome.”
In addition to Robin, he is survived by four brothers, Andrew A. Yemma of Denver, Colorado, Mark F. Yemma of Rancho Mission Viejo, California, William J. Yemma of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Paul A. Yemma of Pocahontas, Arkansas; his sister, Mary Yemma Long of Champaign, Illinois; 12 nieces and nephews, and 12 grand-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Dominic (2004), and his mother, Walterlee Afflerbach Yemma (2009).
A family memorial service is planned for the autumn. Contributions in his honor are suggested for the Christian Science Monitor or a charity of choice.

04/30/2026

Public media under fire at UT-Austin, forcing last-minute down-sizing and relocation of inaugural festival by K*T-FM. Read K*T's response below.

In a point-by-point rebuttal to the university's general counsel, K*T Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott provided dates where university officials had signed off on the festival plans.

04/29/2026

S. Griffin “Griff” Singer — devoted husband, father, grandfather, teacher, mentor, caregiver and friend — died March 25, 2026, at the age of 93 following a brief battle with cancer.
A celebration of life is set for May 29 in Austin at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 5416 Parkcrest Drive. Visitation with family will start at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 o’clock and reception at noon. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to:
The Friends of the Daily Texan Griff Singer Fund;
The S. Griffin Singer Endowed Professorship; or
The S. Griffin Singer Student Support Endowment.
Griff is survived by daughter Cathy Becker and her husband Clay, son Mark Singer and his wife Tricia, and stepson Michael Selby and his wife Kathryn. He also leaves behind granddaughters Siena Singer, Brynn Selby and Paige Diehl, along with his extended family and vast network of friends, and former colleagues and students. Griff was preceded in death by wives Patricia McGuire Singer and Evelyn Carleton Singer.
Griff was born September 27, 1932, at Dallas Methodist Hospital, the son of Martha Janette Griffin Singer and Sidney Arthur Singer. He lived in the same Oak Cliff house all his life until enrolling at the University of Texas at Austin in 1952. He graduated from Sunset High School, where he was elected to the National Honor Society and lettered in football. His interest in journalism started while at Sunset as sports editor of the student newspaper.
Over the past 70-plus years, Griff had been a printer, reporter, editor, teacher and newspaper consultant. And even though he retired in 2003 after 34 years of working, he stayed active in journalism until his death. He earned Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Arts in Communication degrees, both from UT Austin.

In his teaching career, all at UT, Griff taught courses in reporting, copyediting, and newspaper layout and design. He made the transition from hot type to computers to digital during that time, and organized and team-taught the first offering of computer-assisted reporting and later sports reporting. While an undergraduate student at UT, he was a reporter and editor for The Daily Texan by day and printer in the composing room at night.
His first journalism job after serving his Army Reserve commitment as a Military Police second lieutenant was news editor at the Arlington (Texas) Citizen-Journal. After office basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, Griff was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. But a long-time goal was to work for his hometown paper, The Dallas Morning News. He was offered a job as a general assignment reporter at The News in 1959. His assignments grew into covering county government and civil and criminal courts, and in early 1961 he was named an assistant city editor. Among his career highlights were helping direct coverage of the assassination of President John Kennedy and the ensuing investigation and the trial of Jack Ruby for the slaying of Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy’s assassin.
Griff stayed with The News until 1967, when he returned to UT and Austin to teach in the School of Journalism and Media. With the retirement of Norris Davis as chair of the school in 1976, he served a year as acting chair. Griff then served as assistant chair to the late Dwight Teeter for two years. In 1979, he was recruited to be city editor and later assistant managing editor at the San Antonio Light. He returned to UT in 1981, and continued teaching and performing administrative duties in the School of Journalism and Media.
Griff participated in countless seminars and workshops conducted for state, regional and national journalism organizations — the National and Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association, the Texas Press Association and its regional groups and the Society of Professional Journalists. He judged many state and national journalism competitions, and in 1993 was one of 13 jurors selected for the international competition of the Society of News Design.

For 17 summers, beginning in 1987, he was an assistant metro editor and newsroom consultant at the Houston Chronicle.

Griff also consulted with Freedom Communications, Inc., a California-based corporation that at the time had 26 daily newspapers. In 1996, he was a copy editor on the Olympics Daily published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during the 1996 Summer Olympics and in 1994 was on the first team of Western journalists to go to the former Soviet state of Kyrgyzstan to work with Russian-trained journalists in adapting to a free press.

The Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association in 1998 cited Griff for his service to journalism in Texas by presenting him with the Jack Douglas Award that honors a former editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 2003, he was awarded the title of “Wirehandler for Life,” for his many years of taking part in the annual Texas Associated Press Workshops for editors and copy editors.

Griff’s former students in 2000 honored him greatly, establishing two endowed grants to the UT School of Journalism and Media: The S. Griffin Singer Endowed Professorship and the S. Griffin Singer Student Support Endowment, which annually provides two scholarships to UT journalism students.

The South Texas Press Association in 2010 named its general excellence award The S. Griffin Singer General Excellence Award, noting his continued call for improvements in community journalism.
In 2016 he was inducted into the Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame, and two years later, he was inducted into the Friends of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame. That same year, former students, colleagues and friends established a fund creating the Griff and Evelyn Singer Foyer on the third floor of the Dealey Center for New Media on the UT campus.
In addition, the Friends of The Daily Texan board established a scholarship in his honor in 2020, and that fund continues to grow and provide additional support to Texan staffers each year. Griff was a long-time board member of Friends of The Daily Texan, and was actively involved in supporting the Friends and Daily Texan journalists.

04/13/2026

https://friendsofthedailytexan.org/.../sponsor-a-student.../
Not able to attend the Friends of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame event April 17 on the University of Texas campus but still want to support The Texan and its student journalists? Please consider sponsoring a Daily Texan student journalist to attend.
And, even if you are able to attend, please consider sponsoring a student for only $75.
Registration for the event is now open at this link to select your ticket and/or make a donation to sponsor a student:
https://friendsdailytexan.wildapricot.org/event-6522425
All Daily Texan staff members are invited to attend – at no charge – but your donation helps defray the costs of meals and other expenses for the student journalists. This year’s event will be dedicated to beloved educator and outstanding journalist Griff Singer and will include a tribute video and slideshow in his honor.
In addition, attendees will hear from Interim Dean of Moody College of Communication Anita Vangelisti, will meet the 16 Texan staffers who will receive scholarship grants this year, hear a report from current Texan senior editors and learn more about the 3 Rising Star winners and 8 Hall of Fame members in the class of 2026.

03/27/2026

Memorial services are pending for Griff Singer. Here is a link to info about Griff and his career.
The Friends of The Texan will pass along more information when it is available regarding memorial services, and where to send sympathy cards, etc.

Here is a link to his obituary:

Memorial services are pending for S. Griffin Singer, a towering figure in Texas journalism education, who mentored generations of reporters and editors at the University of Texas at Austin. He died at the age of 93 on Wednesday, March 25. Singer, who spent more than three decades on the university.....

03/25/2026

Griff is gone.

We wanted you to be aware that Griff died shortly before 2 o'clock this morning while still in intensive care.

Thank you for rallying all of the amazing prayers and incredible support throughout his cancer journey. You will never know how much they lifted both his spirits and ours.

We will be back in touch regarding memorial service details.

Mark & Cathy

03/20/2026

Update on condition of Griff Singer

Griff Singer suffers setback; now in intensive care
We are frustrated to report that our father, Griff, has recently suffered a significant setback in his cancer treatment and recovery.
Only a few days after transitioning to assisted living and receiving his second round of chemotherapy, Dad was found unresponsive early Monday morning. He was immediately transported to the emergency room and diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection that doctors thought might take his life. He has been in the intensive care unit since.
Fortunately, strong antibiotics and a great medical team have helped fight back the infection. Griff is also receiving occupational and physical therapy in hopes of restoring his activity and strength. He will be moved to a regular room once his blood pressure has steadied.
We are not sure where the road will take us from here, but continue to welcome your support and prayers.
Mark Singer & Catherine Singer Becker

03/13/2026

Meet Martin L.’Red’ Gibson, 2026 The Daily Texan Hall of Fame honoree
The red-haired and freckled Martin L. Gibson started life in Colorado City, Texas, where he spent summers chopping and picking cotton, driving trucks and mixing mortar for a bricklayer before graduating from high school there. He also picked up the nickname “Red,” which would stick with him all through his life.
Best known for his work in journalism education at the University of Texas, he was equally at home in a metropolitan newsroom or the hospitality suite of a press association convention.
Martin L. “Red” Gibson was honored in 2014 by his induction into the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame, the first journalism educator to receive this recognition.
He will be inducted into the Friends of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame, as recipient of the Griff Singer Award, on April 17.
Gibson’s work experience included stints with the Austin American-Statesman, the New York Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle and the Galveston Daily News.
As a University of Texas at Austin professor of journalism, he taught a number of students who themselves would become publishers and leaders in the Texas newspaper industry. During his 24 years of teaching, he developed into one of the best friends of community journalists across Texas. Along with UT colleagues Mike Quinn and Griff Singer, he conducted numerous state and regional workshops for newspaper associations. The books he wrote on journalism became bibles for editors.
Gibson attended Texas Western College in El Paso and the U.S. Naval Academy where, he explained, calculus stymied him. In 1955 he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from North Texas State College in Denton, now the University of North Texas.
After covering sports at the Galveston Daily News for a year, he joined the U.S. Army and edited a newspaper for the 10th Infantry Division in Wurzburg, Germany. In 1959, he earned a master’s degree in journalism at Northwestern University while working on the copy desk at the Chicago Tribune.
The Houston Chronicle hired him as a copy editor in 1960. By 1965 he was night editor, but he left to teach journalism at the University of North Texas in Denton. He joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin in 1969 and earned his doctorate there in 1973.
He held the university’s Philip G. Warner Regents Professorship in Communication.
In 1981 he became the first recipient of the American Press Institute’s Ottaway Fellowship for consulting and teaching and in 1982 he won a Fulbright award to teach and critique newspapers in New Zealand.
His column, “Black and White and Red All Over” was published by Texas Press Association and he wrote a column, “The Newspaper Tuner,” for the Freedom Newspapers group.
He wrote the widely used journalism textbooks “Editing in the Electronic Era” and “The Writer’s Friend” and he conducted journalism workshops in nine states and two provinces of Canada.
Gibson also served terms as president of the Gulf Coast and Texas chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Soon after his death in 1993 at age 59, Gibson was remembered by his colleague Dr. Wayne Danielson of the UT Department of Journalism.
“Red liked to work surrounded by stacks and stacks of paper — newspapers, letters, old class notes, exams, stories written by students, book chapters he was editing,” Danielson wrote.
“He liked to have words around him at all times. He was comfortable with words and words comforted him.”
Gibson served multiple terms and countless hour two decades on the then Texas Student Publications (now TSM) board as a faculty representative. He, along with Griff Singer, provided workshops for Texan staffers as well as offering advice based on their many years of professional experience and continuing relationships with newspapers across Texas and other parts of the country.
From Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame, Class of 2014