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On this edition of Houston Matters, we learn about official efforts to sell Houston’s image across the country and around the world with Jorge Franz, Senior Vice President of Tourism for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Cari Broderson, Vice President of Marketing for the Greater Houston Partnership. Then, we seek the insights of Texas Monthly Executive Editor Mimi Swartz and Senior Editor John Nova Lomax, and we ask you: does Houston still have an image problem? We're pulling in our share of conventions, but could recent flooding — combined with longstanding perceptions of Houston as a perpetually hot humid random mass of glass and concrete — make it ever harder to draw tourists?
Also this hour: Does what we see or read in the news influence our subconscious feelings about race? A new study from the University of Houston suggests as much. We learn more from the study's co-author, UH Assistant Professor of Communication Temple Northup. His article "Effects of Long-Term Exposure to News Stereotypes on Implicit and Explicit Attitudes" was recently published in the International Journal of Communication.
And: When the Houston Astros take on the White Sox in Chicago today (6/8/15), they’ll have a new player in the dugout with them: top prospect Carlos Correa. The team announced his promotion to the majors Sunday night. In stops at Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno this season, the highly-touted infielder, whom the Astros drafted first overall in 2012, has been hammering the ball, hitting a combined .335 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs to go along with 18 stolen bases.
His arrival may come at a key stretch for the Astros, who have dropped four straight, and are just 4-6 in their last ten games. The hard-charging Texas Rangers, meanwhile, have won seven of their last ten and are now just 3.5 games behind Houston in the American League West.
We talk with Evan Drellich, who covers the Astros for the Houston Chronicle, about Correa, and other developments for the Houston Astros, including last week’s announcement of plans to do away with Tal’s Hill in center field at Minute Maid Park.
