Longtime San Angelo LIVE! Reporter Matt Trammell Says Goodbye

SAN ANGELO, TX – During the football season of 2018, my young 20-year-old self received a message that would change the course of my life forever. It was from a mutual friend of the then sports guy at San Angelo LIVE!, Sam Fowler.

Fowler was tasked with what I would come to learn is the most challenging job every year – hiring football stringers. Just like every year, only one stringer remained, and that year it was me. I pleaded with Sam to let his boss know that I wanted the job. In fact, I may have begged, as I was waiting tables at the time, trying to make ends meet.

On the day of my interview, I wore what any typical frat boy would wear to a job interview – a suit. Well, if you know Joe Hyde, which apparently I didn't at the time, you'd know he just laughed and asked why I was wearing a tie. Either way, he told me to start the following day.

Throughout my time here, I have learned a lot about everything. I'm not kidding either when I say that. In fact, I thought that to end my time here, I'd compile a list of all my favorite articles and maybe share a story to go along with it.

LIVE DAILY NEWS SHOW: The first LIVE! Daily News was on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 and was simply titled  LIVE! Wednesday, May 18, 2022. The most recent episode is titled LIVE! Daily News | The Truth About Armageddon. I suggest you watch them both. Probably one of the proudest things at LIVE! was the ability to grow this news program. Now with head producer James Bouligny, expect it to continue to grow into your go-to program for the day.

BUSINESS: Trammell Eats: These 4 Businesses are Thriving in the COVID-19 Economy - During the pandemic, we at San Angelo LIVE! were doing what you guys were doing, and that was trying to figure out how to eat out. In this edition of Trammell Eats, myself and Manny Diaz went from food truck to food truck in search of the best ones. It's a great throwback video!

COUNTY: LIVE! Daily News Special Report: The Appraisal Crisis - The Special Report was my first big project as the lead producer here. This past May, San Angelo LIVE! was given the task to explain all of the ins-and-outs of the tax appraisals skyrocketing throughout Tom Green County. In the nearly 3-hour show, Joe Hyde and Yantis Green spoke with everyone from the 'Angry' taxpayer Tim Condon to the County Judge himself, Lane Carter.

CRASHES: Reporter's Truck Consumed by City Sinkhole in Santa Rita - It wouldn't be goodbye without throwing to a story that only the San Angelo Police Department heads know. As an extremely green reporter on the scene, I thought it would be a good idea to drive my pickup onto a sinkhole just 3 blocks away from the San Angelo LIVE! offices. I didn't want to get my feet wet but ended up sinking the truck instead. Now I guess if the cops ever ask if I have an alias, I have to say... They call me "Pothole."

CRIME: Police to Charge Man with Murder Following Backyard Shooting - Double Homicide: The Last Hours with Chubby and Jared - I've written A LOT of crime articles since I've been at San Angelo LIVE! However, the craziest moments for me in the business were on Mar. 18 & Mar. 19, 2019. Just 6 months on the job, and I was at my first murder. I was a block away from my Angelo Place apartment when I heard the chaos. By the time I got to Bailey Street, the whole block was blocked, and families were fighting. After hours on the scene, I finally called it a night. It wouldn't be 8 hours later, and John Basquez was blowing up my phone, getting me to another murder. This one was gruesome, though. Two dead bodies burned in a house. It would show me both sides of murder, though. One out of passion and one in cold blood.

EDUCATION: 2022 San Angelo Stock Show Is Off to a Frigid Start Friday - Barns Open for the 2021 San Angelo Livestock Show - 2019 San Angelo Stock Show Junior Market Lamb Show Results - The cool thing about working at San Angelo LIVE! is that you can cover things you like. I showed pigs and lambs all throughout high school and love the atmosphere.

ENTERTAINMENT: The 2022 Star Spangled Banner Concert and Fireworks Show - I've done a lot of concerts at LIVE! from Grunge Fest to Wild West Fest to West Texas Jam to everyone's favorite the July 3rd Star Spangled Banner Concert and Fireworks Show. Last year's was the biggest ever but in 2022 Joe and the team decided to go with a Chicago tribute band. This was a great time no doubt.

HEALTH: WATCH: Is San Angelo Prepared for the Coronavirus? - The time I predicted the future. Sort of. We were less than 30 days before our first confirmed case of COVID-19, and I was out asking the questions to find out if we were ready. The answer was simple... not really. But that's not a knock; no one was ready for 2020. This is one of my first solo-produced videos.

INTERNATIONAL: DOOMSDAY CLOCK: Only 100 Seconds to Midnight - Throughout my time here, there have been numerous international stories, including the loss of Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The Doomsday Clock is still set at 100 seconds, so we'll see what the future holds.

NATIONAL: Richland Springs Football Star Found Guilty of Role in Jan. 6 - The insane day that was January 6, 2021. Here in the news room Yantis Green and myself watched the action go down live on my desk monitor. From the protestors climbing on top of the capital building to the police shooting those protestors. Here locally we were able to find a tie as a former star football player from Richland Springs was one of those people that got arrested. It was such a good jounalistic piece that it got San Angelo LIVE! demonetized from Youtube. Sorry Joe.

OPINION: Orange You Glad You Named Your Team The Bobcats? - I typically stayed away from the opinion page on San Angelo LIVE! However, I couldn't help but take a jab at the Chiefs every once in a while. In 2020, everyone was gung-ho about canceling names and tearing down statues. Somehow, I was the only one who seemed to be offended by the name 'Lake View Chiefs.' I wasn't really offended, but you clicked it and commented on it.

OUTDOORS: Tiger Spotted in the Rio Grande River -To this day, this story might be the most clicked on story in my career and perhaps in San Angelo LIVE! history. Yes, it ended up being fake news, but we had it first, and as a 20-year-old journalist at the time, I was fine with that. Either way, you live, you learn.

POLITICS: Election Results for November 3 in San Angelo - LIVE!: Election Results with Manny Diaz and Yantis Green - Whether it be my first election as an adult in 2020 or even the infamous Tom Green County Judge Race of 2022, San Angelo LIVE! showed me a behind the scenes look into the political world. Heck I even knocked on doors during the Hyde for County Judge Campaign.

RODEO: "Trammell Eats" Reviews The Tastiest Carnival Cuisine - The original Trammell Eats took place at the 2020 San Angelo Rodeo. During LIVE!'s coverage of the yearly rodeo, we put together human interest pieces. This was the start of a yearly trend. Another huge shoutout to the producer of these, Manny Diaz. Trammell Eats was never the same after his departure.

SAN ANGELO: San Angelo City Council Approves Funding Plan for 2 Splash Pads - I couldn't leave off the most exciting news in San Angelo history! Look, I don't have kids, so maybe I'll understand once I do. We'll see if it actually happens, but it's looking like it will. There have been a ton of San Angelo stories I've covered, but this definitely had the most humorous reaction out of fans.

SPORTS: No. 2 Garden City Knocks off Defending State Champ Strawn in Nondistrict Finale - This was the first sports story on record for me at LIVE! I couldn't think of my favorite as all of my good memories come from the Friday Night Lights. It has been a heck of a run for COVER1, and man has it changed. We started with a 3-hour live stream, and today we have three 30-minute shows. To top it off, our hits are at an all-time high. This one will definitely be something I miss.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Of course, if you're a fan of COVER1, then you know we end it all with final thoughts. So here are mine. First, I want to say thank you to my fiancée, Addison, my family, and friends for helping me with this tough decision. Second, I want to thank the San Angelo LIVE team. Joe Hyde took a chance on me when no one else would. Yantis Green for teaching me, having patience with me, and helping me become the leader I am here. Manny Diaz for teaching me the tricks of the trade. To the Cover1 crew of James Bouligny and Ryan Chadwick, it's been a fun ride, boys. Thank you also to my audience. To those I've helped, you're welcome, and to those I've upset, I apologize. Working as a journalist has taught me a lot about myself and life, and I cannot wait for what the future holds.