The Crew
Ken Roberts
Ken Roberts is the General Manager, Vice President, and Programming Manager of KBEC. Ken anchors The Classic Texas Coffee Cup morning show, The Flea Market, and general news. He is also known far and wide for his play by play sports announcing of North Texas high schools.
Growing up with KBEC, Ken also handles advertising production, engineering, and confesses to changing a light bulb or two. He was born and raised in Waxahachie working at his dad’s grocery store where he learned to be a jack of all trades. He started at KBEC in 1980 as a senior at Waxahachie High School.
Ken has always loved radio. He states, “It’s a medium that requires imagination. We get to verbally paint a picture for our listeners. I find that an inspiring challenge everyday.”
Ken’s favorite all time band runs a tight race between The Eagles and & Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Mike Roberts
Mike’s smooth voice calms a lot of nerves Monday through Friday during the KBEC afternoon traffic report. He also reports weather and general news..
On his Saturday programming, he helps listeners find that perfect song with an all-request show.
A native of Hankinson, North Dakota, Mike has been with KBEC since 1991. And no, there’s no relationship between him and Ken. He previously was with KCLE in Cleburne as a music director/production manager. Mike has a soft spot in his heart for all cross country hits. He also loves grandkids, fishing, camping, pheasant hunting and if you ask Mike what he likes about radio and he answers, “EVERYTHING!”.
Jon Garrett (JG)
He lends his voice to a variety of KBEC shows including The Flea Market, The Classic Texas Coffee Cup, and remote broadcasts.
A full-time college student majoring in broadcast, Jon is launching a series of interviews with local bands and visiting country performers. He’s been making A’s with us since 2010!
Jon’s hometown is Austin, Texas, and he visits just enough to keep in touch with new trends in Texas music. In addition to loving golf, fishing, hunting, and reading, he also picks The Doors and Stevie Ray Vaughan as favorites. Keep an ear open for the Live In Texas show produced by Jon on Thursday evenings at 7PM. This will feature "live" performances from the greatest Texas artists of our time.
Valerie Crowder
Goodbye New York, hello Ellis County! This native Texan has returned home to broadcast live on KBEC's Classic Texas Coffee Cup, City Talk, morning and noon newscasts, and remote broadcasts.
Valerie studied broadcast and digital journalism at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before landing back in Texas, she also worked at WAER 88.3 FM in Syracuse, NY.
When she's not on the airwaves, Valerie enjoys reading, writing, biking, traveling, and meditating in nature. She also enjoys music by artists like Bob Dylan and Animal Collective.
Phil Veltman
End your weekend with the inspirational music of the Ol Doc’s Gospel Show. Sunday evenings from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, host Phil Veltman plays country gospel favorites featuring local artists from Texas.
Phil is an Indiana boy that then came to Texas (like all smart people). He has an identical twin brother who shares a love for some of Phil’s favorite hobbies like trains, antiques, and wood working.
Phil has been hosting with KBEC for over ten years. He also works for Dr. Pepper - which explains his prime Dr. Pepper memorabilia collection! His favorite thing about working on KBEC is hearing from people whose lives his show has touched. Listeners report classic gospel lifts them up and gives them a reason to hold on for a better life.
Ol’Doc knows how his audience feels when he plays his favorite song, “Go Rest High On That Mountain” by Vince Gill.
René Guerra
One of our hosts for the Life and Money Matters with the Success Guys: Changing Lives One Day and Dollar at a Time program, René is a native Texan born and raised in Dallas. After completing a year-long intensive coaching program through Jack Canfield and graduating from Canfield’s "Break Through to Success" and advanced training programs in 2010, René was personally selected by Canfield to be one of an elite group of trainers and coaches to be personally mentored in his 2012 "Train the Trainer" program. He has also been certified in High Performance Workplace Practices, Situational Leadership, Employee Coaching, and Cadbury Schweppes Passion for People.
In 2010, after a 21-year career with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, he stepped out of his comfort zone and left to pursue his personal goal of opening a business with his wife, Tricia, to help people achieve their goals and to pursue their passion in life. This business is RTG Coaching, where René is a Life Coach, MS & T, as well as a motivational speaker and trainer. With a mixture of wisdom, compassion, wit, and intuition, he mentors and encourages others to work outside their own comfort zone in order to achieve their maximum potential. His coaching and speaking is designed to help people to find their own inner compass that will guide them as they take charge of their life’s direction and set goal for the future.
René also believes in the importance of giving back. He is an active member of the Rotary and Toastmasters clubs in Waxahachie. With his wife, he supports such causes as Fossil Rim Wildlife Park and the International Animal Sanctuary.
Mike Hill
Our other host for the Life and Money Matters with the Success Guys: Changing Lives One Day and Dollar at a Time program, Mike has been providing independent, unbiased financial advice in the DFW area since 1982 as the owner of Hill & Associates Wealth Management Advisors. He is a Certified Estate Planner and Financial Planner as well as a Certified IRA Distribution Specialist. He is also a Certified Continuing Education Instructor for certified public accountants and real estate agents in Texas. Mike has been invited by Fortune 500 companies like Kraft Foods and Pegasus solutions, not to mention cities like Allen, McKinney, and Plano, to educate employees on how to utilize tax reduction strategies for wealth distribution and transfer. He obtained his MBA in Finance from Texas A&M University in 1997.
He is married to Heather Hill and has two daughters, Payton and Megan. His passion is to be involved with volunteer youth programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and to coach his daughters' little league teams. He has also coached little league football for over 13 years.
