Accountability.
LIVINGSTON, Texas — Inside three Texas prisons, people in custody are running their own radio stations and producing video podcasts that reach residents across the TDCJ system on their tablets, according to the September 2026 issue of The ECHO, the newspaper published for people in TDCJ by the Windham School District.
The shows feature interviews, testimonies, cooking segments and conversations about changing prison culture, all produced by incarcerated men and women.
The Tank 106.5 — Polunsky Unit
The Tank radio station began broadcasting from the Polunsky Unit in Livingston in February 2020. When COVID-19 restrictions halted classes and limited movement, the station became a way to reach people who could no longer gather.
“I couldn’t visit the G4s and G5s,” Polunsky resident Clinton Owens told The ECHO. “I realized [The Tank] provided an opportunity to reach the population.”
After Securus began rolling out tablets in 2021, The Tank filmed its first video podcast on Jan. 31, 2023, an interview with former resident and speaker Keidrain Brewster, recorded with one camera and a simple microphone. The ECHO reports the station has since interviewed TDCJ leaders, NBA players, business leaders and people who have successfully reentered society, and its outreach has grown to county jails, federal facilities and platforms in 12 other states.
The people chosen to work at The Tank go through a careful interview process. “The technical aspect of teaching the software, how to use the system — you can teach that. You cannot teach a person how to be the person they need to be before they get into that position,” Polunsky Chaplain S. Hubler said.
Ladies of the Tank — O’Daniel Unit
In 2022, a women’s version launched at the O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville. Gateway Ministries donated professional cinema cameras, GoPro cameras and video-editing software.
“It was blazing a brand-new trail, and we were the first,” radio station operator Rosalyn “Boss Roz” Burdett said.
The show’s segments include “First Ladies,” presented by peer mentors, life coaches and support specialists, and “The Spread,” a cooking segment where women share their own recipes. The team accepts content from other women’s units in the region.
“I may not know exactly what is going on in their lives, but for that day, that moment, they had some hope,” Burdett said.
MI City Radio — Michael Unit
At the Michael Unit in Tennessee Colony, a partnership between Gateway Church and Christian radio station 90.9 KCBI started MI City Radio, which joined The Tank network at 104.9. Its mission statement is “Free on the Inside.”
The station’s programs include “Enough is Enough,” aimed at fighting substance use, and “Cross Culture,” which looks at how prison culture can hold people back from growth.
“If the culture is going to change, then ultimately the people need to change,” radio station operator Wesley Hines said.
How your loved one can watch
The Tank Nation, Ladies of the Tank and MI City podcasts are available on TDCJ tablets through the Edovo app. Your loved one can open Edovo, type “TDCJ,” select the TDCJ icon, tap “Explore,” then “Seasons” to see the available shows.