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Articles by Ricky Mathews
Mathews: Our Coast’s mayors are laying groundwork for regional growth effort
Ricky Mathews is the former president and publisher of the Sun Herald, The Times Picayune, and the Press-Register. He’s the host of The Ricky Mathews Show and SuperTalk Outdoors on SuperTalk Mississippi, and the author of “Finding Hope: 25 Lifelines for Life’s Storms.” He wrote the foreword to former Gov. Haley Barbour’s book, “America’s Great Storm: Leading Through Hurricane Katrina.” Coastal Mississippi is an amazing region.
Mathews: When disaster strikes, MEMA shows up for Mississippians
Stephen “Mac” McCraney, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, came on my show to talk about Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week, the recent near-miss with Hurricane Isaias, and the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. The conversation turned quickly to the work that happens after every disaster. Mac has the background for the job. Retired lieutenant colonel in the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard.
Mathews: Mayors lay groundwork for Coastal Mississippi’s regional growth effort
Coastal Mississippi is an amazing region. It’s a collection of thriving coastal communities, each with its own sense of place. At the same time, it’s an economic engine for our state with enormous future potential. Over the past six years, I’ve had long, aspirational conversations with mayors here on my radio show. Biloxi’s FoFo Gilich, Moss Point’s Billy Knight, Pass Christian’s Kenny Torgeson, Gulfport’s Hugh Keating, and others. These aren’t scripted chamber breakfasts.
Mathews: Gulf Coast Business Council elevating Coast’s most important conversation
Ricky Mathews is the former president and publisher of the Sun Herald, The Times Picayune, and the Press-Register. He’s the host of The Ricky Mathews Show and SuperTalk Outdoors on SuperTalk Mississippi, and the author of “Finding Hope: 25 Lifelines for Life’s Storms.” He wrote the foreword to former Gov.
Mathews: Finding hope in the people who serve Mississippi
I was invited to speak at Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s all-hands meeting last week. My new book, “Finding Hope: 25 Lifelines for Life’s Storms,” was just published, and I spoke on hope. What has stayed with me since last Monday was not the speech I gave. It was the people I met. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is a large organization of nearly 300 public servants.
Mathews: Gulf Coast Business Council is elevating the Coast’s most important conversation
For nearly two years, I’ve been writing about a compelling case for action: Coastal Mississippi has the assets of a much bigger economy and the habits of a smaller one. The feedback has been strong. A few people in economic development got irritated. One Coast senator told me to drop the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund narrative if I wanted to make a difference. I didn’t. That money is one piece of a larger puzzle, and the last few months have shown the case was worth making.
Mathews: Ella Langley doesn’t owe the internet an explanation for hunting
Online noise has surrounded Alabama country singer Ella Langley after old photos of her with whitetail deer bucks she killed resurfaced. She posted them herself years ago. She grew up hunting with her family and has proudly talked about it. None of this is new. After decades in newspaper and digital news media across the South, and years hosting SuperTalk Outdoors, I’ve also spent my entire life in the outdoors with family and friends. I’ve watched many people get pulled into fights they didn’t need.
Mathews: Call 911! The governor of Louisiana has Kiffinitis
I used to think only one man on earth could catch Kiffinitis. I coined the word back in May, after Lane Kiffin took a cheap shot at the community of Oxford, Mississippi, that rebuilt him. Here’s how I defined Kiffinitis: the incurable condition of total lack of empathy, mixed with an insatiable craving for headlines, drama, and the next big check. Named after the poster child. Once you catch it, it never goes away. I was wrong about the patient list. Call 911.
Mathews: How the tragedy of Nolan Wells has been hijacked by ambulance chasers
The Wells family was grieving the sudden loss of their 18-year-old son, Nolan – a good kid and an athlete with a bright future – after a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island. In that raw moment of pain, they deserved space, answers, and support from their community. Instead, they were steered into a national, rumor-filled and race-baited spectacle.
Mathews: Facts, not old narratives, are the best way to honor Nolan Wells
The loss of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells hits hard across Mississippi. A young man, an athlete with a bright future, and an all-around all-star by all accounts gone after a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island. Our hearts go out to his family, his friends, and everyone mourning him. No parent should have to bury their child. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating, and they must get it right with full transparency. That is what Nolan deserves.
Mathews: The Media Wild West, where the crazies, cranks, and loudmouths are still better than the old days
While I’m a former newspaper publisher, I spent the latter part of my career fully embracing digital media. And in retirement, I’ve continued to study this life-changing evolution. But I still have many of the same frustrations you feel. We scroll through our phones, and half of what we see makes us shake our heads. Crazy people sitting at home in their underwear now have a voice that reaches the whole world. Negativity is everywhere.
Mathews: Lane Kiffin’s fatal flaw on display again with latest cheap shot at Mississippi
Lane Kiffin is a heartless man. Opportunistic. And now, willing to drag Ole Miss and the entire state of Mississippi through the mud just to make himself look better in Baton Rouge. He loves headlines and attention. It would actually be sad if he didn’t work so hard to bring others down with him. His biggest flaw is the one that continues to define him again and again: his complete lack of empathy.
Mathews: Mississippi must keep slowing CWD spread until science catches up
I first got involved with the chronic wasting disease issue not long after I started SuperTalk Outdoors. At the time, deer breeders were pushing hard to open up the sale and transferring of live deer in Mississippi. That caught my attention, so I started doing my homework. I read the science, talked to experts, looked at the data and maps, and listened to hunters on the ground.
Mathews: Hope Squad is saving our kids. Let’s fix the glitch and keep lifelines strong
Mississippi leaders, We’ve faced some hard storms before – together. We know what it means when young lives hang in the balance and every day matters. This week, Gov. Tate Reeves line-item vetoed $500,000 for Hope Squad in House Bill 1924, along with funding for two other groups. His reason was clear and responsible: these items had not appeared in the final vetted report from the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council that the Legislature created for good stewardship and transparency.
Over 150,000 Mississippians remain without power after Winter Storm Fern
More than 153,000 Mississippi homes and businesses remain without electricity as of Monday at noon after Winter Storm Fern brought heavy ice, snow, and high winds to much of the state over the weekend. According to PowerOutage.com, the outages affect approximately 10.5% of the state’s 1.46 million-plus tracked power customers, keeping Mississippi near the top nationally for storm-related disruptions.
Mathews: Enough is enough. It’s time to lead or get out of the way for the sake of Coastal Mississippi
Enough. Enough with the excuses. Enough with the silos. Enough with defending the status quo and pretending that steady, extraordinarily incremental progress in Coastal Mississippi is good enough for a region with our assets, our location, and our history. The complacency we see around this gathering storm is shocking to watch.
Mathews: The Gulf Coast just got a wake-up call. Let’s answer it together
Last week, the Mississippi Development Authority did something unprecedented with the recommendations surrounding remaining BP oil spill settlement funds: Executive Director Bill Cork reviewed the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Advisory Board’s carefully ranked list of 16 projects, kept three smaller ones, and respectfully proposed a different, more unified path for the rest.
Mathews: We've mastered the disasters of the past. The one we can't see is already here
Two days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, with no phones and no power, Gov. Haley Barbour and I finally connected on a satellite phone. I offered one of the only things still standing that I controlled at the time: the conference room at the Sun Herald in Gulfport.
Mathews: Jackson County’s labor tensions show why Coastal Mississippi must unite on regional plan
Over a casual lunch recently, I got an earful from a local business leader about the undercurrents in Jackson County that quiet resistance to more industrial growth is happening because folks fear it will spark a talent raid on their existing teams. I also hear various economic development entities in other areas of the Coast aren’t working well together for a host of reasons.
Reflecting on Charlie Kirk’s death: To my liberal friends who unfollowed me
I hope this finds you well, in a reflective mood, scrolling on social media, and pausing on something that doesn’t just confirm what you already think. We haven’t talked since the presidential election, and I’m not writing to rekindle our connections or have the same old debates, especially now.
Mathews: My heart aches for America after Charlie Kirk assassination
I slept terribly last night. I bet you did, too. My heart aches for our country, and I’m struggling to make sense of something that feels so senseless, so incredibly unnecessary. Charlie Kirk is dead. This amazing young man, who lived his life by example, is no longer on this earth, assassinated at Utah Valley University on a date we should never forget: September 10, 2025. Charlie was doing what he loved when he died. He was living his beliefs in a respectful way.
Mathews: Why I'm locked onto Coastal Mississippi's big moment
Someone recently asked me why I’m so focused on this idea of a Coastal Mississippi Economic Development Alliance. I guess it’s a fair question, but my immediate reaction was to tell them to read my columns. I’ve spelled it out. There’s no mystery here. I’d also tell them to listen to the guests I have recently had on the show and the different ways we have discussed the prospect of such an alliance.
Gov. Tate Reeves visits SuperTalk Mississippi: The state’s multimedia powerhouse
SuperTalk Mississippi Media is a dynamic media force, connecting the state through a robust digital and broadcast footprint. The company’s talk and music stations, plus its news efforts, make for an over 70-dial reach and are also available on the SuperTalk Mississippi app and supertalk.fm. Add in a thriving digital advertising subsidiary and a deep commitment to Mississippi’s progress, STMM is the state’s go-to multimedia platform.
Mathews: Coastal Mississippi needs to dream big, push hard, and form alliance now
Since my last column urging the launching of a regional Coastal Mississippi Economic Development Alliance, I’ve heard from state leaders, legislators, and business leaders. Two Coastal Mississippi leaders sharpened our challenge. One said we need more Business Council board members who know, from experience outside this state, what’s possible. He stressed, “It’s not a passion unless you understand how much better it can be.” Another leader said, “The pushers aren’t pushing anymore.
Mathews: Now is the time to form Coastal Mississippi Economic Development Alliance
When I became publisher of the Sun Herald in 2001, we launched a strategic mission to unite Coastal Mississippi. We expanded distribution, opened a Pascagoula news bureau, and worked to help shape a shared regional identity. Historically, territorial silos had stifled our progress – a challenge our leaders had grappled with for decades. I was determined to play my role to help change that. It would take time, but my tam committed to the long haul. Then, Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
Heart-to-heart with Tommy Duff: Envisioning a bold future for Coastal Mississippi
Not long ago, I received a call that created a conversation I won’t soon forget. Tommy Duff, a fellow Southern Miss alumnus and one of Mississippi’s most remarkable sons, wanted to sit down and talk about Coastal Mississippi, its untapped potential, and its power to continue to propel our state forward. What unfolded was a heart-to-heart that left me hopeful and convinced that Mississippi is very fortunate to have private-sector leaders across this state with track records of dreaming big.
CWD in Mississippi: Sorting fact from fiction
If you’re a Mississippi hunter, you’ve likely heard the buzz about chronic wasting disease, commonly referred to as CWD. Some say the disease is a ticking time bomb for our whitetail deer, while others swear it’s a myth cooked up to ruin deer season. I’ve been digging into this on my SuperTalk Outdoors show, and it’s a growingly hot topic in Mississippi, where the woods are as much home as the front porch.
Coastal Mississippi’s big moment is here. Let’s seize it together!
The last time I wrote about our future, I felt it: Coastal Mississippi teetering on the edge of something massive. We’re already an economic engine for this state, but our region is bursting with untapped potential. Thriving ports, new jobs, and our incredible cities – each with its own unique pulse – crackle with energy. Not just one city or county, but all of us – Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson – standing as one team.
Mississippi’s Roger Wicker: The partner Trump needs to shape a stronger America
As the world watches America’s next moves, Senator Roger Wicker stands ready to play a pivotal role. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Republican from Mississippi brings a wealth of experience and a steady hand to a moment of significant global uncertainty.
Beyond the echo chamber: A conservative's case for media diversity and why the tide has turned
One of my friends on Facebook suggested I need to read sources like the NYT or BBC, insinuating I spend too much time on Fox. I actually pull from a range of sources to stay informed—Fox is just one piece of the puzzle. I don’t allow myself to get trapped in a single echo chamber, though we all have our biases to navigate. Mine lean conservative. That said, the implication that I’m too narrow-minded to look beyond one outlet feels a bit condescending, don’t you think?
Mathews: Seafood labeling bill is a chance to protect our coastal heritage
After a series of bad news headlines about the seafood served at restaurants in Coastal Mississippi, the push for seafood labeling has never been more critical. The House has spoken, overwhelmingly passing a seafood labeling bill. The Senate now stands as the gatekeeper of this vital legislation. It is imperative that we seize this opportunity to advance a measure that preserves the integrity of our Coastal Mississippi seafood industry. The stakes are high.
Mathews: A vision for Coastal Mississippi's bright future
I absolutely love this place. I’ve dedicated my heart and soul to Coastal Mississippi for most of my life, and I’m proud of what we have accomplished, especially since Hurricane Katrina. Yet, as we stand on the brink of a new chapter, I feel a growing sense of urgency about our future. I wish I could fully convey the depth of my emotions through my words, but I will do my best. So, please, hang in there with me. Let me be clear: this isn’t about placing blame.
Opinion: It's time to take Chronic Wasting Disease seriously
In the world of Mississippi’s outdoors, a quote by John Audubon serves as a clarion call: “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children.” This sentiment underscores the significance of protecting and preserving our natural resources for future generations. Hunting, fishing, and outdoor enjoyment play a vital role in Mississippi supporting local businesses and contributing billions to the state’s economy.
Opinion: Mississippi’s healthcare crisis demands unity and action – for the sake of our lives - SuperTalk Mississippi
I celebrate Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann for creating an opportunity for Mississippi to have an important debate about Medicaid expansion. In today’s polarized political landscape where division seems to reign, it is crucial that we, as Mississippians, come together to address the pressing issue of healthcare in our state. As a conservative, I believe in finding common ground and seeking practical solutions that benefit all.
Mississippi’s uncommon spirit
In the aftermath of the deadly and destructive tornadoes that ripped across Mississippi bringing catastrophic damage to many places, especially Rolling Fork, I am struck by something that plays out in Mississippi time and time again after disasters. Mississippi is an incredibly caring state. Such trials reveal our hearts and souls – the essence of the Mississippi spirit. It’s an unbelievably inspiring lesson about who we are and what we are to each other.
Mathews: It's time to move on from Donald Trump
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of SuperTalk Mississippi Media Trump is officially toxic. Last night should have been a very good night for Republicans. It wasn’t. The message here is that America needs to move away from Donald Trump. That’s been loud and clear for those Republicans willing to hear it. But hopefully, now, a growing number of others will come to this realization. Until then, the conservative movement in America is doomed.
From a Hurricane Katrina survivor to a Hurricane Ian survivor
From a Hurricane Katrina survivor to a Hurricane Ian survivor, On August 30, 2005, the day after Hurricane Katrina wiped the Mississippi Gulf Coast off the face of the earth, The Sun Herald newspaper headline read “Our Tsunami.” At the time, I was president and publisher of the newspaper. In the aftermath of the storm, we were awarded the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service.
Op-ed: When will our state's Big Three begin working together?
There was a moment near the beginning of the pandemic when Governor Tate Reeves, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, and Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann (from this point forward referred to as the Big Three) were all grappling with how to move the state’s important work forward during the pandemic. The governor and lieutenant governor had just been sworn in to their new positions.
Is Tate Reeves too cocky?
Tate Reeves may be in trouble. That probably surprises some of you. It is significant, as he recently suggested, that he may be in a runoff. If that happens, all bets are off — anything can happen in a runoff. Reeves faces legitimate primary competition from former Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. and state Rep. Robert Foster, who was largely unknown until making national news recently when he didn’t allow a female reporter to ride along alone with him on his campaign.
Tate Reeves may be in trouble. Mississippi doesn't like cocky: Column
Ricky Mathews, Guest Columnist Published 10:29 a.m. CT July 25, 2019 Tate Reeves may be in trouble. That probably surprises some of you. It is significant, as he recently suggested, that he may be in a runoff. If that happens, all bets are off - anything can happen in a runoff. Reeves faces legitimate primary competition from former Chief Justice Bill Waller and State Rep.
America's Great Storm: Leading Through Hurricane Katrina (Hardcover)
When Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi on August 29, 2005, it unleashed the costliest natural disaster in American history, and the third deadliest. Haley Barbour had been Mississippi's governor for only twenty months when he assumed responsibility for guiding his pummeled, stricken state's recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Smartphone revolution continues to disrupt the media business, forcing constant innovation: Ricky Mathews
Spain Wireless Show Flagship Phones The smartphone revolution continues to disrupt industries around the globe. (Manu Fernandez / Associated Press) This column is excerpted from a presentation given to students and the public at the Loyola School of Mass Communication on March 5. Only eight years ago, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's iPhone, instantly dooming one of his own company's most successful products ever in the iPod, and throwing the telecommunications industry into turmoil.
Smartphone revolution continues to disrupt the media business, forcing constant innovation: Ricky Mathews
This column is excerpted from a presentation given to students and the public at the Loyola Department of Mass Communications on March 5. Only eight years ago, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's iPhone, instantly dooming one of his own company's most successful products ever in the iPod, and throwing the telecommunications industry into turmoil. It's amazing the impact one company can have on the world.
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