S-A Radio: Texans Discuss Shooting Rampage On The Radio

The Monday morning radio waves became a community meeting ground of sorts for residents still coming to grips with Texas' deadliest modern mass shooting.

San Antonio-based radio station Rock KISS 99.5 FM is one of only a few stations that reaches the small town, where 26 people were killed after a gunman entered the First Baptist Church late Sunday morning.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the station's Billy Madison Show, opened its phone lines to its listeners during its 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. programming and received a flood of calls from people in the Sutherland Springs area.

"The show is known for comedy, it's known for making people laugh, it's known for distraction, but it's also very topical," said Keith Hastings, director of branding and programming for KISS.

"It's not unlike late night television and a lot of the talk shows. So, when you have something like this that hits so hard on so many levels and especially with the local community, it's irresponsible to try to go on as if nothing happened or as if a problem didn't exist, and really our job as broadcasters is to allow our listeners a voice."

The show featured hot takes and speculation surrounding the details of the Sunday shooting.
One caller, who claimed to have direct family members that were killed in the massacre, who criticized previous people who had called for tighter gun regulations in the U.S.